Practice report: Bronco talks about would-be pros
BYU football coach Bronco Mendenhall said after Friday night's practice session that he has already discussed the possibility with Austin Collie that the junior might forgo his senior season and enter the NFL Draft.
Actually, Mendenhall said, on the Monday after the Utah game he approached all the players that he considered might be thinking about leaving early and talked to them about how the process works, how they submit information to the league and whether they should submit it.
"There might be one, maybe two, that would consider it strongly [this year]," he said without naming names. ""But I think that will depend a lot on what the report or what the evaluation they get back [says]...So the evaluation comes back, and it will be rounds 1-3, 5-7, 7 to free agent [something like that]. And that will have a lot to do with it."
Asked if he offers any advice to guys such as Collie (who said Thursday that he was at least considering leaving early), Mendenhall said he does.
"The first advice I give is that every player that has left our program wants to come back, once they get to the NFL," he said. "And, secondly, there's a lot to accomplish here in terms of education that needs to be considered. But it is their choice. I don't really try to persuade them one way or the other. I just educate them."
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Backup tight end Kaneakua Friel has received his mission call and will serve in the Durban, South Africa mission. Thursday, we reported that linebacker Michael Alisa was called to Puerto Rico and linebacker Daniel Sorensen was bound for Costa Rica.
Mendenhall said he can't say for sure how many players will be leaving on missions when the season is over, but that it is in double digits, easily.
"And it will continue to be that way just based on who we are recruiting as a program model," he said.
In other words, the Cougars are recruiting players who are LDS and will likely serve missions. No secret there.
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A sports talk radio host asked Mendenhall tonight if he would ever tell a player not to go on a mission simply because that player was really, really good.
Mendenhall said "no" at least four times, and "no way" at least once.
"If I was a coach that thought football was first, then I would," he said. "But I don't."
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Lee Aguirre, a cornerback from Fullerton Junior College in California attended the practice wearing a Los Angeles Dodgers jacket, and is on his official recruiting visit to Provo.
Colleges can begin signing junior college prospects who are mid-year transfers (meaning they have earned their associates degrees) next Wednesday.
Memdenhall said the Cougars have made scholarship offers to three juco players -- two linebackers and a cornerback -- who he could not name, per NCAA rules.
Obviously, Aguirre is the cornerback. The linebackers are Aaron Gress of College of the Sequoias and Jordan Atkinson of Diablo Valley Community College. Both are in California.
Asked if that is where the Cougars feel like they need immediate help, Mendenhall said: "Some of it is help, some of it is just who the kids are. Just like any case, you look at the need first as you go out and then you just stumble upon other kids that would be a great fit here. And so it is both."
Three other potential recruits, all from Snow College, also watched practice, but none have offers from the Cougars.
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Finally, a practice report:
The Cougars again worked out in the indoor practice facility, and went for more than an hour and a half.
Again, first-teamers squared off in 11-on-11 scrimmages. Mendenhall said they will do that one more time on Monday.
He said they are practicing that way because he considers these "bonus practices" that don't take away from the game prep for Arizona. Still, half of the practices Thursday and tonight were spent working on Arizona stuff.
"We feel like the game is still far enough away that we can increase tempo, we can increase execution and we can increase competitive spirit with work against each other," he said.
Actually, Mendenhall said, on the Monday after the Utah game he approached all the players that he considered might be thinking about leaving early and talked to them about how the process works, how they submit information to the league and whether they should submit it.
"There might be one, maybe two, that would consider it strongly [this year]," he said without naming names. ""But I think that will depend a lot on what the report or what the evaluation they get back [says]...So the evaluation comes back, and it will be rounds 1-3, 5-7, 7 to free agent [something like that]. And that will have a lot to do with it."
Asked if he offers any advice to guys such as Collie (who said Thursday that he was at least considering leaving early), Mendenhall said he does.
"The first advice I give is that every player that has left our program wants to come back, once they get to the NFL," he said. "And, secondly, there's a lot to accomplish here in terms of education that needs to be considered. But it is their choice. I don't really try to persuade them one way or the other. I just educate them."
------------------------------
Backup tight end Kaneakua Friel has received his mission call and will serve in the Durban, South Africa mission. Thursday, we reported that linebacker Michael Alisa was called to Puerto Rico and linebacker Daniel Sorensen was bound for Costa Rica.
Mendenhall said he can't say for sure how many players will be leaving on missions when the season is over, but that it is in double digits, easily.
"And it will continue to be that way just based on who we are recruiting as a program model," he said.
In other words, the Cougars are recruiting players who are LDS and will likely serve missions. No secret there.
------------------------------
A sports talk radio host asked Mendenhall tonight if he would ever tell a player not to go on a mission simply because that player was really, really good.
Mendenhall said "no" at least four times, and "no way" at least once.
"If I was a coach that thought football was first, then I would," he said. "But I don't."
----------------------------
Lee Aguirre, a cornerback from Fullerton Junior College in California attended the practice wearing a Los Angeles Dodgers jacket, and is on his official recruiting visit to Provo.
Colleges can begin signing junior college prospects who are mid-year transfers (meaning they have earned their associates degrees) next Wednesday.
Memdenhall said the Cougars have made scholarship offers to three juco players -- two linebackers and a cornerback -- who he could not name, per NCAA rules.
Obviously, Aguirre is the cornerback. The linebackers are Aaron Gress of College of the Sequoias and Jordan Atkinson of Diablo Valley Community College. Both are in California.
Asked if that is where the Cougars feel like they need immediate help, Mendenhall said: "Some of it is help, some of it is just who the kids are. Just like any case, you look at the need first as you go out and then you just stumble upon other kids that would be a great fit here. And so it is both."
Three other potential recruits, all from Snow College, also watched practice, but none have offers from the Cougars.
-------------------
Finally, a practice report:
The Cougars again worked out in the indoor practice facility, and went for more than an hour and a half.
Again, first-teamers squared off in 11-on-11 scrimmages. Mendenhall said they will do that one more time on Monday.
He said they are practicing that way because he considers these "bonus practices" that don't take away from the game prep for Arizona. Still, half of the practices Thursday and tonight were spent working on Arizona stuff.
"We feel like the game is still far enough away that we can increase tempo, we can increase execution and we can increase competitive spirit with work against each other," he said.
8:22 PM
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1 Comments:
"Memdenhall"? Classic!
P.S. Football practice that lasted MORE than an hour and a half!? That must be a first in the history of the NCAA!!
P.P.S. Wow, 50% of the bowl game practices are dedicated to the bowl game! That's like spending 50% of your time studying for a Science Final studying science!
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