crown jewel. BYU’s singee, Spencer Fano
The jewel of this Utes class is four-star Timpview offensive tackle Spencer Fano, who committed on Dec. 6. The top-150 national recruit committed on Dec. 6, part of a recent post-Pac-12 championship game run of in-state talent that includes American Fork four-star edge rusher Hunter Clegg and composite three-star Skyridge cornerback Smith Snowden, who is rated as a four-star by 247sports.
Here’s my Polyanna hope: BYU has a great first year in the Big 12, for whatever reason things don’t workout for some of the utes signees (log jam, personality conflicts, culture, coaching changes, NIL disappointments), many of this year’s ute recruiting class enter the transfer portal next December, and BYU reaps the benefits.
When Utah went into the PAC12, they did not get a bump immediately. It took some time to get that bump to happen.
I think way too many BYU announcers, Coaches and Fans was being way too unrealistic about what happens when we enter the BIG12.
Do you know that Utah never made it into the PAC12 championship until Whitt was forced to change his thinking about the offense? He went from a “run the ball” type coach to slinging the ball around the field. Just a note I heard the other day.
BYU should have had a much better recruiting year: Snowden, the Fanos, Stan Raass. they should be Cougars.
But again, the Lamb/Tuiaki defense lost BYU a lot of steller recruits. The coaching change is huge and should pay benefits with next year’s recruiting class and in the coming weeks via the transfer portal.
Meh…I think it’s partly what you are talking about. But we have a couple defensive players leave now after Hill and others have been hired. Pili played in the Bowl game. There are other reasons as well. Like the NIL and others issues.
I 1000% agree with you that BYU should not have lost those kids. If the defensive staff (including Lamb) had been fired last year or even mid year this year, those kids would be Cougars. I’ve worn myself out saying it but will say again that no kid in his right mind would want to play in a full time 3-8 prevent defense. Boooooooooooring…I completely understand why those kids all flipped. Frustrated, yes. Discouraged, no. It will take a year or two but we will come back…
Well, let me take angel’s advocate
The players have heard from Hill directly that we will not be playing 3-8 defense on every down. In fact, it will be used sparingly when called for as does Alabama and all others use it on occasions. So, this is not the reason the defense players are leaving. NIL is one reason. Graduate degrees like Pili’s case. Having a graduate degree from a different school than your Bachelor’s degree is important for future employment. At least for some. Just moving closer to home as well. Nacua’s are an example of this.
I was commenting only on the HS defensive commits who we lost: Raase, Snowden and both Fanos. I think there’s a better than 50/50 chance Snowden plays D in college. Raase and Fano were committed a long time before they flipped. They flipped to Utah before Hill was hired. Once they fipped the die was cast and they were not going to come back. BYU has NO BUSINESS losing these kids with incredibly close family ties to BYU–but I imagine Fano watching the BYU D get its teeth kicked in, and in full retreat every Saturday, and getting texts from the Utah coaches all day saying “turn the channel and watch our aggressive, swarming D.” The actual result of the D is less important to a HS kid than the impression he gets watching that D. Utah: Exciting. BYU: Boring. I’m no Utah fan, but I know these kids were watching the same garbage we had to watch–it was no fun to watch, and worse for a recruit watching, thinking that’s him on TV retreating for 4 years.
