PROVO — In part one of an interview with Ty Detmer, the Heisman winner talked about his playing days in Provo and the state of college football in general. In part two of the interview, Detmer discussed his pro career and issues facing the NFL. In the concluding part of this three-part interview, Detmer talks about his life after football and the current state of the BYU program.

DC: I’m sure you’ve been asked this a thousand times, but I’m sure all BYU fans want to know: when are you coming back to Provo?

TD: (Laughs). It’s tough, you know, because I’m kind of settled here in Texas. I have a pretty good lifestyle, as far as having some time to do other things with my ranch and the quarterback clinics and traveling to see my daughters in college. Once you go to the next level, the NFL or college, it’s full-time and there’s no taking a day to go here or a couple hours to go see your kids do something. You’ve got responsibilities in recruiting; it’s a full-time job. I don’t know if I’m ready for that commitment yet with the other things going on in my life. That’s kind of where I am personally, right now.

I’d love to coach guys that are at that next level where you can really do some different things with them. Whereas in high school, (as a coach) you’ve got to simplify things. Part of me would love the challenge of working with college guys and being able to do more in terms of opening up the playbook rather than simplifying and making basic calls. I’ve tried to get creative with the high school kids as much as I can but I find myself pulling back again. If I did coach in college, BYU would be a place I’d love to go back to.

DC: Speaking of you coaching high school, have you ever had a time where one of your high school kids thought they know more than you about football and you simply pointed to your Heisman?

TD: (Laughs). No. I’ve probably yelled at them a little and said, “Just trust me! I’ve been here before! I’ve done this! Just trust me!” But, I’ve never brought out the Heisman. Some of the other kids have told my quarterbacks, “just listen! He’s won the Heisman! He knows what he’s talking about!”

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DC: What do you think of Robert Anae’s new offensive scheme? TD: You know, what I enjoy as the offensive coordinator, the play-caller, the head coach, is putting together schemes that kind of screw with the defense. So, I like getting into different formations and personnel groupings and creating tough looks for them (the defense) with motions and shifts. I enjoy that part of it. ‘How can I get the defense in the bad situation?’

Now, with all the "go fast" offenses, they are pretty basic in what they do. They line up in two or three different formations is all. There’s a handful of plays out of each of those. You’re just up-tempo, going fast, just trying to keep the defense from getting too exotic. So, it does help in that way. But, with my personality, I enjoy the scheming part of it, and the game planning and the details with when you’re in this formation, they get in this defense, we start there and motion and get them out of whack. That’s my own personal opinion.

Obviously, they (up-tempo offenses) are successful. They (BYU’s offense) did some really good things this year. I just don’t know that game as well as what I grew up doing in college and the NFL. It works, though. Both of them work. You look at Stanford — they do different personnel and different formations. It can work either way, if you do it right. Obviously, the first year being in that, they (BYU’s offense) made some big strides. They will probably continue to improve going into next year, especially with (BYU quarterback) Taysom (Hill) back.

DC: Speaking of Taysom Hill, everyone knows that he can run. Do you think he can become an elite passer?

TD: Yeah, there’s no question. I think as the year went on, he definitely got better and his efficiency and accuracy went up. Part of that was just the timing, especially with a lot of the fakes and having to reset your feet and get a quick throw out. It takes some reps doing it. As the season went on, obviously he became much more efficient at it. There’s no reason he can’t become an elite passer. I think with a full offseason under his belt and having the season that he did and spring ball, which he didn’t have before, he’ll continue to improve as a passer.

DC: Do you think that he could play in the pros? TD: Yep. No question. He’s a big, durable kid. He’s got a good arm. Obviously, he’s playing in an offense where he’s got to make quick decisions and reads. So, he’ll have that foundation. But, he’s got all the physical tools that they’ll (NFL teams) be looking for. It will be a little different being under center and doing some of those things. But a lot of guys are making that transition pretty smoothly. If he gets with the right team, with someone who will allow him to use his legs and his arm, I think he’ll definitely have a chance when it’s time.

DC: Bronco Mendenhall and LaVell Edwards have decidedly different personalities and ways of doing things. Do you think you would flourish under Mendenhall the same way you did under Edwards?

TD: Umm, there’s no way to know. Obviously, Bronco has been very successful and the players respect him. I really haven’t spent enough time around him, especially on the field or in meetings, to really know how he coaches. It would be hard for me to be able to tell one way or the other.

DC: Robert Anae has been mostly successful at the Y. and has put up a lot of good numbers and teams. But he has come under fire at times for his play calling. What do you think of him as a play caller?

TD: I’m not sure; I haven’t been in the meetings and at practices and know the team and their weaknesses and strengths. As a fan, we really don’t know what kids are in what situations and maybe they’re not going to be successful in a certain situation. So, as a play caller, you always try to skirt around the weak links and magnify the strengths. As a person on the outside looking in, it’s really hard to know what they’re trying to accomplish and what they’re limitations are.

As a play caller, you can’t do what you want to do all the time because of the limitations you have out there on the field. I don’t really judge play callers, until I know the guys on the team and I know what they have to work with. Yeah, we’d all love to see wide-open, trick plays and gadgets and different things, but at the end of the day, when you’re calling plays, it doesn’t work like that. Being a coach myself, I understand that. You’re just trying to win a football game and do the things that you know you can do. Sometimes, the defense may know those things, too, but you’re going to out-execute them. I hear what people are saying, but as a coach and a former player, it’s not that easy.

DC: What do you think of independence?

TD: I’m kind of 50-50 on it. It’s fun because you get to play a lot of different teams all over the country. And BYU’s got fans all over the country. So, it’s great for the fans to be able to catch a game in their area from time to time. BYU comes to Texas this year.

But, the other part, it’s kind of nice to know you’re playing for a conference championship. I’m sure it’s not the ideal position to be in, but for the meantime, I think it’s great and it makes sense until you can find the right conference to get into and something that’s going to work for all of the sports. I kind of like it, right now. But, come the end of the year, there’s really no feeling of "we got to win this one to win the conference."

DC: In your opinion, should BYU switch back to the traditional royal blue?

TD: I don’t know. I kind of like it when they go back and forth (between royal and navy) and I liked the blackout. It’s kind of neat, now, to see all of the colleges change up uniforms from time to time. I think the players really enjoy it — getting a different look all the time.

DC: Second to last question: When you have guests or visitors, how often do they ask to see your Heisman trophy?

TD: Not real often. I got it in my office. Usually those doors are closed. Every now and then, somebody will ask "where do you keep your Heisman?" because you don’t really see anything in the house that would tell you that I played football. But, when you go into the office, it’s a little different.

DC: Last question: can I see your Heisman?

TD: (Laughs). Absolutely.

Writer’s note: Ty Detmer graciously allowed the writer to not only see but also to hold the Hesiman trophy. Detmer went so far as to take pictures of the writer holding the trophy.

Dylan Cannon is a regular KSL.com sports contributor. He can be reached at his email address, dylancannon86@gmail.com, or via his Twitter account @DylanCannon11.

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