PROVO — BYU introduced its top three assistant coaches to the media for the first time Tuesday afternoon, when offensive coordinator Ty Detmer, defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki and assistant head coach Ed Lamb sat down for lengthy sessions with a band of newspaper, television and radio reporters.

The topics were varied and digressed at times, but here are the main things we learned from Kalani Sitake's current staff.

Sitake's new staff has more experience than originally thought

The lack of coaching experience was noted by many after first-time head coach Sitake named first-time coordinators Detmer and Tuiaki to his staff. Those fears were alleviated a bit after Southern Utah head coach Lamb joined the staff as assistant head coach — but some still take issue with the limited experience in the coaching room.

Lamb was quick to point out, though, that the staff isn't as limited as one might think. Sitake's lengthy resume as a defensive assistant draws on the experience of Utah's Kyle Whittingham and Oregon State's Gary Andersen — and even Detmer can draw on his six years as head coach of St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Austin, Texas, as he transitions to calling plays at the Division I college level.

"Being a head coach, I wore a lot of hats at a small school like that," Detmer said. "Offensively, trying to formulate a system with the limited number of players you have prepares you for coming in and figuring out what we can do here. As a coach, it's my job to figure out what we have to work with and scheme around those guys."

These guys like each other

Detmer played at BYU just a few years before future teammates Sitake and Lamb, and Tuiaki — who graduated from Timpview High — has as much time living in Provo as any of them. That makes coaching meetings really easy — though Tuiaki admitted he was blown away the first time he met the former Heisman winner who is now a colleague and fellow coordinator.

"That was awesome. I'm still star-struck. I look at him, and I'm still a fan," Tuiaki said of Detmer. "It's awesome to be around a legend like that. But he's always a great person, which adds to it."

Lamb said he and Sitake have remained good friends since leaving BYU, and — as cliche as it seems — it was always a dream to return to Provo.

"It was definitely a dream come true. Maybe that's said too often, but it is for me," the former Southern Utah head coach said. "I dreamed about an opportunity to come back here. This place was so instrumental in my life, and to have the opportunity to come back, the goal is to make good on that. It's very special to me, personally."

Coaching will be collaborative

As of right now, Sitake will oversee a program that features Tuiaki on defense, Detmer on offense and Lamb running the special teams.

But those positions are malleable, and that's by design, Lamb said. The former San Diego special teams coordinator played defensive end at BYU and has several years of experience running the defense, while Tuiaki is a former Utah State running backs coach and offensive coordinator at Kearns High School.

"It looks like tight ends and special teams right now. But I think over time, in the immediate future, I may move to defense," Lamb said. "That's not off the table, and it's where most of my experience is. As we work through how this program is managed, if I can help Kalani in any way, we have the flexible in the system to do that."

Tuiaki has spent the bulk of his career with Sitake, so there will be plenty of coopting when the duo sets out the defense.

"I'd be a fool to not lean on him, being a first-time coordinator," Tuiaki said. "I'm going to lean on him heavily, and we'll work through the decisions. He will be involved heavily on the defense."

Coach Speaks

LaVell Edwards talks about BYU's new coaching staff

During former BYU football head coach LaVell Edwards' 29-year reign in Provo, the Cougars racked up 257 wins, 19 conference championships and a national championship. I caught up with the legend recently to get his thoughts on the new coaching staff at BYU and some advice he would give them.

Now is the right time

Detmer left a good job in a good area of his native Texas to come to BYU, but he's content with the move back to his alma mater. Tuiaki and Lamb mentioned similar experiences when they decided to join Sitake's staff.

"With my age, I felt like if I was ever going to do it, now is the time," Detmer said. "Things just kind of fell into place, and I felt really comfortable with coach Sitake and everybody that is coming on board. I prayed about it, got the answers, and felt like it was the time to go."

The former Heisman winner and journeyman NFL quarterback turned around a St. Andrew's team that went 8-1 in 2015, and that was the hardest part about leaving Austin. But a piece of him will remain in the Texas capital: his wife and daughters told him not to sell the family's multi-acre ranch.

"We hope to be able to slip down there after the bowl game," Detmer said with a grin.

Position coaches are coming, but no timetable set

No position coaches were announced Tuesday during the coaches' meet-and-greet, but Sitake has been at work interviewing potential position coaches to fill out his staff. Even then, it's been in collaboration with Tuiaki and Detmer, both coaches confirmed. As the crew's senior statesman, Lamb has offered advice when he feels it is appropriate — but he also knows when to keep his mouth shut.

"If there are times I feel like I can speak up and help, I will do that," said Lamb, who has spoken with several current players, including returning running back Jamaal Williams. "But I also need to make sure and focus on not being the head coach. I've been there, and I still have opinions, but it's not always appropriate for me to open my mouth."

Contributing: Jeremiah Jensen

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