PROVO — Like all college coaches on national signing day, Bronco Mendenhall said that BYU filled needs and got better with its latest recruiting class.

No coach has ever publicly remarked that his program did not sign any recruits that will improve the team. It’s a rite of passage the first Wednesday of every February for coaches to put on a good face for ardent football fans.

It remains to be seen whether the incoming players will actually make an impact on the field. Some highly rated recruits eventually wash out while unheralded players can blossom into stars much in the way Cody Hoffman did during his four years as a BYU receiver. Until the games start, it’s hard to tell one recruiting class from another.

But this year’s class is already a little different. BYU has gone away from its backyard — signing only a few high school players who grew up in Utah — and ventured into foreign regions. BYU coaches went to North Carolina, Kansas and Alabama to secure commitments.

Related:

Recruit Central: BYU Signing Day 2014

Comprehensive coverage of all the 2014 BYU Football recruits.

“We have cast a wider net,” Mendenhall said in a conference call with reporters.

On paper, which is all any incoming class is at this point, it sounds like a good idea to go beyond Utah’s borders. But there are potential pitfalls.

For starters, BYU has to overcome ignorance and misconceptions.

“It is interesting, the lack of knowledge about BYU and the church, in those areas,” Mendenhall said. “Sometimes even animosity toward members of the church and our faith, and especially in areas that maybe we haven’t been in as much before.

“So a lot of times having to [address] anti-LDS sentiments more than anything is what occurs. So I would say on a number of occasions that has happened this year in areas that we hadn’t been in quite as frequently or as much.”

As Mendenhall seeks to expand the BYU brand as the program travels the country with its independent schedule, he needs to take a cautious approach, particularly with non-LDS players. While BYU has had great success with numerous non-Mormons over the decades, the coach has to be careful not to overdo it.

In a conversation I had with a former BYU athletic director a few years ago, he said the football program was best served to sign only a select few non-LDS players each year. His reasoning was those players needed to mix with Mormon teammates, rather than have them stay grouped together.

His point was based on sound logic.

BYU experienced the worst-case scenario 10 years ago when then-coach Gary Crowton brought in several non-Mormons from California and Texas. Some of those freshmen were allegedly involved in criminal activity shortly after arriving in Provo. The situation, along with three consecutive losing seasons, led to Crowton’s dismissal and Mendenhall’s promotion from defensive coordinator.

Above all, Mendenhall and his staff had better spare no detail in educating recruits about BYU’s Honor Code. The Dallas Morning News reported in 2005 some of those freshmen who got arrested claimed that coaches didn’t fully explain the Honor Code during the time they were recruited.

The mother of a player told the newspaper that she believed the charges were racially motivated — all the players were African-American. She also said BYU and the city of Provo didn’t treat the players fair.

Removing all doubt, the football coaches need to explain that behavior considered normal for college students could lead to suspension and expulsion. In many cases, BYU’s rules are more rigid than LDS Church standards, a fact that remains a mystery to some.

As BYU casts a wider net, given his track record, Mendenhall has earned the right to sign players who don’t fit the BYU prototype. The classic example is the case of Kyle Van Noy, whom Mendenhall brought in despite the player having a DUI charge in high school. Van Noy ultimately graduated as a great player and benefitted from the BYU experience.

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