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PROVO — Diverting briefly from the stated purpose of the gathering, Bronco Mendenhall tackled the swirling hot topic of having poor relations with former BYU football players and reaffirmed a commitment to take time out of his busy life to improve his connection with alumni.
“I can do much better, and we’ll work on a strategy to do that,” said Mendenhall, speaking to the media to formally unveil BYU’s 2015 recruiting class.
In successive weeks, two high-profile former BYU football players — Jason Buck and Kyle Van Noy — went on sports talk radio to say they don't have a relationship with the coaching staff and program in general. While Van Noy was more matter-of-fact, Buck minced no words in unleashing a harsh criticism that basically accused Mendenhall of ignoring players from the LaVell Edwards era.
Asked during a radio interview on the DJ and PK show about talking with prospective football players during a recent BYU home basketball game, Van Noy interrupted the question to state he wasn’t helping with recruiting. He then said he was aware of the prior Buck interview and agreed with some of the former Outland Trophy winner’s critical comments.
“I’m not really involved with the team and the coaches like everyone thinks I am,” Van Noy said. “It’s kind of weird because you’d think coaches would kind of hit you up. None of that goes on.”
He's busy, he's got his own thing he's doing, and that's cool. Good for him. I'm not mad.
–Kyle Van Noy
For Van Noy, a current Detroit Lions linebacker who played at BYU from 2010-2013, to say he wasn’t really interested in having a relationship with Mendenhall came as a surprise considering their history. As a high school senior in Nevada, Van Noy encountered legal trouble, but Mendenhall still allowed him to play for BYU after sitting out one season.
“He’s busy, he’s got his own thing he’s doing, and that’s cool,” Van Noy said. “Good for him. I’m not mad.”
To his credit, Mendenhall acknowledged as much, saying the demands of the consuming job, family and church service have eaten away at his time. But he vowed to improve the alumni relations, pointing out he needs to do more than stage one football reunion during each football spring practice.
Since Mendenhall took over the program 10 years ago, the annual alumni gathering has dramatically increased in attendance from less than 300 to the 1,500 range. During signing day Mendenhall greatly enjoyed the opportunity to mingle with former players on hand to announce the new recruits as BYU received each national letter of intent.
“Relationships aren’t an event,” he said. “Relationships take constant maintenance and care and reaching out, etc. It’s not my strength, and I can do a lot better. I would like to do a lot better.”
But Mendenhall would like help from inside and outside the program. It might be worth his time to review the suggestions former BYU basketball player Mark Durrant offered.
A lawyer and self-described die-hard Cougar, Durrant created an extensive list of possibilities to reconnect alumni and all athletic programs. They range from annual reunions and receptions, mailing regular newsletters, setting aside tickets to games, holding golf tournaments, invitations to practices and working out with current players during the summer.
Related:
Former BYU player takes aim at Mendenhall; other players rebut statement
Perhaps the most decorated defensive player in BYU football history has unleashed a strong dose of stinging criticism against the head coach.“Little things can go a long way,” said Durrant.
In a scenario that isn’t exclusive to BYU, Durrant said, former college athletes often feel discarded and neglected after they exhaust eligibility. The thinking is the alumni can no longer win games.
At one time highly recognizable, former players may need to have an ego stroke. The last thing they want is rejection.
“You want them to be just hyping your school so much,” Durrant said. “The opposite is worse. If they’re saying things that aren’t necessarily complimentary to the program, that could be devastating and can hurt your recruiting. I don’t know what’s gone on with any particular player, and perhaps BYU is not at fault in any of those situations. But I’d sure love Jason Buck and Kyle Van Noy to be praising BYU up and down on the radio rather than saying things that aren’t necessarily disparaging to be BYU, but you can tell there’s some hurt feelings there.”
Alongside Greg Wrubell as the longtime radio analyst, Durrant has maintained close ties to the basketball program and athletic department. Even with his access to the coaches he would prefer to go through an intermediary with any concerns and potential tips on prospective players.
BYU has several athletic department officials, but Durrant admits he doesn’t know of any liaison between the former players and the basketball staff.
“I’m the biggest BYU flag-raiser there is,” he said. “My comments are not meant to criticize. My comments are meant to help and to encourage everybody to work together.”
Ideally, Durrant said, the ex-athletes — particularly those who were superstars like Van Noy and Buck — could greatly assist in recruiting. In particular it pains him to see the offspring of former BYU athletes play at other schools.
Sons of former football players Mike Empey and Spencer Reid have committed to Utah and Stanford, respectively.
“There’s no way that a son of a former player should be going anywhere but BYU. That’s how I feel. I realize that’s not realistic and kids are kids and have their own minds,” Durrant said. “In my little ideal world, those guys should be Cougars and it pains me when they’re not. It pains me when a former Cougar’s son is a Ute. I’m Mr. Rivalry Guy, but that’s hard for me to swallow.”
