Steve Clark the only offensive coach staying on staff

According to BYU the only offensive coach to remain on staff is Steve Clark.

Current assistant coach Steve Clark will remain on the staff to complete the available positions. BYU will hire an additional assistant coach in January. The NCAA allows schools to hire a 10th football assistant coach starting on Jan. 9, 2018. Specific position responsibilities on the staff will be announced once that position is hired.

https://byucougars.com/story/football/1283092/Aaron-Roderick,-Fesi-Sitake,-Ryan-Pugh-join-BYU-football-staff-

Big disappointment to me that Mike Empey was not retained. Really?



So after doing a fine job and bringing us his son James, he gets the boot?



This new guy, Ryan Pugh, has limited experience in coaching OL. I know it's Jeff's call and this is maybe the only one he really got as Sitake and Roderick were surely KS's adds.



I just thought Empey was staying, and I was pleased with that.

I wonder what Cahoon feels to twice be let go from BYU coaching.

Pugh was a GA under Grimes at VA Tech, LSU and Auburn. It sounds like he has some good experience to me. The running game at UTSA was ranked 40th with Pugh coaching the O-line so I would say he is a solid hire. With that said, I thought that Empey would be retained as well. But I do like that they are cleaning house for the most part and getting a fresh perspective for the offense. Also, really happy that Clark could stay on. Great guy, great coach.

I don't feel bad for Empey at all and I would trade his son for a competently coached Oline in a second. Yes, the line had improved last year over years previous but was just passable most of the time. Grimes coached the best Olines that we saw since French retired and now he will probably be overseeing the line coaching again to some extent. I'm glad everyone is gone, Clark was the only guy that coached a position group that actually made plays.

I was disappointed that Empey is not retained on BYU's staff. The O-line had some good play at times. Ill-timed penalties on the line killed a few drives that could have helped us win a few games.



I wish Pugh much successs.

I'm really shocked that the coaches who weren't really into coaching (or they would actually be in the coaching business) failed at coaching at the FBS level.



Detmer was at the lowest level of high school. I'm not even sure they played 11v11 at his previous job. I have more kids at my elementary school than he had at his K-12 private school. He really doesn't want a high-pressure football job.



Mahe wasn't in coaching. He was working at the airport. He was a volunteer at a local high school. Maybe he really wants to be in coaching now. But this was a good taste. You coach for a year or two and then you move on to the next job. Does his family really want such a transient and temporary career?



Cahoon already failed once at BYU. Last time he was fired, he didn't take another coaching job. I'll be surprised if he does this time around.



Empey had coached at a local high school a few years prior to being hired and had previously worked at a junior college. But he wasn't working as a coach when hired. Maybe he'll return to coaching. Maybe not.



You just can't make people who don't really want to be coaches be coaches and expect to succeed. The staff Sitake and Grimes are putting together this time is full of actual coaches. Guys who have been in coaching for several years and want to make coaching a career not a job they do.

EM_Puma wrote:

I wonder what Cahoon feels to twice be let go from BYU coaching.

Would be enough to make him reconsider this pillows and feathers approach? I think cahoon could have been great. Too nice of a guy?

BroncoBot wrote:

I wonder what Cahoon feels to twice be let go from BYU coaching.

Would be enough to make him reconsider this pillows and feathers approach? I think cahoon could have been great. Too nice of a guy?

I don't think he's too nice, I think he doesn't know how to explain to someone to do something that comes incredibly naturally to him.



When something is so easy, it can be hard to break down all the individual parts and steps that build the whole. That's where I think Cahoon struggled.

I hope they move on to other coaching jobs and learn how to do it right.



Maybe they were hired because BYU was being cheap. I hope they learned their lesson. The loss of value of the program was much more than what was saved in salaries. Expecting a much better year next year.

SpiffCoug wrote:

Empey had coached at a local high school a few years prior to being hired and had previously worked at a junior college. But he wasn't working as a coach when hired. Maybe he'll return to coaching. Maybe not.

I had to go back to look at what Empey had done in coaching as I had forgotten. I had forgotten that he was out of coaching for a number of years.



https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865675405/Why-Mike-Empey-came-back-to-coaching-after-12-successful-years-away-from-football.html



I still believe he did a good job and I don't want to see us lose his son, who turned his back on Puketah to come to BYU after his mission. I believe he was a 3-star OL, but after the haul at OL we just had, I'm sure we would survive if James Empey now dumped the Cougs.



I hope Ryan Pugh is everything we need. He definitely has a cupboard full of OL to work with.

Something about Cahoon to really not shine as a coach. I'd have to agree with the majority that somehow he simply could not teach what came so naturally to him. Strange that be.



I do hope they all find what they are looking for as all those leaving were great men and I appreciate their dedication.



It does feel better to have the degree of experience that is coming to the table.