If this is true...

I'm not a happy camper. Listen, on the other boards I saw a post about coach dupaix coaching the running backs at the walk-on tryouts today with coach reynolds coaching the tightends and wide receivers.



I was a big proponent of having Mark Atuaia be the next running backs coach. (I forgot my password, so I just made a new account with basically the same username). If this is the case--IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME. Can anyone please explain the rationale behind this?



Basically it plays out like this:



Dupaix--running backs

Reynolds--inside recievers

Cahoon (it seems like this will be the hire)--outside recievers

Weber--Oline

Doman--QB's



If I'm reading too much into it then i'll shut-up, but if this news is right--I DON'T LIKE IT.

I think you're reading WAY too much into where an incomplete staff are working on the first day of walk-on tryouts.

whatsmyname2 wrote:
I'm not a happy camper. Listen, on the other boards I saw a post about coach dupaix coaching the running backs at the walk-on tryouts today with coach reynolds coaching the tightends and wide receivers.



I was a big proponent of having Mark Atuaia be the next running backs coach. (I forgot my password, so I just made a new account with basically the same username). If this is the case--IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME. Can anyone please explain the rationale behind this?



Basically it plays out like this:



Dupaix--running backs

Reynolds--inside recievers

Cahoon (it seems like this will be the hire)--outside recievers

Weber--Oline

Doman--QB's



If I'm reading too much into it then i'll shut-up, but if this news is right--I DON'T LIKE IT.

You are probably reading too much into it as someone else said above - with BYU having an incomplete staff - but this raises an interesting point and an interesting question.



If Reynolds was working - Reynolds has not been released - somewhat, but not totally, confirming BYU's assertion that none of the five offensive coaches were released way back when, at the time the rumors said that they had all been released. Encouraging to me that Reynolds is still on staff. Even though someone recently posted that Reynolds is a "dead man walking" due to spilling the top secret beans, I would think that if he were going to want to coach somewhere else, he would have been first or second to find another job. He has a great resume. So this tells me he is either staying as a coach, staying in an administrative position with the AD Dept, or retiring - I am thinking staying as a coach.



That was the intresting point - at least to me - apologies to anyone who felt otherwise.



Now the Interesting question - Who in the H E Double C K else was out there coaching offensive positions - particularly OL? Was Weber anywhere in sight? Just curious.

I also have a team source that told me today Reynolds might go work with TE's or somewhere else but not RBs. Obviously, just a team rumor and could change at any point but if ends up happening, it's a questionable decision to pull a coaching change in the ONE area that BYU was dominant last year.

CougarClaw wrote:
I also have a team source that told me today Reynolds might go work with TE's or somewhere else but not RBs. Obviously, just a team rumor and could change at any point but if ends up happening, it's a questionable decision to pull a coaching change in the ONE area that BYU was dominant last year.

Or..it may be a sign that Reynolds is the coach that has been tabbed to turn around one of the under-performing positions on the team.

CougarClaw wrote:
Obviously, just a team rumor and could change at any point but if ends up happening, it's a questionable decision to pull a coaching change in the ONE area that BYU was dominant last year.

Amen to that

stuckinbig10country wrote:

I also have a team source that told me today Reynolds might go work with TE's or somewhere else but not RBs. Obviously, just a team rumor and could change at any point but if ends up happening, it's a questionable decision to pull a coaching change in the ONE area that BYU was dominant last year.

Or..it may be a sign that Reynolds is the coach that has been tabbed to turn around one of the under-performing positions on the team.

Wasn't Reynolds the offensive line coach before his boys started playing on the team? I thought they didn't want him to be a direct coach over them so they moved him to RB coach. He seems to have done well with the RB's. I imagine he could do just as well with the TE's. Although I would be disappointed if this means that Cahoon will not be brought on staff. I think we need someone from outside the program to come in to work with the WR's to light a fire under them.

Wickchad84087 wrote:

CougarClaw wrote:
I also have a team source that told me today Reynolds might go work with TE's or somewhere else but not RBs. Obviously, just a team rumor and could change at any point but if ends up happening, it's a questionable decision to pull a coaching change in the ONE area that BYU was dominant last year.

Or..it may be a sign that Reynolds is the coach that has been tabbed to turn around one of the under-performing positions on the team.

Wasn't Reynolds the offensive line coach before his boys started playing on the team? I thought they didn't want him to be a direct coach over them so they moved him to RB coach. He seems to have done well with the RB's. I imagine he could do just as well with the TE's. Although I would be disappointed if this means that Cahoon will not be brought on staff. I think we need someone from outside the program to come in to work with the WR's to light a fire under them.

Did my own research. Reynolds was the o-line coach from 2001-2003. He has pretty much coached running backs at all other points in his career. Maybe not the best idea to move him from the running backs since he has over 20 years experience coaching them and none coaching the TE's.

looks like rumors were true. Interesting decision Doman.

I the idea of moving Reynolds to coach TEs is that it might be easier for him to assist and mentor Cahoon who is new to the caoching ranks.

Reynolds will not coach forever. Maybe they have stashed a fan favorite in the AD Dept who brings his cleats to the office for a reason. Maybe he is the TE / Inside Receivers coach in waiting for when Reynolds does retire. Stranger things have happened.



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Cougarbib2 wrote:
Reynolds will not coach forever. Maybe they have stashed a fan favorite in the AD Dept who brings his cleats to the office for a reason. Maybe he is the TE / Inside Receivers coach in waiting for when Reynolds does retire. Stranger things have happened.



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I think you are accurate in your assumption. It sounds like Lewis is already helping coach the TE's anyway on a part-time, non-paid basis. Paying him as an assistant AD makes it so he can help coach without counting against our coaching totals. Also frees up his time to do whatever it is he does for the NFL and their world domination aspirations.

None of you are seeing the BIG PICTURE here. The repercussions of these hires (or the lack thereof) will be enormous.

whatsmyname2 wrote:
None of you are seeing the BIG PICTURE here. The repercussions of these hires (or the lack thereof) will be enormous.

Check back with us in 4 years. I'll bet we are just fine. This is a major upgrade all around.

whatsmyname2 wrote:
None of you are seeing the BIG PICTURE here. The repercussions of these hires (or the lack thereof) will be enormous.

Bronco must be expecting an enormous impact or he would not have made these changes.



If your point is that there is significant risk involved here - at the risk of drawing all of my detractors to this thread, I agree. But with Risk - there is always a potential upside and a potential downside.



Bronco is still a relatively inexperienced head coach. He is still learning. Yet, I think he is the best possible coach BYU could have. He fits the strenths and limitations of thisprogram (even though Bronco protests that he does not want anyone placing limitations on what this program can be) to a T. And as BYU's risk taking and investment in Bronco continues to pay off, for the most part, even as he makes mistakes, and learns from them, Bronco will stay. For him, BYU is not a stepping stone to brighter lights elsewhere.



Doman is completley inexperienced as an OC as he was several years ago as QB coach. The gamble paid off nicely last time. Maybe it will pay off again. And Doman is an absolute fit for BYU's program.



Reynolds is a veteran and a pro. He will contribute wherever they put him. But there is risk introducing this element of changed assignment into an already overhauled staff. It probably positions the staff for planned future evolution.



DuPaix. Who knows. We will see what we got when the team takes the field and as he does or does not impact recruiting. But he does have some very solid, if unspectacular, credentials (By contrast - Jeff Grimes has spectacular credentials for a team wanting to win a NC).



Weber is Weber. I would rather have Grimes. But as I oft get myself in trouble for pointing out, although BYU could afford to pay whatever it wants for coaches, it underpays significantly, and the coach really has to want to be here for a move to make sense. It will not make sense at the bank. Yet, It does pay off in inumerable intangible ways for the right person. Weber brings stability to an unstable situation - and the OL played very well except for about 2 or 3 early games when injuries and illness plagued them and some inexperience at Center and one tackle were being worked out at a time when the offense was trying to master two different offenses.



Cahoon - a crap shoot - like Doman several years ago. It might work out as well as Doman has - or not. We will see when the team hits the field and the recruting trail.



Ethnic diversity. This has frequently been a problem at BYU. But then, it is a bit of a problem in the student body and community as well. It is an issue in the Church membership demographics. It is slowly changing, but it is not a current strength relative to the coveted African American recruiting pool. It does not mean that we cannot have some success there. It is just not helping the cause.



I will go out on a limb here. The real issue for recruiting African American athletes and many other coveted athletes is that as with some LDS athletes, many of the prospective athletes that are not members of the LDS Church are not planning on committing to 4-5 years of abstinence from sexual activity, alcohol, or possibly even drugs. Some of them really value the image associated with tatoos, extrememley long hair, or facial hair. Some are focused on programs with BCS exposure and well paved paths to the NFL draft - first round.



The main recruiting issue is the talent pool of HC committed student athletes to draw from . No matter who is coaching, BYU will draw heavily from its active LDS pool because those athletes want to be at BYU and their familes want them to be here. BYU will draw, on occasion, from a conservative non-member pool that value and are committed to similar standards of moral conduct. And in some cases, BYU will draw someone who turns out not to be committed to the HC - and that goes up in smoke.



Throw in academic casualties, home sick athletes that don't feel that they fit in after getting here, and you get a few more casualties. But the big issue is the HC for athletes and the HC and payscale for coaches.



I have had to reconcile myself to this reality many years ago. Jeff Grimes is not coming back. Mike Leach will not fit and we could not afford him for more than a year or two until he becomes employable again. Even KWhitt, Norm Chow and ARod will get more money up north. That is just the way it is.



So lets support our newly revised coaching staff, be glad they are willing to make the necessary sacrifices to be here and hope that Cahoon makes the most of this incredible opportunity that only BYU would afford him - and that after he capitalizes on it, he stays.



We are making an investment - with risk.

Two things: Putting Reynolds as TE coach is a great move. I do not care if he never coached he position--neither has Chad Lewis. He has proven to be an outstanding position coach, and is assistant HC for a reason. He is respected and gets it done.



I also think him moving to TE means the spread is done. At least, the Anae spread. We will see the TE on the line, typically in a blocking formation. Probably few 2 TE sets, if any, unless to power run it. And Reynolds understands how to teach guys how to block, then get to a pass pattern. Look at how well the RBs have done recently under his tutelage. This is a great move, and he will coach this group up. Name the last time his position players underachieved?



I think we have a solid, youthful staff with a lot of energy, and some solid experience mixed in.



By the way, NCAA rules prohibit non-coaches from being allowed to coach during sanctioned NCAA practices. Only the 9 coaches on staff are allowed to run practices(plus the strength coaches). So if Chad Lewis helps out, it has to be in summer workouts when coaches are not allowed to participate. Similar to what he is doing now, and what Cahoon did in the past. Reynolds will step down in a few years I assume, and that opens up the TE slot. Could be grooming someone to step in right now.

Cougarbib2 wrote:

None of you are seeing the BIG PICTURE here. The repercussions of these hires (or the lack thereof) will be enormous.

Bronco must be expecting an enormous impact or he would not have made these changes.



If your point is that there is significant risk involved here - at the risk of drawing all of my detractors to this thread, I agree. But with Risk - there is always a potential upside and a potential downside.



Bronco is still a relatively inexperienced head coach. He is still learning. Yet, I think he is the best possible coach BYU could have. He fits the strenths and limitations of thisprogram (even though Bronco protests that he does not want anyone placing limitations on what this program can be) to a T. And as BYU's risk taking and investment in Bronco continues to pay off, for the most part, even as he makes mistakes, and learns from them, Bronco will stay. For him, BYU is not a stepping stone to brighter lights elsewhere.



Doman is completley inexperienced as an OC as he was several years ago as QB coach. The gamble paid off nicely last time. Maybe it will pay off again. And Doman is an absolute fit for BYU's program.



Reynolds is a veteran and a pro. He will contribute wherever they put him. But there is risk introducing this element of changed assignment into an already overhauled staff. It probably positions the staff for planned future evolution.



DuPaix. Who knows. We will see what we got when the team takes the field and as he does or does not impact recruiting. But he does have some very solid, if unspectacular, credentials (By contrast - Jeff Grimes has spectacular credentials for a team wanting to win a NC).



Weber is Weber. I would rather have Grimes. But as I oft get myself in trouble for pointing out, although BYU could afford to pay whatever it wants for coaches, it underpays significantly, and the coach really has to want to be here for a move to make sense. It will not make sense at the bank. Yet, It does pay off in inumerable intangible ways for the right person. Weber brings stability to an unstable situation - and the OL played very well except for about 2 or 3 early games when injuries and illness plagued them and some inexperience at Center and one tackle were being worked out at a time when the offense was trying to master two different offenses.



Cahoon - a crap shoot - like Doman several years ago. It might work out as well as Doman has - or not. We will see when the team hits the field and the recruting trail.



Ethnic diversity. This has frequently been a problem at BYU. But then, it is a bit of a problem in the student body and community as well. It is an issue in the Church membership demographics. It is slowly changing, but it is not a current strength relative to the coveted African American recruiting pool. It does not mean that we cannot have some success there. It is just not helping the cause.



I will go out on a limb here. The real issue for recruiting African American athletes and many other coveted athletes is that as with some LDS athletes, many of the prospective athletes that are not members of the LDS Church are not planning on committing to 4-5 years of abstinence from sexual activity, alcohol, or possibly even drugs. Some of them really value the image associated with tatoos, extrememley long hair, or facial hair. Some are focused on programs with BCS exposure and well paved paths to the NFL draft - first round.



The main recruiting issue is the talent pool of HC committed student athletes to draw from . No matter who is coaching, BYU will draw heavily from its active LDS pool because those athletes want to be at BYU and their familes want them to be here. BYU will draw, on occasion, from a conservative non-member pool that value and are committed to similar standards of moral conduct. And in some cases, BYU will draw someone who turns out not to be committed to the HC - and that goes up in smoke.



Throw in academic casualties, home sick athletes that don't feel that they fit in after getting here, and you get a few more casualties. But the big issue is the HC for athletes and the HC and payscale for coaches.



I have had to reconcile myself to this reality many years ago. Jeff Grimes is not coming back. Mike Leach will not fit and we could not afford him for more than a year or two until he becomes employable again. Even KWhitt, Norm Chow and ARod will get more money up north. That is just the way it is.



So lets support our newly revised coaching staff, be glad they are willing to make the necessary sacrifices to be here and hope that Cahoon makes the most of this incredible opportunity that only BYU would afford him - and that after he capitalizes on it, he stays.



We are making an investment - with risk.

You've hit my sentiments exactly--except for 1 that I'll state and then leave because you've said everything else.



I've pushed for Mark Atuaia because he IMHO was prepared and qualified (maybe even over qualified from an educational standpoint). 2 things stood in his way: Lance Reynolds and prior coaching experience. I thought it was a long shot for him because Lance Reynolds was still there. Apparently, that wasn't a huge factor as they moved Coach Reynolds to TE's and DuPaix is now with the RB's. Second, Coaching experience. Ben Cahoon doesn't have any so that dispels the other concern.



Now, DuPaix affects the same demographics as Coach Doman as they are both from Skyline and are White. Anae left a hole in the Polynesian community that could have been filled by Mark Atuaia. Also, I've pointed out that I know what type of name Mark Atuaia has in Hawaii (especially there) and in other polynesian communities nationwide that surpasses Coach Kaufusi's current influence.



So...logically, that's why I wanted Atuaia. But, Bronco must know something we don't and we'll see if he made the right choice because as Cougarbib2 clearly pointed out--pretty risky.

If you are worried about the number of Poly coaches--don't be. We still have Steve Kaufusi on staff, Shawn Nua as a GA, Reno Mahe helping out as well. Plenty of Polys to represent BYU. If you really are worried about diversity, the truth is we need an African American on staff. If Brian Logan gets a GA spot, as expected, that helps. Rumors out there that Micah Alba might want to get back to BYU, but that is down the road now with this latest round of hirings. So if there is a diversity gap on staff, it is with African Americans. Having said that, we had none on staff in 1984....

I am not Polynesian and am not an expert in all things Polynesia - but I and my family have been around Hawaii for nearly a decade and I have many Polynesian friends. You need to be a little careful about lumping them all together.



It goes something like this.



Do you know how to tell if someone is Tongan or Samoan? No? Try this approach - a little risky, but it almost always works.



Walk up to the Polynesian in question, and say hey brah - you Samoans are awesome. If he breaks your jaw - he was Tongan - otherwise yeah he probably was Samoan.



TIC sort of.



And there are many mixed ethnicities of polynesians mixed with various Asian ethnicities. Norm Chow for instance. And you have native Hawaiians, Fijiians, etc. Go to the Polynesian Cultural Center website and count the villiages on exhibit. So a particular Polynesian coach does not carry the same weight with all Polynesians. And if one of them has broken a trust - everyone up North Shore seems to be related and they have long memories. It is complex. You don't need to get it totally right to have some success, but if you get it totally wrong - you won't succeed. And if you get it totally right - you will have more success.



And Norm Chow will probably fare better recruiting someone like the Punahou linebacker (Manti Teo) that went to Notre Dame than he will up in Kahuku or even at St. Louis. Not jsut because Chow went to Punahou, but that elitist, arrogant style - think Obama - is the swagger at Punahou or maybe even Iolani - top 2 private schools in Hawaii - but does not play so well out in the country.



I don't know all the history to know who has burned bridges and I don't know Mark Atuaia's ties and bloodlines. But there is value in diversity to the extent practical - but you do need to get good coaches while you are at it.



But at least with LDS Polynesian recruits and even non members committed to the honor code, they will have a number of Polynesian peers as players and students when they arrive and especially with LDS will blend with much of the culture. But rest assured, UCLA, USC, UW, ND, Utah and others are starting to figure out how to fight for their share of that talent pool and we cannot afford to lose too many of them.