Coaching staff in place and set.

Brandon Doman, as previously announced, will serve as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Assistant head coach Lance Reynolds will coach tight ends, Mark Weber will continue working with the offensive line and recently hired Joe DuPaix from Navy will coach running backs and coordinate recruiting. Mendenhall will continue to oversee the defense as the coordinator with the defensive staff maintaining their previous position assignments: Steve Kaufusi, defensive line; Paul Tidwell, inside linebackers; Kelly Poppinga, outside linebackers; and Nick Howell, defensive backs. Howell will also serve as special teams coordinator.



This from the Cahoon hiring announcement.

Great job posting this so quickly. I came on to do it and boom, you already had it up.



I'm interested to see how these changes work, and I'm very interested to see how DuPaix does as the Recruiting Coordinator.

Do all the changes on the coaching staff worry anyone else?



it seems like this is a great group of guys, but all the changes and new comers reminds me of last years recruiting class... highly talented players who will definitely contribute, but who also needed time to get their feet wet.



I just hope they step in and can get it done right away. Next year could be a very special year if we are opportunistic.

you can't make that comparison because coaching and playing are two different beasts. all of these guys are proven coaches except cahoon, but he happens to be the cfl all time receptions leader. so i don't think there should be any worries of a coaching let down



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Cahoon has done summer work outs and done some coaching with the team over the last several summers. He used to come home to Orem to work out when the CFL season was over, so I am sure Bronco and staff know what they are getting with him. I would not call him an unknown, just a bit wet under the ears still. But I love his mentality, and if that rubs off, that unit benefits immediately.

crh55 wrote:
Do all the changes on the coaching staff worry anyone else?



it seems like this is a great group of guys, but all the changes and new comers reminds me of last years recruiting class... highly talented players who will definitely contribute, but who also needed time to get their feet wet.



I just hope they step in and can get it done right away. Next year could be a very special year if we are opportunistic.

Yes - but only in the context that three coaches, including two on offense, were just run out of town with many fans expressing frustration that we would have been better than 10-3 and 11-2 in the previous 4 years if these coaches had not been holding BYU back. That would seem to leave an expectation that these coaches will do better than 11-2. I worry that we will be very lucky to get back to 11-2 next year as these guys figure out who is who and what there roles are and for those new at their assignment, how to fulfill those new responsibilities.



There is also a risk that they will exceed my expectations from day 1 and go undefeated. That is not outside the realm of possibilities. Personally, I would be delighted to see us pull off 10-3 or 11-3 if we get that extra game.



We have a new OC, a new recruiting coordinator, a new RB coach, a new (Tight end or inside receivers - not clear which Reynolds will be called) coach, a new special teams coordinator, and a new wide receiver coach. Stated more simply, on offense, only Weber will have the exact same role as last year, altough Doman has partly the same role. Defensive coaching is stable with how it was last year at the end of the season.



These are our coaches. Let's go out and kick some early butt, because that will make or break the season. I would be a lot less nervous if we could play the season in the reverse order and catch those tough opponents, especially the road games, after things gel.



Last year Bronco was quoted as saying something to the effect that he was surprised how long it took to bring the new players along. Hopefulluy he won't be saying that about the new coaches next year.



But I am not even slightly worried that we will have a year as bad as 2010 - unless Jake Heaps gets injured. Remember - we do not have a back-up QB with any real experience other than one guy that most fans do not want to see running the team. Blocking should be very solid from day 1. That bodes well for Jake.

LOGIC FAIL. All it means is that fans think that these coaches will do better with equal talent and an equal schedule. But expectations are higher all the same.



Coaches are more interchangeable than players and player experience. Not the same thing at all.

Two words: Gary Crowton.



How can we be so worried about a few coaching changes? 12-0 start in 2001



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Y12 wrote:
Two words: Gary Crowton.



How can we be so worried about a few coaching changes? 12-0 start in 2001



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And just 13-24 after Staley broke his leg.

Lawboy wrote:
LOGIC FAIL. All it means is that fans think that these coaches will do better with equal talent and an equal schedule. But expectations are higher all the same.



Coaches are more interchangeable than players and player experience. Not the same thing at all.

In the interest of clarity, don't you expect these coaches to attract better talent? How many people posted about how Anae was lousy at recruiting, but Doman, DuPaix, and Cahoon were natural recruiters?



Do you expect these coaches to recruit better players?

Do you expect them to win more games?



What do you expect them to do in 2011? Shouldn't there ne some measuring stick and accountability - or are you a little bit worried about 2011 too?



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I'm worried about 2011 to the tune of a 9-4 season.

Well, considering that this is probably the 3rd or 4th best class BYU has ever had with 10+ 3* players, I'd say they are getting better depth. What players did BYU really want and fit teh BYU mold did they not get? Maybe 2-3? I'd call that a good year.

Lawboy wrote:
Well, considering that this is probably the 3rd or 4th best class BYU has ever had with 10+ 3* players, I'd say they are getting better depth. What players did BYU really want and fit teh BYU mold did they not get? Maybe 2-3? I'd call that a good year.

Ok - let's call it a good year. Based on national rankings, it seems to be a typical Bronco Mendenhall class. Several of us have called it small, solid. It got no national splash. There will be some solid contributors and probably a pleasant surprise or two in there.



So with the bonanza we had in 2010 and this good class and these new, energetic, inspirational coaches in the mix - and back to the OP - Ready To Go - given the 2011 schedule, what do you expect BYU to achieve on the field in wins and losses and be disappointed in all of this change, if those expectations are not met.



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The short answer: I would be ok with 8-4, but not happy. I expect us to go at least 9-3 but 12-0 would not be a surprise at all.

The long answer:

Our schedule for next year:



@ Mississippi

@ Texas

Utah

Central Florida

Utah State

San Jose State

@ Oregon State

Idaho State

@Louisiana Tech

Idaho

New Mexico State

@Hawaii



We have 6 games that we'd better win, a loss inany of these would be a definite disappointment: New Mexico State, Idaho, Louiseanna Tech, Idaho St, San Jose St. and Utah St.

4 games that we should win: Hawaii, Oregon St., Central Florida, and Utah. If we lose 2 or more of these I will be surprised and mildly disappointed but not ready to throw our new coaching staff under the bus.

And there are two games that I think we will win, because I always predict a BYU win, but that are toss ups. @Ole Miss and @ Texas. In a normal year for texas, with our turn over, I would give them the advantage, but they're staff has been reorganized almost as much as ours and are also coming off a bad season, so I think we have at least an even shot. Ole Miss here I would put down as an almost guaranteed win even with our new staff, but BYU traditionally struggles east of the Mississippi.



My best prediction is that we go 6-0 in our easy games 3-1 in our likely games with the loss to Hawaii, or UCF, and 1-1 with our hard games. So 10-2. My homer opinion remains as always: 12-0 BCS Bowl bid setting up for a national championship run the next year.

The article in the deseret news about the non diversity on the byu staff by via sikahema was a very good article. It talked about a poly coach that was let go by bronco. I thought there were some very good points in the article.

kitic77 wrote:

Two words: Gary Crowton.



How can we be so worried about a few coaching changes? 12-0 start in 2001



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And just 13-24 after Staley broke his leg.

And how did Bronco manage with all the injuries to key players this year? You are changing the subject.



The point is, coaching changes are not the end of the world. This wasn't even a full scale change. During the glory years, do you know how many times BYU changed OC? SEVERAL



Coaching is very important, but these changes are not worth fretting.

Y12 wrote:

Y12 wrote:
Two words: Gary Crowton.



How can we be so worried about a few coaching changes? 12-0 start in 2001



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And just 13-24 after Staley broke his leg.

And how did Bronco manage with all the injuries to key players this year? You are changing the subject.



The point is, coaching changes are not the end of the world. This wasn't even a full scale change. During the glory years, do you know how many times BYU changed OC? SEVERAL



Coaching is very important, but these changes are not worth fretting.

Agreed. These aren't huge changes. I think our coaches/staff are going to be okay.



I was just trying to point out that Crowton's downfall coincided very clearly with Staley's injury.

We were 7-6 this year, should have been 9-4 (should have beaten Utah and Utah State). Somehow I can't imagine us being less than 9-4 this year. The QB is settled, receivers couldn't be worse--Cahoon will fix that mess, TEs can't be worse, so they will improve, most of the offense is back, defense will be better overall, front seven will improve, secondary? will have to wait and see. Kicking game should improve. I don't see any phase of the game that will be worse for BYU. Our schedule is actually easier than last year; yes we have a few tough games, but several pretty easy one's too. I think we'll see no worse than 10-2, and if the cougs come out of the shoot 2-0 against Ole Miss and Texas, then I don't see anybody beating us. And don't we have 7 home games this year? The schedule actually favors BYU this year, we get Utah in Provo, Central Florida (a pretty good team) in Provo. This is the year to make some noise, and I think we will.

bcsbuster wrote:
The article in the deseret news about the non diversity on the byu staff by via sikahema was a very good article. It talked about a poly coach that was let go by bronco. I thought there were some very good points in the article.

I love Vai. Do you have a link?



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Cougarbib2 wrote:

The article in the deseret news about the non diversity on the byu staff by via sikahema was a very good article. It talked about a poly coach that was let go by bronco. I thought there were some very good points in the article.

I love Vai. Do you have a link?



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No it wasn't a good article. When you in essence accuse a guy like Bronco Mendenhall of being a racist there is no place for this. It really disappoints me because Vai is so much better than that. I love most of his stories, but to do this was just plain wrong.