News and Notes:
Criddle: “Man, when I played at BYU we didn’t get any swag.”
Logan: “Yeah, I remember going to the store the night before and buying nice Nike compression clothes and some new gloves.”
Logan: “I remember kids saying that they would rather go to a MWC or WAC school than a mid-tier P5 school because of Adidas or Nike.”
Logan: “I saw somewhere that BYU, behind Oregon has the 2nd most uniform alterations out of any team in the nation.”
Logan: “I think that Bronco has changed his mind to cater to this younger generation.”
Criddle: “Morgan Bailey and Lexi Eaton were named HM All-American.”
Criddle: “Khari Vanderbilt was in town for the last couple of days.”
Logan: “I took Khari and GA Brandon Bradley into the broadcast building to show him how unique BYU is with the broadcast building.”
Logan: “Khari was concerned about academics, I told him what I went through and the support I got and what BYU does to help you out.”
Nitty Gritty:
Criddle: “Bronco was named by CBS Sports as the 28th best P5 coach in the nation. Ahead of Kyle Whittingham at 30 and Gary Anderson at 38.”
Logan: “You look at BYU and the restrictions they have AKA the Honor Code. You have to imagine what Bronco could do without that.”
Logan: “A 3* guy for BYU is a huge win, and a 4* guy is like getting a 6* guy. If he were to go to say UCLA that’s the norm, he has a lot more talent coming in.”
Logan: “Bronco has done a great job building a program where walk-ons can come on and succeed. He can increase a players level of play.”
Criddle: “Here’s another thing to look at, you lose 40% of your roster every year. Try running a business like that.”
Criddle: “How tough is it to come back to a job after you’ve been away from 2 years.”
Criddle: “The software that they now have makes his job doable. It’s difficult, but doable.”
Criddle: “Lavell Edwards sat him down and said, this is a great job, it’s a tough job, but it’s a great job.”
Criddle: “The Y-Awards are tonight at 7:30 at the Marriott Center.”
Logan: “I was up for the ‘Crowd Pleaser Award’ and I had to go up against Jimmer, I didn’t even want to show up.”
Logan: “I think that Rob Daniel passes the eye test, he’s going to get a lot of attention from NFL scouts.”
Logan: “I don’t know the numbers on guys who weren’t invited to the Senior Bowl and weren’t invited to the Combine.”
Logan: “I read online a few years ago that if BYU beats Oklahoma, the Church is true but if they don’t it’s still true because of the adversary.”
Criddle: “Coming out of spring ball, Sae Tautu sprained his MCL and will be out for 4-6 weeks. It’s definitely good news opposed to what it could’ve been.”
Criddle: “Today the starting field corner was Mike Davis, Micah Hanneman was at the boundary corner.”
Criddle: “You need to think that Hanneman is going to push Preator and battle for that spot.”
Logan: “I like Preator. He’s a baller and has incredible instincts. He was doing stuff as a Freshman last year that I didn’t do until I was a Senior.”
Logan: “He is so fluid when he moves, his footwork, his awareness. I think he is the best corner on the team.”
Criddle: “I saw Hanneman play before his mission, look at his brother and how good of an athlete he was.”
Cougar Insider Report:
Logan: “Coach Beck said that Taysom will have full medical clearance in early May.”
Logan: “I didn’t think that he’d be to this point at this time.”
Logan: “I think it really speaks to how much Taysom wants to be out there for the team.”
Logan: “I spoke to Taysom last year and it broke his heart to not be out there last year, he felt like he let the whole team down and it was his fault the team started struggling.”
Criddle: “I think it’s going to be really difficult for Dayan Lake to come in and compete immediately because of how complex the scheme is.”
Logan: “Aside from the playbook, it’s really going to come down with the technical skills.”
Logan: “I know guys who have run 4.6’s and 4.7’s and led the conference in INT’s because of their technique.”
Logan: “In the long run, I think that Dayan could end up being a lockdown corner for this team.”
Jordan Pendleton Interview:
Pendleton: “I’m not gonna lie, I was probably just as nervous as the guys I trained. You spend all the time training them but it’s something you can’t control.”
Pendleton: “Skye, Solo Kafu, Dre Wesley, and Paul Lasike were guys that were training with me who went to pro day. Quinn Lawlor was training as well but went to the CFL combine.”
Pendleton: “Training these guys was a grind, we trained every day, sometimes twice a day. We were trying to make sure they peaked at the right time.”
Pendleton: “Skye ran a 6.56 three cone which was faster than any DB at the combine this year.”
Pendleton: “Dre Wesley had the highest vert at 31″ and the farthest broad at 9’7”
Pendleton: “Solo Kafu ran a 5.41 at 350 lbs and ran a 1.80 1o yard split.”
Pendleton: “It’s extremely rewarding to see them succeed and be able to continue to chase their dreams.”
Pendleton: “The most impressive stat of the day was Jordan Leslie’s 40 time.”
Pendleton: “The star of the day was Skye, he was tops in most of the drills. Coming from a guy who people thought ‘wasn’t athletic enough to be on the field.'”
Pendleton: “They think Skye could be the next Edelman, a guy who could run out of the slot and be really successful.”
Pendleton: “Coach Mendenhall heard a scout saying that Skye should be a slot receiver and Coach Mendenhall pointed at his chest and said, “He was our best defensive player, he’s a safety.””
Pendleton: “Skye has already called Austin Collie so they can run routes together.”
Pendleton: “I wouldn’t be surprised if Skye ended up on a roster this year.”
Pendleton: “Anyone who watches football knows why he’s out of the league. He was leading the league at some point in receiving and two years later he was out of the league.”
Pendleton: “Collie hasn’t had a concussion for four years, he is out of the league because he ruptured his patella.”
Pendleton: “It all happened at an unfortunate time because of all the former players who were coming back to sue the NFL.”
Criddle: “Do you ever see yourself becoming a strength and conditioning coach at a place like BYU?”
Pendleton: “It’s a tough decision and I think about it every day. I like being able to work with individuals and I like being able to put attention on each of my athletes.”
Pendleton: “It would have to be the right spot and position.”
Jason Beck Soundbite:
Beck: “I think we did a really good job tailoring the practices to the needs of our team and getting Taysom into the drills that he could do.”
Beck: “Our plan is to work a little more on passing on the last scrimmage in Lavell Edwards Stadium.”
Beck: “Mangum gets back in early June so he should have some time to get back into it physically but now it’s focusing on mental.”
Beck: “Beau has our playbook and can look over it and study it, we thought about sending something to Tanner but ended up not.”
Beck: “McCoy Hill can’t put any weight on his foot, they ran a screw through it and he’s just trying to get healed.”
Beck: “Taysom’s work this spring has been standing on the pocket and working on the throw. We are emphasizing precise, fast decisions.”
Criddle: “Beau is getting the cut ups and the playbooks and I like that they are encouraging him to push Tanner.”
Criddle: “Tanner took his football with him and is serving with a receiver from Snow College.”
Criddle: “Jason Beck isn’t a guy who blows smoke. When he says something it’s the truth.”
Logan: “One person I’m looking to come on is Devon Blackmon. He played well at the end of the year and in spring, I want to see how he does in the fall and into the season.”
Rob Daniel Interview:
Criddle: “Rob Daniel definitely passed the eye test at the pro day.”
Logan: “I had the worst experience of training in my life. I was still in class, training on my own in the weight room. I was poor, had no money, my agent didn’t help me.”
Criddle: “What’s the core strength and conditioning program your on right now?”
Daniel: “I’m just eating right, nothing that has fat in it.”
Daniel: “I was happiest with either the shuttle or the L, they weren’t my strength during training but I was happy with the time.”
Daniel: “My official time Pro agility was a 4.01 and the three cone was a 6.71 official 40 was 4.40.”
Daniel: “We’ve heard from the Niners and the Seahawks, I’m attracted to any team that is a good fit.”
Daniel: “Moving to corner was a tough transition to make. I played Safety in HS and JC and was starting to feel comfortable. The move was unexpected.”
Daniel: “I wanted to get in my best shape, not just in the look but with the technique. I want to be the top 5 in best shape on the team when I go to camp.”
Daniel: “Two players I’d like to be mentored by are Joe Haden and Richard Sherman.”
Daniel: “Getting my degree was huge for me, I’m not going to play football for the rest of my life and my degree is going to be useful for afterwards.”
Daniel: “My mentor was there for me every step of the way. I really owe her for the help.”
Daniel: “Coming to BYU was a shock at first, but after I was there for a while I got used to it and was settled in.”
Logan: “I would love to go back to Foothill and give back to the kids there. I had a coach who would give me money to pay for gas so I could go to practice.”
Daniel: “I learned a lot about life and how to approach it the right way. Going to BYU and not being mormon I came across people I liked and didn’t like and I had to learn to deal with it.”
Logan: “I think there are some different black kids who take it in differently. There are guys like me and Corby Eason who really ate it all up, but then there were guys like Rob Daniel who they either learn to adjust like he did or don’t and he put himself in a situation to be successful going forward.”
Logan: “Guys seem to flock towards people with similar religions, not just catholics or mormons, but Christianity. Coach Weber was awesome about that by leading bible studies and helping us find wives.”
Logan: “Once I learned a little bit more about mormonism I was definitely a little bit more comfortable because I realized the similarities between the faith.”
Logan: “BYU was a place that helped me develop my relationship with both Heavenly Father and Christ.”
Bronson Kaufusi Soundbite:
Kaufusi: “I feel like Austin Heder has really stepped up his game with Pikula and Harvey missing camp.”
Kaufusi: “JLD stepped up too, he’s played really well this spring.”
Kaufusi: “Eric Takenaka has come in and impressed in the backfield, he has stepped up.”
Criddle: “Harvey didn’t even know what he was doing last year and was tearing it up on the field.”
Criddle: “I think Harvey is going to start, but Heder is going to pass up Manoa Pikula this year.”
Criddle: “Manoa doesn’t see the game like he should.”
Criddle: “JLD is a fantastic athlete which is why BYU brought him in. He started out at OLB but moved to ILB because he’s an athlete.”
Criddle: “Heder has gained rep because of those reps he’s getting in during spring.”
Criddle: “Heder is going up against BYU’s starting offensive line which is a great match up for him to get.”
Random Thoughts:
Criddle: “Chivalry is not dead, women killed it.”
Logan: “My mother was a single mother, she taught me manners she would smack me upside the head if I didn’t open the door for her, pull her chair out.”
