News and Notes:
Dickson: “I was covering Maple Mountain and their starting pitcher was nicknamed ‘Eeyore’.”
Criddle: “There are free seats being given away from the Marriott Center.”
Criddle: “Here in Utah County, we’re all about the FREE.99 discount.”
Criddle: “The Big 12 views their conference of 10 to be more powerful than the ACC.”
Criddle: “The only two teams that have scheduled appropriately are Texas and Oklahoma.”
How We See It:
Twestion: Who is the most underrated football player coming into this years season?
Dickson: “Kyle Johnson. He has flown under the radar but he has started and cemented his position.”
Dickson: “He plays and doesn’t come off of the field. He is an anchor on the OL.”
Criddle: “In the spring, or last fall he played LT quite a bit.”
Hicken: “Mine is Travis Tuiloma, he played well last year and because of his position he didn’t get a lot of attention.”
Criddle: “I would say Sione Takitaki, he is one of the best pass rushers BYU has had in a long time and he’s so explosive.”
Criddle: “The way he plays reminds me of Von Miller. Speedwise he is one of the best that BYU has ever had.”
Mauss: “You guys covered everyone I would say, but Nate Carter could be up there. He has some good moves.”
Criddle: “That’s right, think about it, when has he ever had a run that you’re like, ‘Hmm.. That wasn’t any good.'”
Criddle: “He doesn’t have the typical pass protection skillset, he needs to work on it.”
Dickson: “I think there’s a role that he can fill, but they need to figure out what it is.”
4:30 Segment:
Criddle: “Could you imagine having a team of just Colton Shaver’s? All that power.. That would be an awesome team.”
Hicken: “It would be a slooowww team.”
Criddle: “It would be so fun to watch.”
Hicken: “Yeah, as a baseball fan I prefer execution. Small ball, bunting, steals, hit and runs.”
Criddle: “Nate Watson tweeted in and said Teu Kautai is the most underrated.”
Dickson: “Jason Franchuk and I went and watched him, Apo, and Fabuluje in Texas a few years ago and he was a very talented player.”
Criddle: “We didn’t have a solidified Buck or Mike LB last year, they were rotating in and out last year and that’s concerning to me.”
Criddle: “Teu is the best linebacker in coverage. He needs a little more weight on his body for the run game, but he is great in coverage.”
Criddle: “There were rumblings this weekend about a recruit on campus this weekend. I got texts, tweets, the question is, is it true?”
Cougar Insider Report:
Criddle: “The most important thing in the offseason is recruiting, and speculating about Taysom Hill winning the Heisman.”
Criddle: “Go through lists and lists of the best rugby players all around the world and you’d be surprised how big, how strong, how fast, these athletes are.”
Criddle: “I was able to confirm that there was a 6’7″ 315 lb rugby player with no body fat who was on campus this weekend.”
Criddle: “I’m not going to divulge his name but it is true.”
Criddle: “Cameron Jensen said (according to NUVI data) the most popular BYU subject in the last year was Motekiai Langi.”
Dickson: “I get a lot more clicks on a recruiting piece than a normal piece, I’d say twice as many.”
Criddle: “Do you remember how pumped BYU fans got about the Iggy’s 3? I even bought into the hype.”
Dickson: “Those guys were put onto a pedestal.”
Riley Jensen Interview:
Criddle: “I hope that Guy Holliday is heavily involved in the recruitment of one Sione Heimuli-Lund.”
Dickson: “He had 105 tackles, 7.5 sacks on Defense. Averaged 8.3 YPC as a running back.”
Criddle: “According to 247sports he ranks out at a 94% and he’s a 4* recruit on all sites.”
Dickson: “Another player to watch out for besides Sione and Simi, is Drew Jensen.”
Dickson: “I would love to be a fly on the wall to watch BYU coaches pitch to a recruit.”
Dickson: “Obviously the main points will be the same, but they will all sell it very differently.”
Criddle: “Coach Anae, as far as his recruiting tactics, has come a long way and progressed at each school he’s been at.”
Criddle: “One guy that I find funny without trying to be funny is Mike Tyson.”
Jensen: “I would say that it would be Terry Bradshaw.”
Jensen: “This camp was all-timer this year, I can’t believe how good it was.”
Jensen: “I was told by an in-state coach that they would be able to put together a complete class for 2017 just by staying in Utah.”
Jensen: “I feel like all these guys who came from the rock and played at BYU, their second generation is so good.”
Jensen: “I go through a list of in-state recruits, his Dad played at Utah, his Dad played at BYU.”
Jensen: “Coaches come into the state and they say that they love Utah kids because they work hard and play all 4 quarters.”
Jensen: “Utah players are getting recruited at the 9th highest pace in the whole country.”
Jensen: “When I was a senior in ’92 there were 7 players who got D1 scholarships.”
Jensen: “I’m told that the 2017 class may get 50 D1 players.”
Jensen: “Simi Fehoko was the MVP of the camp at WR.”
Jensen: “Two kids to watch in the state is Julian Blackmon from Layton and Malik Overstreet from PG.”
Jensen: “Simi Finau may be one of the most talented running backs in the state. He reminds me of Reno because he catches balls out of the backfield and breaks ankles.”
Jensen: “Garrison Beach was the MVP of the QB position, he was neck-and-neck with Keaton Torre but Garrison edged him out.”
Jensen: “Taylor Katoa has been offered as an athlete, but he’s really turning into a QB.”
Jensen: “I think the BYU USU game this year will be very physical, very competitive, I’m looking forward to it.”
Jensen: “I think that it will have big national implications for both teams.”
Jan Jorgensen Interview:
Dickson: “I was at the State Track & Field meet. Zayne Anderson won the 100m in 11.02 and a 22.3 in the 200.”
Dickson: “I saw Riley Burt for the first time, he is listed to play DB and RB and ran a 22.07 in 4A in the 200.”
Dickson: “He doesn’t look like a sprinter cause he’s so big.”
Dickson: “He ran an 11.06 in the 100m.”
Criddle: “That’s .2 faster than Jamaal Williams.”
Dickson: “Sione Finau ran a 14.98 in the 110 m hurdles.”
Criddle: “I was in awe in how much field that Ty Hinds covered on the field. He flew around and when he hits you, he will tattoo you.”
Criddle: “You got to go to the fight with a beautiful young daughter of Zion and you met a Bayside Tiger, the day after you were wearing your Saved by the Bell shirt.”
Jorgensen: “Well, it definitely wasn’t Dustin Diamond.”
Jorgensen: “I crossed two things off of my bucketlist Friday: Seeing Mitt Romney with his shirt off and meeting AC Slater.”
Jorgensen: “They did a good job, they played around the ring for a round and a half. They made it long enough that people got their money worth, but short enough that they didn’t get bored.”
Jorgensen: “Mitt looked like a deer standing up on it’s back legs and flailing the front two hooves when he was boxing.”
Jorgensen: “Apparently Evander has a son who is quite the football player and Evander was able to meet Coach Kaufusi and they exchanged some information in ATL.”
Dickson: “BYU clinched the three seed in the WCC tournament with a walk-off HR from Jarrett Jarvis in the bottom of the 10th.”
Dick Harmon Interview:
Criddle: “Dick, how many of these seats do you think are going to be sold?”
Harmon: “I would imagine 8,000.”
Harmon: “The demand has been pretty brisk. I think that they will go through and find a lot of people who want them.”
Harmon: “These aren’t ordinary seats, they will have to be presented and displayed in a certain way.”
Harmon: “If I got one of these, my wife would make me take it to the dump.”
Harmon: “But I haven’t even been offered one.”
Harmon: “The sets in media row are the most uncomfortable seats I’ve ever sat in.”
Harmon: “One of the kids from Orem ran really well but he’s not a big recruit.”
Harmon: “I saw Riley Burt placed top 4 in the 100 m.”
Criddle: “I think there are people who ask every day, how does this guy (Ben Criddle) have a radio show?”
Harmon: “I think Bronco would be the best closer when it comes to recruiting.”
Harmon: “Robert Anae is awkwardly funny and affectionate. Tujage, Poppinga, and Atuia are the passion guys who really bring it.”
Harmon: “Holliday is very respected, he’s frank and is honest about which is very respected. He tells recruits that attending BYU can change your life.”
Harmon: “There were BYU coaches recruiting a kid from TX and Utah was down there the next day recruiting the same kid.”
Harmon: “Holliday has put 22 kids in the NFL during his career. I wish they had 2-3 more Coach Hollidays.”
Harmon: “Justin Anderson struggled a bit at first in getting organized but he’s been on top of scheduling all the coaches and getting them accommodated.”
Harmon: “One huge thing for Justin is that he’s familiar with recruiting the deep south since he coached in Florida and Louisiana.”
Harmon: “He’s a quiet guy, but he’s a natural born leader.”
Harmon: “It’ll be interesting to see how they use him during practices.”
Harmon: “He could talk to kids after practice or help out in a number of ways.”
Harmon: “BYU Basketball’s staff will have to be restructured and Tim LaComb was promoted to Associate HC.”
Harmon: “I think that Lewis’ role will be number 1, recruiting and defense number 2.”
Harmon: “I wouldn’t be surprised if he was assigned to the big guys.”
Harmon: “He brings so much versatility as a coach. He knows how to teach fundamentals and has so many contacts.”
Harmon: “I think the new rules will be difficult for some teams, like Utah. They will have to readjust their game plan.”
Harmon: “It takes away the advantage of the teams that really play hard on defense.”
Dickson: “Do you think there will be one more guy that BYU brings on to the roster or do you think it’s set?”
Harmon: “I wouldn’t be surprised if they did, they just had so many guys last year who just kind of used roster spots so maybe someone will get moved to a medical situation as well.”
Harmon: “I think that this Hamson kid who will be coming back from his mission in the late summer will be a guy who should be in a BYU uniform.”
Harmon: “I think that the Isaac Neilson situation may have been a little more mutual where he realized he wasn’t going to get the time he wanted with Kaufusi on the team.”
Harmon: “They might choose some guys they need for team chemistry, it’s going to be very limited in who they choose.”
Harmon: “Haws was one of the best mid-range shooters in the nation and they lose him. Seljaas is a guy who can come in and play defense, rebound, and score. He could fill in that role somewhat nicely.”
Harmon: “I think that Emery will be the backup PG in Spain. He will get an opportunity because he’s kind of an undersize SG.”
Dickson: “I think he’s got decent handles, he’s a PG in the same fashion as Jimmer that he’s going to get the ball in his hands and try to find a way to score.”
Harmon: “The thing about Cory is that he’s coming off of a mission and you don’t know how productive they are after they come back because of stuff like stress fractures.”
Brent Norton Interview:
Norton: “I’m doing great, especially after that big walk off HR from Jarvis.”
Norton: “His wife had a life threatening situation during the offseason and he struggled a bit this season because of it but I’m happy he was able to have that walk-off.”
Norton: “Shaver hit his 13th HR of the season today. He leads the league as a freshman.”
Norton: “The only guy I want to stay away from is that top pitcher from San Diego and I think he is going to go up against LMU.”
Norton: “BYU has played well against Pepperdine so I really like our chances.”
Norton: “I think that the facilities in Stockton will be top notch for the tournament. I look forward to it.”
Norton: “I’ve done this for 23 years and I’ve been to 3 regionals. For BYU to make it they need pitching.”
Norton: “Shaver is very mature for a freshman. He will shorten up his swing with two strikes and hit it to the opposite field.”
Norton: “He will be a terror to handle the next 2-3 years for conference foes.”
Norton: “It’s truly amazing that Coach Littlewood got Kyle Dean who’s one off the top OF in the state of California.”
Random Thoughts:
Criddle: “With Burt, I want his speed coming out of the backfield. Who besides Jamaal do you really trust out of the backfield?”
Criddle: “Algie’s a good back but struggled with injury. Same with Hine, he is coming off of a lower extremity injury and he is more of a return specialist than he is a running back.”
Criddle: “Nappy hair doesn’t swing in the African American and Polynesian communities. They take care of their long hair and are pretty well groomed.”
Criddle: “Is it me or are the Women in our lives always saying, ‘We never do anything fun. Look at John and Tina… All you’re ever doing is looking at your phone.'”
