if BYU wanted to improve its speed, what should it do?
 

We're not all of a sudden going to cull the cream of the Texas, Florida and California speedsters, so how do we do it?

I doubt we're going to do it by keeping a third of the team from Utah, but other than that, what will it take.

Our defense will not survive with this lack of personnel, if we ever wish to scale the mountain as Utah has, and TCU is appearing to do.

there are fast kids everywhere. It's just that they are generally going to be more in demand, the ones that are fast and good and developed.

So BYU is just going to have to focus more on speed. "Sure you are a great linebacker in Idaho, you are a big strong kid, but I'm going to pass on you and take a chance on this skinnier fast kid that is raw, and hope we can coach him up."

In other words, it has to become more of a recruiting focus.

"Kid, you got great hands, you caught 80 balls your senior year, you have decent height at 6'2". But you aren't fast. I'm going to take this raw fast kid instead, he's short, but we'll take our chances."

You mean our coaches would have to teach and coach? We're screwed.

I've actually heard of this approach before. I wonder if they took every high school sprint track star, and evaluated those without football scholarships, how'd we would improve.

This website should be of interest.

http://www.athletic.net/trackandfield/

For example, the fastest trackster from last year in Nevada, running a 10.39, committed to Arizona.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/arizona/foot...-Wharton-88585

Yep.

LaVell talked constantly of recruiting more speed, and he eventually got there by the mid-90's. Improving team speed means you recruit speed which means you expand your recruiting base beyond LDS kids. Something Bronco and/or the administration doesn't seem willing to do.

Bronco wanted to prove he could win with Fine Young Men. He has proven that he can take BYU to 3rd best in MWC with the FYM approach. He has also proven that he is very suspect when it comes to putting kids in the NFL.

Will fans be happy at 3rd best? I'm not sure.

On some level, I can be happy with 2nd or 3rd best in the MWC. I enjoy going to the games, watching us beat the mediocre to good teams, and occasionally competing with and beating the great teams.

That said, after seeing what is possible with BYU football, I'll never be "fully invested" until I see a real committment get there again. Fine Young Men alone will not do it. LaVell got there in 1996 - then to prove THEY were in charge, the mullahs booted Ronnie Jenkins for fornicating with his girlfriend. It hasn't been the same since.