Tevita Hola & team speed

[Goatnapper'96]

Mendenhall commeted that Tevita is the "most improved player on the team." Tevita came to BYU as a fairly well recruited JC recruit that chose BYU over numerous middle tier BCS level schools. He came for the spring of 2008 and according to many reports looked pretty good. Then it was decided he would redshirt/sit out 2008. From what I can gather the kid lost total interest and fell into a fat bastard cycle of depression and gluttony. Bronco instituted his "earn your redshirt" policy and Tevita appears to have lost that year of elgibility. Then Tevita hears that Russel T. is strongly considering a mission and he, much like Private Pyle, is born again hard! He is suddenly finding that ability and drive that was there in the spring of 2008. Between the surprise of Romney Fuga finding his form and Tevita's epiphany, BYU is cross training Elder Tialeeva to also be a DE since he is weighing in at a svelte 265 lbs of twisted steel sex appeal. This begs a few questions....

1.) I have occassionaly heard it said that Poly culture on occasion doesn't embrace or get fully invested in the redshirt/sit it out a year mentality. Is that the case with Tevita? When he realized that playing was not an option he just no longer gave a shit, but when he could see the realistic chance of playing he suddenly is born again hard? Does anyone have a reasonable explanation for his sudden change of attitude and performance? I know this sounds racial, and it is, but I have heard similar stories to this with other Poly kids. I wonder if Bernard Afuititi was playing last year if he would have been more academically dialed in. Just a thought.

2.) Does one have to declare redshirts each year and is there any way for Mendenhall to repent from his policy in order to get Tevita another year of elgibility for next year? The kid needs a carrot to keep trying in life and by golly I am ONLY concerned about him. Is it a foregone conclusion that Tevita is a senior next year? I have read about Notre Dame, whose policy is to not redshirt players, declaring a kid's first year at Notre Dame, a year the kid didn't play as a freshman, as a redshirt year and those athletes will be listed as seniors twice. BYU is also a religious institution so in the name of continuing revelation can it do likewise?

As for team speed, I believe it is upgraded and IMO the position improvement that is upgrading team speed more than anything is the safeties. It is unfortunate that the middle linebackers are not at BYU's normal level because if they were this defense would be a top 25 college defense IMO. Regardless, I stand by the opinion that this defense will be much improved over last year and the fact that the safeties are able, and I believe the improved NT play, gives the coaches more confidence to unleash the DEs and OLBs on the edge.

[jay santos]

I've never been happy with the way redshirts are handled. They are really treated like outsiders. They work with the scout team. From what I understand they're easy to get lost in the shuffle. I remember Coats gained about 5 lbs of muscle and 30 lbs of fat his redshirt year. When you hear guys coming off their redshirt year talk about their redshirt year, it really makes you wonder what they were doing. It should be a year of working your butt off to get ready. It almost sounds like they just take a year off and relax.

I haven't heard of Bronco's "earn your redshirt year" policy, but I'm pretty sure if Hola didn't play a down last year then he loses no eligibility. Maybe what Bronco means is that if you're a redshirt junior going into your senior season and he doesn't want you on the team, you won't make the team?

[Eddie]

I haven't heard of Bronco's "earn your redshirt year" policy, but I'm pretty sure if Hola didn't play a down last year then he loses no eligibility. Maybe what Bronco means is that if you're a redshirt junior going into your senior season and he doesn't want you on the team, you won't make the team?

Basically, as I understand it, Bronco is telling these kids that when they come to town they have a scholarship for 4 years - so they may want to work their tails off and make the most of it so that they can play during that time.

That said - if there is a particularly hard working player who is making the most of his time on the team and who happened to not play in any games one of those 4 years, Bronco may decide to list that year as a RS year and give that player one more year of eligibility.

In essence, I think this is intended to address the concern you identify of kids knowing they are going to RS a year and basically taking a vacation. Bronco is saying that he won't decide who gets a 5th year of eligibility until the end of the year - so you better work hard because #1 - no one has been identified as a RS so you may end up playing AND #2 - even if you don't play if you haven't been working hard Bronco isn't going to consider that a RS for you and you won't get that 5th year on scholarship (or on the team).

[frank ryan]

I can't stand that policy

[Goatnapper'96]

I can't stand that policy

I am a pragmatist, if the rumors of Tevita's emergence as a player are true it appears counter productive to stated goals of winning football games in this instance. In other instances it prevents dead weight from sucking down scholarships like an Amsterdam red light working girl.........

[Indy Coug]

I love that policy.

[jay santos]

I am a pragmatist, if the rumors of Tevita's emergence as a player are true it appears counter productive to stated goals of winning football games in this instance. In other instances it prevents dead weight from sucking down scholarships like an Amsterdam red light working girl.........

I'll bet you one miiiiillllllion dollars if Tevita Hola stars this year, Bronco finds it in his heart to forgive him for that redshirt vacation year.

So in essence, Bronco's policy is just to run off crappy scholarship players a year early. That's a fine plan.

[Eddie]

I am a pragmatist, if the rumors of Tevita's emergence as a player are true it appears counter productive to stated goals of winning football games in this instance. In other instances it prevents dead weight from sucking down scholarships like an Amsterdam red light working girl.........

As I understand it - and I admitedly may be wrong - they don't have to identify the RS year until the player is out of eligibility.

Meaning that a player could not play any games as a freshman, essentially redshirting, but the coaches don't have to tell NCAA eligibility folks that it was a RS until they want him to play that 5th year.

So the policy gives the coaches all kinds of flexibility. If Hola becomes a star this year and plays lights out, there is nothing keeping the coaches from deciding to declare that last year was a RS and allowing him to play another.

Would they do that? I don't know. Maybe they would say that he "earned" it by working so hard in the off season that he came in ready to play this year.

On the other hand - this could also reduce the effectiveness of the policy if a good players come in, know they aren't playing and take a vacation their first year, and then begin to play lights out from then on causing the coaches to re-think whether or not to consider that first year a RS or not.

I suppose players who don't turn out to be so great would lose eligibility and wouldn't be a drag on the program for a 5th year. But you could still end up with some players sandbagging practice during a year they aren't going to play. (aside from the fact that as I understand the policy players simply aren't told they aren't going to play and are told to be prepared to play every week.)

[Indy Coug]

I'll bet you one miiiiillllllion dollars if Tevita Hola stars this year, Bronco finds it in his heart to forgive him for that redshirt vacation year.

So in essence, Bronco's policy is just to run off crappy scholarship players a year early. That's a fine plan.

In other words, he can earn his redshirt year, just like Bronco said.

[Goatnapper'96]

In other words, he can earn his redshirt year, just like Bronco said.

I thought he said decision would be made at the end of each year and not at the end of the players potential elgibility without the redshirt year.

Either way, my one prediction is Bronco will do the thing that he thinks is most likely to help him win football games. If Mister Hola finds the player that had many looking forward to him on the field during the spring of 08 I will predict Tevita is on the field in 2010.

But that would not be in accordance with what Bronco said. Clearly, Bronco's decision at the end of 2008 was Tevita did not earn his redshirt year as he is listed as a senior on the roster. But I am a very, very forgiving type of fan when it comes to players who can help BYU win games.

[Eddie]

I thought he said decision would be made at the end of each year and not at the end of the players potential elgibility without the redshirt year.

Either way, my one prediction is Bronco will do the thing that he thinks is most likely to help him win football games. If Mister Hola finds the player that had many looking forward to him on the field during the spring of 08 I will predict Tevita is on the field in 2010.

But that would not be in accordance with what Bronco said. Clearly, Bronco's decision at the end of 2008 was Tevita did not earn his redshirt year as he is listed as a senior on the roster. But I am a very, very forgiving type of fan when it comes to players who can help BYU win games.

Perhaps when they are evaluating things at the end of this year Hola will have earned that RS? It will be the end of the year, when they are evaluating who earned what. It's all semantics, really.

[Goatnapper'96]

Perhaps when they are evaluating things at the end of this year Hola will have earned that RS? It will be the end of the year, when they are evaluating who earned what. It's all semantics, really.

I am just pinch hitting for the Ute fans of this world. If Bronco is going to hold firesides and be all high and mighty while proclaiming himself a general officer of the LDS Church and God's chosen mouthpiece for the LDS football team, then he should be totally honest. This is another reason why BYU continues to be the most hated football team!