Bronco axed Kona. CB is going crazy.

[TripletDaddy]

I don't think so in this case. I think Bronco already had to tell another DL he didn't have a scholarship for him because he had promised them to other commits. Now one of those commits is shopping himself. So Bronco was suppose to say, "oh ok that is cool. I will just chill here and see if I get left holding a scholarship at the end of the day"? No, he said if you go, you don't seem committed, so I am going to go and fill this spot. He even could of said that he couldn't promise that the spot would be open, but we will never know as once again we will only hear this one side to the story.

I also find it quite laughable the extent that some pretty bright minds here are fully invested to one side of this story.

I understand that coaches don't LIKE for commits to trip elsewhere, so to that extent, I wouldn't expect a coach to think it "cool." Further, coaches get stuck with scholarships and stiffed out of commitments every single year. There is nothing unique about that.

Also, Junkie referenced Apo and Texas....Texas wanted him to commit, but did they tell him that once he committed, if he tripped elsewhere they would pull the scholarship? They might have, I don't know.

The problem here isn't in wanting to secure a commit....it is in forbidding the recruit from making any other visits post-commit. Why forbid it? If you receive an academic scholarship from BYU and you state your intent to attend the Y, do they threaten to pull everything off the table if you subsequently visit any other schools? Just the act of visiting another school makes you lose your scholarship?

It isn't a huge problem, either. I believer others here when they say that it is a common practice. But I do think it has a tinge of insecurity to it.

[cougjunkie]

I understand that coaches don't LIKE for commits to trip elsewhere, so to that extent, I wouldn't expect a coach to think it "cool." Further, coaches get stuck with scholarships and stiffed out of commitments every single year. There is nothing unique about that.

Also, Junkie referenced Apo and Texas....Texas wanted him to commit, but did they tell him that once he committed, if he tripped elsewhere they would pull the scholarship? They might have, I don't know.

The problem here isn't in wanting to secure a commit....it is in forbidding the recruit from making any other visits post-commit. Why forbid it? If you receive an academic scholarship from BYU and you state your intent to attend the Y, do they threaten to pull everything off the table if you subsequently visit any other schools? Just the act of visiting another school makes you lose your scholarship?

It isn't a huge problem, either. I believer others here when they say that it is a common practice. But I do think it has a tinge of insecurity to it.

Actually Texas told Apo if he went to BYUs junior day they would pull his schollie. He went anyways.

Bronco has told all recruits to make sure you take all 5 visits before you commit, but after you commit its a done deal. I can see why a coach does not want a kid to take a visit at the 11th hour.

[Goatnapper'96]

I understand that coaches don't LIKE for commits to trip elsewhere, so to that extent, I wouldn't expect a coach to think it "cool." Further, coaches get stuck with scholarships and stiffed out of commitments every single year. There is nothing unique about that.

Also, Junkie referenced Apo and Texas....Texas wanted him to commit, but did they tell him that once he committed, if he tripped elsewhere they would pull the scholarship? They might have, I don't know.

The problem here isn't in wanting to secure a commit....it is in forbidding the recruit from making any other visits post-commit. Why forbid it? If you receive an academic scholarship from BYU and you state your intent to attend the Y, do they threaten to pull everything off the table if you subsequently visit any other schools? Just the act of visiting another school makes you lose your scholarship?

It isn't a huge problem, either. I believer others here when they say that it is a common practice. But I do think it has a tinge of insecurity to it.

I agree with you in principle. I think coaches know how committed kids are and when signing day rolls around there are probably a couple of camps - kids we know are sending us their LOIs and kids we hope will send their LOIs. BYU was in this camp with Uona Kaveinga and clearly Bronco did not play hardball. Either Bronco's recruiting approach has changed, as a consequence of getting burned and development within his program or this is a bit of a unique year in that BYU has a scholarship crunch and Mendenhall is playing hardball with Kona because he feels that he could absorb the loss.

My point is that I am not convinced that it is probably more an approach dictated by current circumstances than it is by philosophy. I am sure a guy like Mendenhall who despises the whole recruiting process, and by consequence his minions in the BYU following media, will play up his hardassness, but the reality is that I doubt he is a hardass like this unless he believes he can afford to be.

[ReggaeCoug]

He will be once he commits to either ND or UW.

Haha.. good point.

[Surfah]

But I do think it has a tinge of insecurity to it.

I think being an SC fan is impacting your opinion on this. Routinely they lose several huge commits. But like you said earlier, on signing day they also land huge commits. Your entire recruiting class is filled with Kona Schwenke's. But when you only have one, two or three of those in your class it's a different recruiting game.

As Junkie pointed out last week Heimuli was told he dragged his feet for far too long and BYU no longer has a schollie available for him. Now, one of the guys who has that unavailable schollie is suddenly tripping all over the place in the last weekend of recruiting? Why didn't he trip earlier? He committed as a junior right? These things happen. I get that. The timing of this just really sucks for BYU.

[Coach McGuirk]

I understand that coaches don't LIKE for commits to trip elsewhere, so to that extent, I wouldn't expect a coach to think it "cool." Further, coaches get stuck with scholarships and stiffed out of commitments every single year. There is nothing unique about that.

Also, Junkie referenced Apo and Texas....Texas wanted him to commit, but did they tell him that once he committed, if he tripped elsewhere they would pull the scholarship? They might have, I don't know.

The problem here isn't in wanting to secure a commit....it is in forbidding the recruit from making any other visits post-commit. Why forbid it? If you receive an academic scholarship from BYU and you state your intent to attend the Y, do they threaten to pull everything off the table if you subsequently visit any other schools? Just the act of visiting another school makes you lose your scholarship?

It isn't a huge problem, either. I believer others here when they say that it is a common practice. But I do think it has a tinge of insecurity to it.

Again, this late in the game, I am fine with it. Were this earlier in the recruiting process, I wouldn't agree with Bronco's approach, regardless of commitment.

[ReggaeCoug]

I am beginning to wonder if there wasn't a new wrinkle told Kona. Maybe a we need you to gray shirt or go on your mission first or not enroll until January. Knowing the feeding frenzy that would get started, I can understand why neither side would like to bring this up if it happened.

If that did happen though, I would look at Kona's position in an entirely new light.

Might be more to the story. But honestly it doesn't seem like McKay has a problem throwing BYU under the bus. So if this was something BYU said to them, I believe he would have used it to make him and Kona look even more like the victims.

[byu71]

Actually Texas told Apo if he went to BYUs junior day they would pull his schollie. He went anyways.

Bronco has told all recruits to make sure you take all 5 visits before you commit, but after you commit its a done deal. I can see why a coach does not want a kid to take a visit at the 11th hour.

Yet, I thought I read where Bronco did not threaten to pull Phillips schollie if he went on the trip to Cinn. He did tell him the right thing to do would be to not go on the trip, but did not threaten to pull the schollie. Phillips didn't even hear what happened to Kona prior to making his decision not to go. Of course we will never know the real story on this thing.

Some people have said they know the real story, but just can't say. I love those kind of posters.

By the way, did I ever tell you I know the real story behind the JFK assination, but can't tell it until 2049.

[byu71]

Might be more to the story. But honestly it doesn't seem like McKay has a problem throwing BYU under the bus. So if this was something BYU said to them, I believe he would have used it to make him and Kona look even more like the victims.

IF and this is a monumental if, Bronco changed the gameplan on my kid or made it tougher than just coming to school on his scholarship, I would throw BYU under the bus. My kid is far more important than BYU.

[Surfah]

Might be more to the story. But honestly it doesn't seem like McKay has a problem throwing BYU under the bus. So if this was something BYU said to them, I believe he would have used it to make him and Kona look even more like the victims.

McKay throwing out the 'dark, ugly side of BYU' was really poor. He mustn't know about the electro-shock therapy to cure the gay.

[jay santos]

I move Bronco implements a new policy. Appoint someone to be the Kahuku/Hawaii arbitrage. Anae, Kaufusi, or Doman. Somebody smoothe that gets along with the Poly's and can walk a tight rope. Don't let Bronco talk to any recruits, families, or high school coaches from Hawaii. Chow pissed off that group in the 90's and now Bronco seems to be doing it.

[Art Vandelay]

I understand that coaches don't LIKE for commits to trip elsewhere, so to that extent, I wouldn't expect a coach to think it "cool." Further, coaches get stuck with scholarships and stiffed out of commitments every single year. There is nothing unique about that.

Also, Junkie referenced Apo and Texas....Texas wanted him to commit, but did they tell him that once he committed, if he tripped elsewhere they would pull the scholarship? They might have, I don't know.

The problem here isn't in wanting to secure a commit....it is in forbidding the recruit from making any other visits post-commit. Why forbid it? If you receive an academic scholarship from BYU and you state your intent to attend the Y, do they threaten to pull everything off the table if you subsequently visit any other schools? Just the act of visiting another school makes you lose your scholarship?

It isn't a huge problem, either. I believer others here when they say that it is a common practice. But I do think it has a tinge of insecurity to it.

As has been mentioned several times above, I think the issue is the timing. I will share a personal example, that likely is unrelated, but oh well. My wife and i dated 16 months before we got engaged and almost 2 years before we were married. At the 14 month mark "her missionary" returned from wherever that loser unfaithfully served She wanted to go out with him, to deal with a few unresolved issues she had and primarily to make sure she didn't have any feelings she would always wonder "what if...". I wasn't particularly happy with the situation, but I understood her feelings so I dealt with it Obviously, everything worked out fine for me. Now if the same scenario was to occur 5 days before our wedding, I think I would have A LOT more trouble being the supportive boyfriend. I can't speak for others, and maybe it would have been dumb, but I'm pretty sure I would have issued the ultimatum, him or me, if I knew my family and friends were already in route to see the wedding.

[ReggaeCoug]

IF and this is a monumental if, Bronco changed the gameplan on my kid or made it tougher than just coming to school on his scholarship, I would throw BYU under the bus. My kid is far more important than BYU.

Yep I agree. I really think if there was more to the story from BYU's side, McKay would not be holding back. And neither would I, like you said, my kids are way more important than BYU.

Of course having a ND schollie offer on the table makes my bark sound much louder too....

[Katy Lied]

Bronco comes across as small time. Disallowing someone from taking a free trip to another school? How insecure can you get?

I think you have no idea what is going on in this situation. And you have no idea about what goes on behind the scenes in recruiting in general.

If this is how it went down, then I think Kona made the right choice. If you're a big time athlete with a lot of people courting you, a big part of the equation is which coach believes in you the most. Entering into a relationship with a coach that you have friction with, when you have other options, is not a good decision.

Sure, and athletes have NEVER decommitted, which is why every other coach besides Bronco holds open ended scholarships for every kid they recruit.

As a salesman is your response "If you have lunch with the other cheese company, I won't sell you our cheese anymore."? To me, that hard sell message says that you aren't very secure in your brand of cheese. That dealing with you for the rest of the time my restaurant is open is going to be a rough time. To me it would say that you are telling me at 11:59 that I no longer have a distributor of my main ingredient.

Why do you think ND is tripping all these kids at 11:59? They know it is an effective tool to get the kids to decommit. It works, so kids who trip at the last minute even though they have already committed are on perilous grounds.

I think this statement has some backing to it though. I have heard for awhile that Kona might have WoW issues. I don't agree with saying that though.

Absolutely not. Stop the whispering campaign. Kona is a good kid.

Why forbid it? If you receive an academic scholarship from BYU and you state your intent to attend the Y, do they threaten to pull everything off the table if you subsequently visit any other schools? Just the act of visiting another school makes you lose your scholarship?

Yes, a trip at the last minute when BYU has all of its limited scholarships sewn up, with no room to offer someone else. Why didnt Kona trip 3 months ago? Why didnt ND invite him 3 months ago? Because ND knows that the last minute trip is very effective at getting players to change their minds.

[Blueintheface]

Interesting that the guys on 1280 the zone here in SLC just asked Boylen about this situation (didn't give details and Boylen didn't know what the question was in reference to) and he gave THE EXACT SAME ANSWER AS BRONCO. In fact Boylen didn't let them finish the question. He simply said "He's not coming to Utah." In so many words he said that a young man's verbal commitment is concrete and if a kid wants to waste my time and the time of the other University just so he can take a free trip than I question the way this kid was raised. He also said he doesn't recruit kids that have already committed. Let the great spin machine start for Ute fans.

It will be up on their website shortly if it isn't already.

http://www.1280thezone.com/