#BYURank: Ranking the Top BYU Football Players in Mendenhall Era: 151-175
By Mitch Harper
Nov 9, 2013; Madison, WI, USA; Brigham Young Cougars running back Paul Lasike (33) during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin won 27-17. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Bronco Mendenhall is entering his 10th season as head coach at BYU. To celebrate the occasion, Lawless Republic is ranking the Top 225 BYU Football players in the Mendenhall era.
We want readers to share their thoughts on Twitter using #BYURank in tweets. Post your opinions with the hashtag and the best responses will get published next to the player referenced in your tweets.
More information on #BYURank here.
Previous Installments
151. Brayden Kearsley, OL (2013-Present)
Current offensive lineman who has a high ceiling over the next three seasons, potential to be a future NFL player. His nastiness in the trenches is what stands out.
152. Brian “Lunchroom” Sanders, OL (1999, 2002-2005)
The Lunchroom! The man who would be known for going to the Wilk and wiping the Cougar Eat clean, but look past the belly this guy started 20 games along the offensive line.
153. Jayson Clark, DS (2006)
Heading into Bronco’s second season in 2006, Bronco wanted to improve special teams play. Mendenhall signed a deep snapper in the 2006 signing day class named Matthew Johnson. Johnson never enrolled due to academics. Two weeks prior to the opener against Arizona, Bronco signed a Jayson Clark from Snow College, and he was as perfect as you can be from the deep snapper position. Did a great job on a special teams unit that scored a lot of points in 2006.
154. Joshua Quezada, RB (2010-2011)
Can you imagine a backfield with Jamaal Williams and the Juice? Quezada was a talented running back from California who eventually transferred to Fresno State. Quezada’s freshman year in 2010 gave BYU fans a lot of hope for the future.
155. Marcus Mathews, WR/TE (2010-2013)
Was the highest rated wide receiver prospect from the state of Oregon since Scout.com started putting together rankings in 2002. Mathew’s shining moment at BYU was catching the game-winning touchdown pass that was tipped against Utah State in 2011. Also known as the moment Riley Nelson took over as quarterback.
156. Devin Mahina, TE (2010-Present)
Mahina came to BYU as a heralded four-star recruit from Upland, California. His career hasn’t played out like many envisioned, but look for solid play from Mahina from the tight end position in 2014.
157. Matt Marshall, WR (2007-2011)
An eco warrior specimen, Marshall was a reserve wide receiver at BYU. Whenever BYU would have Air Force week, Marshall was always scout team QB because of his experience running the option while at Skyline High School in Salt Lake.
158. Matt Ah You, LB (2003-2005, 2008)
Had 50 tackles his junior season but then transferred to Utah State due to academics.
159. Grant Nelson, LB (2004, 2007-2009)
Nelson came to BYU as an LDS kid from Pennsylvania. Nelson’s high school coach said Nelson was the best linebacker he ever coached. The reason that is notable is because Nelson came from the same high school that produced former Penn State star, and current NFL player Paul Posluzny. Never reached that status at BYU but was a good player when not sidelined by injuries.
160. Shiloah Te’o, S (2008-2009)
Played in 11 games as a true freshman. Expectations were sky high for Te’o who was a highly recruited kid from the state of Hawaii. Te’o ended up breaking the honor code which led to a suspension. But Te’o was ultimately dismissed from the program because he lied to Coach Mendenhall about his honor code issues.
161. Paul Lasike, RB (2012-Present)
The rugby star has some shining moments on the gridiron. Against Texas last season Lasike ran for 87 yards as the Cougars crushed the Longhorns. Lasike will be in the mix this upcoming season carrying the football.
162. Skye PoVey, DB (2011-Present)
Nick Howell’s brother-in-law has battled to find a spot on the field. Last season saw significant time at cornerback and this year will be competing at safety.
163. Terrance Alletto, OL (2009, 2012-2014)
Had an offer from LSU out of high school, Alletto has been a starter on the past two offensive lines. Versatile lineman who can play almost every spot along the line, has two seasons remaining.
164. Jherremya Leuta-Douyere, LB (2012-Present)
How is this kid already a junior? Fully expect his final two seasons to be very productive. Good athlete. With linebacker having some question marks look for Leuta-Douyere to become a household name this season.
165. David Foote, RB (2006, 2009-2012)
Whenever BYU was blowing out one of their opponents, Foote went into beast mode in mop up duty at running back.
166. Famika Anae, OL (2010-2012)
BYU vs. Hawaii, 2012. One of the greatest individual offensive line performances I have ever seen in my Cougar fan life came from Anae. Famika was punishing opponents in his path. After that win over Hawaii everyone thought, we have something special in Famika. Then one week later his career was over after a knee injury.
167. Michael Davis, WR/DB (2013-Present)
Last year did a nice job switching over to cornerback. He was burned at times, but towards the end of the year he was solid. This season he goes back to wide receiver, the position he was recruited to play. With all the new faces coming in this fall at wide receiver, many are forgetting about Davis. Look for him to be a solid possession receiver over the next three years.
168. Marco “Moose” Thorson, OL (2005, 2008-2011)
Moose was a tough dude that would always speak Spanish while talking trash to his opposition. Part-time starter during his career.
169. Aveni Leung-Wai, LB (2010-2011)
Was a starter in his first season. In 2011, he saw his playing time go down with the emergence of guys like Kyle Van Noy.
170. Judd Anderton, DE (2000, 2004-2007)
One of the classic BYU guys that was in the program for seven years, that maturity I tell ya. Anderton recorded 33 tackles in his final two years as a Cougar.
171. John Pace, DS (2007-2009)
Between Clark (mentioned above) and John Pace, BYU had excellent deep snaps for four straight years.
172. Wayne Latu, RB (2005-2008)
Ran for 93 yards as a sophomore against UNLV in 2005. Nice goal line option during his career and he was the team comedian most of the time.
173. Austin Holt, TE/DE (2010-2013)
Holt came to BYU with a ton of hype. Had offers from basically everyone, including Florida when the Gators were winning national championships. Holt was considered one of the top prospects in the country in 2008, but his career never played out like everyone thought. His first season, he did a nice job as a blocking tight end, but wasn’t the pass catcher like everyone expected.
174. Carter Mees, DB (2006, 2009-2011)
As I said in the previous installment of #BYURank, I’m a big guys who are stars on special teams. Felt like the entire 2011 season we heard Mees making some bone-crushing tackle in special teams coverage.
175. Kyle Luekenga, DE (2005-2008)
Luekenga cracks this list because he basically wanted to take on the entire 2008 Utah Utes squad.