BYU Football: 2015 Signing Day Takeaways
Signing day has become a day like Christmas for football junkies across the nation. With the dust now settled on what could or could not be great athletes, I want to examine further of where BYU made great strides this year in recruiting.
The truth is, many of these players may not transition well to playing collegiate football. It happens every year but the potential behind each player is enough to get any fan fired up of what the future could hold.
With that being said, I believe that BYU has made great strides with this 2015 recruiting class. If these recruits pan out and live up to that potential, there is no reason to doubt that BYU can’t have some special seasons in the coming years.
Here are three reasons why I believe that to be true.
Reason No. 1: BYU recruited well on the offense and secondary.
BYU has had no problems getting top-flight recruits in past seasons on the offensive side of the ball. With names like John Beck, Dennis Pitta, Austin Collie and Cody Hoffman, BYU fans have been blessed with great talent for years.
With the new recruits coming in, there are many that can fit that mold set before them. The Cougars signed four quarterbacks and receivers this year to add depth to an already talented roster in those spots. Beau Hodge looks to be the most exciting of the bunch having played both positions in high school and can produce right away. If Taysom Hill goes down again with injury (knock on wood he doesn’t) Hodge is athletic enough to possibly compete with Tanner Magnum as Taysom’s backup.
For years the secondary has had problems stopping the big passing plays. Could this be the class that makes that turn around for the Cougars? On paper, the talent seems to be there to do so. BYU signed four defensive backs to make sure that happens. BYU saw the holes in the team and filled them with great talent, including home-grown talent Dayan Lake (twice).
Reason No. 2: BYU recruited well in Texas.
How do you make your presence known to a bunch of teams that think you are not worthy to play in their league? You steal recruits from them.
It has been made very clear that BYU wants to be in the Big XII. By recruiting well in the state of Texas, a state that holds one third of the conference you want to play in, it can only hope as BYU continues to pursue Big XII affiliation in their future.
It wasn’t shocking that BYU had that much success in getting recruits from the Lone Star State. It’s not uncommon for the Cougars to lure great Texas talent away, especially after whooping the Longhorns they way they have the past two years. What was surprising was that in years past it’s only been one, maybe two players that come. This year, the Cougars inked six players from Texas.
This may be me putting Texas on a pedestal, but I really think that players from the state of Texas hold a higher standard. Anywhere in the country where high school stadiums can hold more fans that some college stadiums, you should be held to a higher standard. If Texas is as good at football as I have been told, there is no reason these players can’t help BYU push the program to greater heights.
Reason No. 3: BYU recruited well for non-LDS players.
Anytime that you can get any player to commit to live the honor code and not be LDS, it’s a huge win for your program. I love the fact that BYU had more non-LDS players this year. It’s refreshing to watch a lot of these kids highlight tapes and not have to say, “man, that guy is going to be good when he gets back from his mission!”
Funny thing is, the player I am most excited about that fits this mold is Squally Canada and he can’t play because of transfers. This kid is so committed to the program that he cut off his dreadlocks. If you can get a player that can do that, living the honor code shouldn’t be that hard for him to live since he already made a great sacrifice.
Not only does signing non-LDS players mean that they will be competing right away for playing time, but that the program is truly expanding their recruiting net, which is what the plan was when BYU went independent in 2010. It might be wishful thinking, but I really hope that these recruits blaze a trail for future non-LDS prospects. When non-LDS kids have success, it’ll only help BYU’s cause to spreading their recruiting reach even farther.
In the end, BYU did recruiting right this year. The coaches filled positions that needed to be filled, and did it with kids that can produce quickly. Sure, signing day can look more attractive than what reality perceives, but I still want to believe that this class can change everything for the Cougars.