The Next BYU Football Coach: Analyzing Risk, Reward in Candidates

April 11, 2015; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal defensive coordinator Lance Anderson during the spring football game at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Lance Anderson is the defensive coordinator at Stanford and has been with the program since 2007. Before coaching, he played linebacker at Idaho State in 1993 and 1994.

Anderson quickly returned to ISU and started his coaching career with the Bengals, and then moved on to coach at a number of other schools before finally ending up at Stanford.

He is described by Winston Shi as an “ace recruiter” multiple times, and states that he was rated as the number one recruiter by Scout in 2012. Anderson seems to be very easy to get along with, served a mission in Arizona, and is well respected.

Anderson’s experience and reputation makes him a big plus on the reward side, but perhaps other candidates have a higher ceiling. However, his work on Stanford’s defense can’t be overlooked, as the team has consistently had some solid defenses.

Besides lacking head coaching experience, he would be a credible hire for BYU to make and probably wouldn’t expect too high of a salary. One of my concerns, and a potential risk, is exactly who he would hire as assistant coaches if he became the next BYU Football coach.

Next: Ken Niumatalolo