BYU Football: The Mount Rushmore of Independence

[caption id="attachment_44835" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] BOISE, ID - NOVEMBER 6: Quarterback Zach Wilson #1 and offensive lineman James Empey #66 of the BYU Cougars both call out signals during second half action against the Boise State Broncos at Albertsons Stadium on November 6, 2020 in Boise, Idaho. BYU won the game 51-17. (Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images)[/caption]rn BYU Football has had dozens of players the last decade who have been all-time contributors and stars. rnLately there has been a social media trend of creating a 'Mount Rushmore' of certain categories. One of these lists that has gone viral features the question of who the best players are since the year 2000.rnrnhttps://twitter.com/CFBHome/status/1533430081456164864?s=20&amp;t=CyeXwuRuXJ7iz8zWz7ks0QrnrnRather than going back nearly a quarter century, instead the focus will be on the last decade of Independence. While there are quite a few players who could make this list, only four can. The focus will be on what they did at there time at BYU and the impact that they had in helping to get BYU into the Big 12. While of course player impact was minimal in this happening, let's face it, if BYU is averaging a 4-8 record the past decade, the Cougars may not be heading towards the P5 - even with their history and resources (see Colorado St and SMU as perfect examples).rnrn Honorable Mentions: rnrn Tyler Allgeier - Allgeier had the best individual season possibly ever for a BYU running back this past season when he racked up more than 1,807 all purpose yards and 23 touchdowns. Allgeier also had a huge junior season with 1,307 all purpose yards and 13 touchdowns. However, Allgeier misses the list for two reasons. The first is he wasn't very productive for his first two years and his entire senior year was after BYU had already accepted a bid to the Big 12.rnrn Ezekiel Ansah - In terms of the greatest story, Ansah takes the top prize, but similar to Allgeier, Ansah's success was limited and was really just one season where he totaled 62 tackles and took up two blockers just about every snap.rnrn Bronco Mendenhall - Mendenhall rescued what could have been a nosedive for the program when he took over for Gary Crowton. Mendenhall held BYU in a respectful spot as they entered Independence never missing a bowl game. Mendenhall's legacy will always be the coach who rescued BYU and set them up to be in a spot to make the jump to P5. However, he misses the list because a huge chunk of his success happened before BYU went Independent.rnrn Kai Nacua and Fred Warner - These two are together because they are sort of in the same boat. Both were great players and led the team defensively. Both players could arguably be put into the top 10 defensive players ever for BYU. But for a list that only includes four individuals, these two fall just short.rnrn Taysom Hill - Hill is the first player off the list, in large part because he was injured so much. When on the field, Hill posted a 24-9 overall record (when starting and playing for at least one half). Texas is still having nightmares of hurdling Taysom and had he stayed healthy, 2015 and 2016 could have been huge seasons for BYU.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Jamaal%20Williams" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_44893" align="aligncenter" width="3200"] SAN DIEGO, CA - DECEMBER 21: Jamaal Williams #21 of the Brigham Young Cougars breaks free from Andrew Wingard #28 of the Wyoming Cowboys on a touchdown run during the second half of the Poinsettia Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium on December 21, 2016 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)[/caption]rn Jamaal Williams rn Statistics: 3,901 rush yards, 567 receiving yards, 36 total TD rnrnJamaal Williams gets the nod over the other players in large part because of his consistency and longevity. Williams was an impact maker from day one and helped the Cougars to four successful seasons. While he did suffer from injuries, Williams was still the most dependable player on the field every season he played, and yes that includes Taysom Hill.rnrnWhile some may point to his rushing averages being a bit below Allgeier, something that can't be overlooked is who Williams played with. Williams was a star next to Taysom Hill, who essentially was a second running back. The fact the Williams had the success he had with Hill next to him in the backfield speaks volumes to his talent.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Mr.%20Dependable" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_44892" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] SAN DIEGO, CA - DECEMBER 20: Kyle Van Noy #3 of the BYU Cougars recovers a fumble scoring a touchdown after sacking the qurterback in the second half of the game against the San Diego State Aztecs in the Poinsettia Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium on December 20, 2012 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kent C. Horner/Getty Images)[/caption]rn Kyle Van Noy rn Statistics: 222 tackles, 7 interceptions, 5 forced fumbles, 4 touchdowns and 26 sacks rnrnAs BYU Football entered Independence they needed to make a splash and show that they weren't going to be taking the same path as just about every other Independence program and become a laughing stock of FBS Football (New Mexico St, UMass, UConn to name a few).rnrnWithout much offensive power, Kyle Van Noy was the answer that BYU needed. In the first game of Independence against Ole Miss, Van Noy forced a strip fumble and returned it for a touchdown to essentially give BYU the win in a low scoring 14-13 game.rnrnOver the rest of his career, Van Noy helped win a bunch of other games including Texas (five QB hurries/sacks, eight tackles), Georgia Tech (three sacks), Tulsa (10 tackles, forced fumble) and of course San Diego State where he had a pick six, forced fumble touchdown, and a blocked punt all in the second half. The only other performance I've ever seen where a defender has completely taken over a game was Ndamokung Suh for Nebraska when he dominated for Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship game against Texas in 2009.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Head%20Coach" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_44886" align="aligncenter" width="3200"] Oct 30, 2021; Provo, Utah, USA; Brigham Young Cougars head coach Kalani Sitake walks on to the field prior to their game against the Virginia Cavaliers at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports[/caption]rn Kalani Sitake rn Statistics: 48-29 win/loss record rnrnIt hasn't always been the prettiest path (4-9 record in 2017), but there is no doubt that Sitake is needed on this list. Although his coaching record just got over .500 back in 2020, the last two seasons, the Cougars have been one of the best teams in the nation putting up a 21-4 record.rnrnMore impressive than his record however, is the swagger that Sitake brings to the program. Nothing against Mendenhall, but the super relaxed, devotional before every game, and lack of emotion in post game interviews had BYU in a boring spot nationally. Think of a NC State or Texas Tech.rnrnSince he has taken over, the Cougars have become one of the most exciting teams to watch whether it is the trick plays, the energy on the sideline or the unhidden emotion of Sitake himself. Players love Sitake and now with a combination of him and the Big 12, big name recruits are already starting to commit to Provo.rnrnSitake was also pushing to play games in 2020 while every other team west of Texas opted to not play (initially). This put BYU on the map and likely helped their Big 12 bid.rnrn[nextslide teaser="The%20Difference%20Maker" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_44891" align="aligncenter" width="3200"] BOCA RATON, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 22: Zach Wilson #1 of the Brigham Young Cougars looks to pass against the Central Florida Knights at FAU Stadium on December 22, 2020 in Boca Raton, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)[/caption]rn Zach Wilson rn Statistics: 7652 passing yards, 642 rushing yards, 71 total TD's rnrnIs BYU Football in the Big 12 if BYU goes 7-5 in 2020? Probably, but maybe not. While I certainly do believe 100% that BYU was the top contender for the Big 12 expansion with or without 2020, maybe the Big 12 ends up dissolving without a good BYU.rnrnI know it sounds crazy, but maybe a team like TCU would have jumped to the AAC or West Virginia to the ACC if the expansion candidates weren't very good. Sure Cincinnati has been great and UCF certainly was a great team a few years ago, but having BYU as a top 15 team knocking on the door may have helped some of the other Big 12 to relax a bit. Again, I know it sounds crazy to believe, but the Big 12 Conference was hanging by a thread for a few weeks after OU and Texas announced they'd be leaving for the Big 12, so who knows?rnrnAll of BYU's special season started with Zach Wilson. Wilson was in large part, the face of college football. He was the underdog story that the nation fell in love with, especially during Covid when things were for the most part still shut down and people had nothing better to do than to cheer on the 'non blueblood' star.rnrnWilson was exceptional in 2020 essentially doing whatever he wanted to against every defense he faced. If the Cougars had the ball with 45 seconds left in the half on their own side of the fifty, fans knew there was a very good change six points were on the way.rnrnWhat Wilson did for BYU was make them a desirable team, to the point where there wasn't a single projection for Big 12 expansion that didn't include the Cougars, something that wasn't the case in previous conference expansion talks.rnrn- - - - - - - - - - -rnrnWhat do you think? Who makes your 'Mount Rushmore' for BYU Football during Independence?rnrn

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BYU Football: The Mount Rushmore of Independence

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