Former BYU head coach Mendenhall reflects on chasing the Virginia job, his BYU coaching staff roots and why he wanted to stay away from the Power Four.
Eye on the Y: Mendenhall reflects on chasing Virginia job from BYU , his Cougars coaching staff roots and why he wanted to stay away from the Power Four.Eight miles down the road from the Big 12 media circus inside Allegiant Stadium, Bronco Mendenhall settled into a cozy backroom of an empty casino that was much more his speed.
When he decided to return to coaching, he purposefully shunned power jobs. Instead, he chose New Mexico and the Mountain West for his next destination. He thought it fit him, fit his values. This is the version of Mendenhall that is taking over in Albuquerque. He is introspective and looking for some sustainability. That goes for his own life, but also in football. They go hand in hand, he believes.
In his day-to-day, he’s surrounded himself with people he’s familiar with. He hired players who played for him at BYU, like former defensive end Jan Jorgensen. Both his coordinators have BYU ties. He finished making his staff in six hours after he got the job. He was staying within the family, the way he wanted it.
“I would love, with a 12-team playoff, to have an underdog-ish team to get in and pull it off,” he said. “Is it possible? It has to be possible. There will be plenty who argue the other way. With resources, there is no chance. I don’t think so. I have to believe so. I think it would be great for college football. Maybe we might rebalance in some way. Might be a better version of college football.”
In his new life in Albuquerque, he still wants to win. He believes he will have the Lobos back in the postseason by his season second. But he also wants to be part of the community.
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