2010 BYU Cougars

BYU has been consistent in starting majority White teams and it makes perfect sense. BYU is a Mormon school, as are 98% of its students. Since most Mormons are White, it follows that the football team would be as well, notwithstanding the caste system. Former head coach Gary Crowton threw a lot of that out the window and tried to bring in a bunch of blacks. His reward, among other things, included a string of losing seasons and a quick exit from Provo. Bronco Mendenhall has upped the number of White starters and seen the best 5 year period in BYU football in a long time. Some areas where Mendenhall could improve is in recruiting and playing White DBs, DTs, and DEs, along with slowing the flow along the Polynesian pipeline to Provo. The mixed black/poly would be starting RB was dismissed due to moral failure, finally giving Junior RB J.J. DiLuigi a chance to shine. He's the first starting White RB at BYU since the record setting Luke Staley in 2001. Since '05, BYU has started 18, 16, 17, 16, and 16 Whites. This team has quite a few new starters and will need to learn fast in order to have another good season. My projections could change by September, but it looks like BYU will start 16 Whites in 2010. Some White backups who should see action include WR BJ Peterson, WR Rhen Brown, WR Stephen Covey, WR Matt Marshall (also on special teams), LT/RT Jason Speredon, LG Ryan Freeman, C Houston Reynolds, RG Marco Thorson, MLB Austen Jorgensen, LE Graham Rowley, and RB Mike Hague.

Offense
QB- Jake Heaps

FB- Brian Kariya

TB- J.J. DiLuigi

WR- McKay Jacobson

TE- Mike Muehlmann - in a fight for the position.

LT- Matt Reynolds

LG- Braden Hansen

C- Terence Brown

RG- Jason Speredon

RT- Braden Brown



Defense

LE- Matt Putnam

SLB- Jameson Frazier

MLB- Shane Hunter

BLB- Brandon Ogletree

WLB- Jadon Wagner

KAT- Andrew Rich

</span>Edited by: Colonel_Reb

Colonel, what has happened with Luke Ashworth? who has knocked him out of the starting lineup? also, who are some of the young back-ups that should be making a splash? i read that sophomore Rhen Brown (10.8 speed in the 100 meters) is expected to contribute, though it was up in the air whether it would be at wideout or at corner. any idea on what is going on with him?

thanks for all the effort you and the rest of the guys have put in this summer.

BYU is one of the few teams i always look forward to watching. every year, they give lie to the myth that created the caste system.

JC, all the depth charts I've seen have Chambers listed ahead of Luke. If I see something that tells me otherwise, I'll list Ashworth as the starter. I hope Luke does end up starting over Chambers. I was having some internet issues yesterday, so I posted what I had at that point. I've listed some backups that are on the two deep charts, along with some other White WRs who might get playing time. One thing that strikes me is how few White backups are listed on the defensive 2 deep. I hate to say it, but I'm afraid that unless their recruiting changes over the next two seasons, the BYU defense will be getting darker. As far as Rhen Brown goes, I think he'll end up at WR, but you never know. Things won't be settled until the season starts, which is what makes all of this so much fun to try to predict. I'm like you when it comes to watching BYU play. They are a team the caste media loves to ignore/despise.
Edited by: Colonel_Reb

Colonel, are you sure JJ is white? http://www.byucougars.com/uploads/graphics/athletes/m-00000003024.jpg
Edited by: whiteathlete33

DiLuigi is about as Italian ias it gets!! J.J. is white, b\c he like a lot of other talented white runningbacks had few options on where to play after high school, and BYU was one of them.. BYU should be a fun team to watch this year. It will be cool to see some new faces and see if they capitalize on their chance to shine.

wa33, I'm surprised you've forgotten the discussion we had about J.J.'s Italian background. He's White, he is just dark complected as many Italian folks are. Plus he's from sunny California. His last name and his parents names give it away pretty easily.

Colonel, I thought he may have been a Miles Austin clone. I am very familiar with Miles.It's a shame BYU isn't starting white corners. Nate Soelberg was a great corner for them a few years ago. Despite having world class speed(10.3 100m) he was never given a shot in the NFL.
Edited by: whiteathlete33

Was hoping Jake Heaps would win the starting job at QB. This kid looks like the real deal.

CFN's BYU preview has the QB battle ongoing, so I updated my post to reflect that. Also, it appears they might be starting both McKay Jacobson and Luke Ashworth at the same WR position. I'm not sure how they will do that, but it sounds good to me! Both are great athletes and it will be fun to watch them play.

Lance Alworth said:

Was hoping Jake Heaps would win the starting job at QB. This kid looks like the real deal.

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The buzz here in utah is that Heaps will start. Nothing official, but all the coaches agree that Heaps is the real deal, and more advanced than any incoming freshman they have had.

I'm kind of torn between him and Riley Nelson, a local kid. Nelson is very talented and athletic, an Eric Crouch type, so if Heaps starts this year, he will have beat out a very good quarterback.

Colonel_Reb said:

BYU has been consistent in starting majority White teams and it makes perfect sense. BYU is a Mormon school, as are 98% of its students. Since most Mormons are White, it follows that the football team would be as well, notwithstanding the caste system. Former head coach Gary Crowton threw a lot of that out the window and tried to bring in a bunch of blacks. His reward, among other things, included a string of losing seasons and a quick exit from Provo. Bronco Mendenhall has upped the number of White starters and seen the best 5 year period in BYU football in a long time. Some areas where Mendenhall could improve is in recruiting and playing White DBs, DTs, and DEs, along with slowing the flow along the Polynesian pipeline to Provo. The mixed black/poly would be starting RB was dismissed due to moral failure, finally giving Junior RB J.J. DiLuigi a chance to shine. He's the first starting White RB at BYU since the record setting Luke Staley in 2001. Since '05, BYU has started 18, 16, 17, 16, and 16 Whites. This team has quite a few new starters and will need to learn fast in order to have another good season. My projections could change by September, but it looks like BYU will start 17 Whites in 2010. Some White backups who should see action include WR BJ Peterson, WR Rhen Brown, WR Stephen Covey, WR Matt Marshall (also on special teams), LT/RT Jason Speredon, LG Ryan Freeman, C Houston Reynolds, RG Marco Thorson, MLB Austen Jorgensen, LE Graham Rowley, and RB Mike Hague.

Offense
QB Riley Nelson or Jake Heaps
HB J.J. DiLuigi
RB Bryan Kariya
WR McKay Jacobson and Luke Ashworth
TE Mike Muehlmann
LT Matt Reynolds
LG Braden Hansen
C Terence Brown
RG Nick Alletto
RT Braden Brown

Defense
RE Matt Putnam
SLB Jordan Pendleton
MLB Shane Hunter
BLB Brandon Ogletree
WLB Jordan Atkinson
SS Andrew Rich
FS Steven Thomas

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I'd like to see less islanders and more whites, but if you have pro potential on the D-line avoid BYU. Look at Jan Jorgenson. Freshman year BYU's defense features an aggressive D-line and Jan put up big numbers. After that, they changed their scheme to where the D-lineman were told to do nothing more than occupy blockers to open up lanes for the linebackers. Jan's numbers were never as good as his freshman year, and he went undrafted. Its criminal, he has serious talent. IMO, had he gone to U of Utah his career would have paralleled Paul Kruger's. Edited by: BYU76

I agree, BYU76. Jorgenson should be playing in the NFL. Maybe it was a natural progression that the playing of more polys on the D-line encouraged a shift to a "less active" scheme. Why not unleash these "world class athletes" on the opponent? Maybe they aren't so good after all.

Good point, Reb. What's funny is the biggest reason BYU holds back on unleashing the lineman is the black corners can't cover one on one. I haven't seen a shut down corner at BYU since Brandon Heaney. And playing the other corner was Nate Soelberg. He was new to the position and did very well.

BYU76 said:

Good point, Reb. What's funny is the biggest reason BYU holds back on unleashing the lineman is the black corners can't cover one on one. I haven't seen a shut down corner at BYU since Brandon Heaney. And playing the other corner was Nate Soelberg. He was new to the position and did very well.

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Heaney and Soelberg are two of my favorite all-time BYU Cougars. few people realize how truly good and swift those two cornerbacks were. they were both possibly []THE[/i] fastest cornerback in their respective Draft classes.

Soelberg was incredible on the track, as well, with a personal-best of 10.2 in the 100 meters. i am curious as to why hedidn't run track professionally, becausehe certainly had the wheels. i wonder if he could find the sponsors ...

Great point about the black corners, BYU76. They have been an achilles for BYU for a few years now. Soelberg was pure talent. You'd think Bronco would go after some more Heaney/Soelberg types. Of course he has to have been influenced by caste thinking to some extent. It could be that Jaime Hill has a pretty big influence in the defensive recruiting as well, since he is the defensive Coordinator and was the secondary coach before that.

Soelberg now has a business, Utah Speed Academy.http://www.utahspeedacademy.com/nate_soelberg

Clocked by NFL Scouts between 4.21 and 4.26 secin the 40
yard dash (2005). Now that's fast!!</font>

Edited by: whiteathlete33

I got curious and googled Soelberg. He is working at the utah speed academy: http://www.utahspeedacademy.com/nate_soelberg


It says he was clocked by nfl scouts running between a 4.21 and 4.26 forty. Yet, no nfl team gave him a shot? It's messed up.

Looks like you are a little quicker than me, whiteathlete.

It's a shame no team gave him an opportunity. Teams would be all over him if he was black with that type of speed. He was also 79th in the world in the 60 meters.

Soelberg has McGuffie type speed over 40 yards (although McGuffie's best 100 meter time is 10.7 compared to 10.2 for Soelberg). I'm guessing Soelberg's 4.21 40 had to be hand-timed. The fastest electronic 40 at the combine in the last 10 years is 4.24. If I recall John Capel who had world class speed and was in the running for gold in the 200 meter in 2000- when Kenteris won- only ran a 4.42 and 4.44 electronic 40 when timed by NFL scouts. Kevin Curtis ran a 4.28 handtimed 40, but ran a 4.41 at the combine.

Maybe considering BYU will be handing the ball to as many as 3 white backs this year they will go back to considering white CBs too. After all, BYUs best RB of the last decade was Luke Staley- and he's white- and Nate Soelberg was their best CB in the last decade. I wonder why Bronco hasn't clued into these facts.

Wow! That's FAST!! Have always enjoyed BYU's whiteness!That's the one missing ingredientat BYU...CB...one of their starters this year is only 5'-6"...think they will throw any his way!??

DE Jorgenson dominated the Oklahoma game; blowing past 1st Rounder LT Trent Williams and virtually ending QB Bradford's season...yet he was not drafted??

It's a shame Staley has so many bad injuries; he was one of my favorite RB's! And Kevin Curtis one of my favorite WR's...if I was to pattern my game at WR is was him!

BYU is a school that puts tons of great white athletes into the NFL who are snubbed by other colleges.

I think Kevin Curtis went to Utah State, but he is still a fair skinned speed burner Mormon.

Yeah TJR Kevin Curtis went to Utah State...he was the leading reciever in college football his final year...I had the privilage of watching him play live in Tiger Stadium vs LSU...getting open on a regular basis! The game was played 3 days before 9-11....

Oh yeah...the BYU/Florida State game Sept 18th should be very interesting!

True story... I didn't watch college football when Kevin Curtis was at Utah State, but I stumbled upon (via a newspaper) his Senior receiving numbers, and, he was at the top of the list of players, as you pointed out.

And, I presumed that he was black! My bad! "Kevin Curtis" sounded urban to me, and I already knew how these Whiter states would import "black skill players"...