Mendenhall promises to revive BYU football

PROVO — A dozen days after the resignation of head football coach Gary Crowton, BYU filled the vacancy Monday by turning to the defensive assistant Crowton hired twice in his career — Bronco Mendenhall.

The Alpine native — now Division I's second-youngest coach at age 38 — becomes BYU's 14th head coach and replaces Crowton, whose four-year tenure after the retirement of Hall of Fame coach LaVell Edwards included the Cougars' first three-season losing slump in three-plus decades. Crowton hired Mendenhall at Louisiana Tech in 1997 and again in 2002 as BYU's defensive coordinator.

"I'm humbled, determined and ready to take this football program to where it's supposed to be, and that's honoring the traditions of the former coaches and players who have played here," said Mendenhall, whose career also included stops at New Mexico, Oregon State, Northern Arizona and Snow College.

Mendenhall retains assistant head coach Lance Reynolds and brings in former BYU offensive lineman and current Texas Tech offensive assistant Robert Anae as the Cougars' new offensive coordinator.

Noting the new "triad of leadership coaches," BYU president Cecil O. Samuelson joined senior associate athletics director Tom Holmoe in introducing Mendenhall. "We're very excited that today we begin the next chapter in this wonderful and very special tradition at Brigham Young University," Samuelson said.

Added Holmoe: "I see a man with enthusiasm, with leadership, with great passion for the men that he coaches and the game of football."

Following Crowton's Dec. 1 resignation and former BYU player and Utah assistant Kyle Whittingham choosing the U.'s head job over the Y.'s last week, Mendenhall and Reynolds — two Crowton assistants — were considered the front-runners for the head position.

Said Mendenhall of Reynolds, who has 22 years tenure on the Cougar staff: "I'll rely heavily on his counsel through this whole process and lean heavily on the experience that he has here at BYU through all the years and all the success."

Anae was a quick but easy choice for Mendenhall. "In addition to the style of defense which we play — which is high energy, high effort, high demand and a fanatical approach — we're going to have an offensive approach that is the exact same," he said. "The reason it was selected is that I've never stopped it."