BYU football notebook: Junior linebacker Kyle Van Noy faces big decision about NFL Draft

PROVO — BYU junior linebacker Kyle Van Noy faces a big decision after the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego.

Van Noy and junior wide receiver Cody Hoffman are considering skipping their respective senior seasons and declaring for the National Football League Draft.

Van Noy, who was named a third-team Associated Press All-American this week, has submitted paperwork to the NFL to help him know where he could land in April's draft, should he opt to come out early.

"I'm still waiting for my (NFL) evaluation, getting through school and the game," Van Noy said. "Then I'll re-evaluate my decision when I go home and talk to my parents. We'll get through this week, then decide from there."

Cougar linebackers coach Kelly Poppinga said he's had conversations with Van Noy about his options.

"He's talked to a bunch of guys. Now he's stepped back and stopped listening to everybody," Poppinga said. "There's a select few people that he's listening to — coach (Bronco) Mendenhall, his parents. He hasn't talked to any agents. He hasn't gotten involved in any of that. I think he wants to stay here, but I don't know. … I would say for Kyle that when he gets his draft analysis back from the NFL, that will be a huge indicator of what he's going to do. Basically, he's waiting for that. I don't think his mind is made up. There's still a lot of things that need to happen for him to make his decision."

Poppinga added that he's been impressed with the way Van Noy has been focusing on academics.

"You could go to a guy that is thinking about leaving for the NFL and see how well he did in school. He could have tanked it and said, 'I'm outta here. I don't care what my grades are.' I'm up in the academic center every night, and that guy's busting his butt to make sure he's passing all of his classes and getting good grades, which tells me he's trying to have good grades so he's eligible next season. He's doing all the right things so that if he doesn't decide to leave that he's in a good situation academically to continue to play."

Senior linebacker Brandon Ogletree said he's not sure what Van Noy will do.

"I think he's as up-in-the-air as everyone else is. It's a big decision for him. He wants to make the right decision for him and his family. Obviously, there are a lot of factors that come into play that a lot of us aren't privy to. I think whatever he does will be the right decision."

THE SERIES: The Poinsettia Bowl will mark the 36th meeting between BYU and San Diego State. The Cougars own a 27-7-1 record against the Aztecs in the all-time series.

In the 35th previous matchups between the two schools, BYU has outscored SDSU by an average of 33.5-19.3. The Cougars are riding a five-game winning streak against the Aztecs.

EVENTS IN SAN DIEGO: The BYU football team departs Sunday for San Diego. Monday, the Cougars are scheduled to visit SeaWorld, and Tuesday, there will be a visit to the San Diego Zoo.

The team will hold its traditional fireside Dec. 19 at the San Diego North Stake Center.