Dick Harmon: BYU's Robert Anae says Cougars must be 'crystal clear' about coaching hires

“When Mark was going to law school, you probably saw him on the game sidelines. I had him do some things, but first of all, he’s got personality-type skills that help him successfully manage a position group. Mark is a people person and that’s what he brings to the table. The dedication he has toward education, recruiting and developing young people to take it to the next level on and off the field takes an extreme amount of skill — life skills, street-smart skills. I think nobody has the unique blend of those traits as does Mark.”

Since Anae has coached tight ends, he likes the idea of utilizing them in the Cougar offense now that he’s returned. His former tight ends at BYU were very successful and include Dennis Pitta, Johnny Harline and Andrew George.

But more important, Anae says BYU’s 2013 offense will utilize the talent that is available.

“This is a tight end offense. But I’ve been around long enough to know that the key to your offense is your talent. If you don’t build your offense around your talent, then it is ego-driven and that’s detrimental to the whole thing.”

If Anae is to run a no-huddle offense, he and Mendenhall will need to find quarterback and receiver coaches who are familiar with getting it done. No stuttering allowed.

Anae said the thing he is most pleased with this time around with the Cougars is he can see how things might fall into place. He wants an offense that plays like Mendenhall’s defense. He sees ways he can get that done with different practice techniques and an infusion of some of Rich Rodriquez’s philosophy with his own ideas.

Will it work?

In the idea stage, it’s already taken root for Anae.

“I can see a clear vision that the future here can be wildly bright. Does that mean we win every game? No. But I think we are going to develop a program, even with a tough schedule, that will be competitive each year in every single game. That’s what makes me most happy and I look forward to a bright future.”

Dick Harmon, Deseret News sports columnist, can be found on Twitter as Harmonwrites and can be contacted at dharmon@desnews.com.