Mission recruits return to campus

Pin the tail on the recruit.

Gary Crowton slowly is getting a handle on it even though it takes a spreadsheet and calendar with check marks through January 2007.

Utah's Urban Meyer will have his chance soon enough in months to come: squeezing in football players signed at least two years ago.

Bobby Bowden, Joe Paterno and Tom Osborne never had to deal with it and probably wouldn't care to if pressed.

It's these vanloads of recruits coming off missionary service. As the midyear school schedule kicks into gear today, Crowton introduced himself to a host of these type athletes the past few days. Some of whom he's never seen in his life, yet they expect to make an impact on his program in seasons to come.

One of these, former Granger High star running back Fahu Tahi, returned from Jacksonville, Fla. Crowton and Tahi shook hands for the first time about Thanksgiving time.

This past week, all-state football players Quinn Gooch (Arizona) and K.C. Bills (Colorado) arrived in Provo. Since the duo signed to play at BYU two years ago but went immediately on missions, their first excursion on campus was filled with handshakes with strangers who didn't recruit them.

"Sorry, I can't help you find them," defensive line coach Steve Kaufusi said. "I've never met any of them yet."

Even football secretary Shirley Johnson, who used to keep Steve Young's calendar and is practically a mother to freshmen football players, admitted she wouldn't know Gooch from The Grinch, but if she saw Bills, he might strike a synapse or two.

What a way to play football. Woody Hayes would have punched somebody.

But that's the challenge these days, and in Provo there are more and more recruits going on missions right out of high school. The impact of these recruits has significantly changed BYU's recruiting in 2003. Only five to seven scholarships are available for any recruit signed in February who wants to enroll in the fall.

That, in football terms, is a little acorns.

"Hey, we like the guys coming back," recruiting coordinator Mike Empey said. "Combine that with what we expect to sign, even if many will go immediately on missions, and we should have a very solid recruiting class, one that rivals last year."

OK, coach.

Generally speaking, most guys off missions need extra incubation.