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Inside Cougar Report: What goes around comes... |
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Dick Harmon | Friday, December 13, 2002, 11:40 am
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It's been a strange year for RMs who commit to play football.
And BYU is finding out how difficult it is to recruit without scholarships because of promise made to high school players who go immediately on missions. It's also a problem when there are recruits to be signed and the numbers don't add up.
Idaho LB Jordan Hill felt BYU didn't want him when he came home from his mission and he went to ASU. LB Brock Stratton's family is concerned BYU can't find a mid-year for him when he arrives home today from his mission to Denver as family and friends celebrate the homecoming in San Antonio. The Strattons, as well-documented on this ans other sites have tender feelings. BYU is doing everything to deal with the situation. DL Victor Filipe, like Jordan Hills, came home from a mission early and found more reasons not to enroll at BYU and is planning on going to Oregon. Scottsdale CC JC All-American OL Joe Critchfield wants to come to BYU but likes UNLV's pitch that he can get a scholarship right now if he signs there. It goes on and on. Even as late as this week, ASU coaches are trying to discourage QB Jon Beck from leaving town as he works out in Mesa and plans on moving to Provo in seven days.
Everybody has an argument. Everybody's got a point. Everybody's got connections to the family that range from BYU horror stories to lack of love, respect, lack of making room, caring or doing this or that. Bottom line is it's a tough issue and nobody's more square on the hotseat than BYU coaches, trying to fit together a flow chart that is detailed to the day with scholarships right down to the mid-year scholarships in 2006. Joe Paterno would never have to make such a chart in this lifetime.
Now comes word of some payback.
Phil Niu is a TE from Highland High in Gilbert, Az., who signed as one of Colorado State's top recruits two years ago. He just returned from a mission and is now wondering if he should re-sign with the Rams. He's always wanted to come to BYU. A bad experience on a trip to Provo soured him two years ago, but he's interested now and he'll be on a family trip to Provo next week.
Niu is turning heads in workouts in Arizona. He is 6-5, 230 and has soft hands. While he is not the physical specimin Bristol Olumua is, he may be a better receiver and ASU players are going back to their coaches and saying they've got to look at this kid. He has size, speed and is smooth as silk on the field. He retook a trip to CSU two weeks ago but in working out with BYU-bound Jon Beck along with Arizona Rattler RB Tom Pace and others, he'd like to follow Beck to BYU if he could receive a multi-cultural scholarship as a walkon until a scholarship comes available. He sees the vision of BYU's mission and campus and wantsto be apart of it.
There were more than 80.,000 LDS high school seniors this past year and 30,000 of them expressed some interest in BYU. There were 2,500 admitted. It is a rare, tough ticket. It is a privilege, some say, to study at BYU, regardless of athletics as students from all over the world come to learn leaderships skills and study in a certain environment. The church believes so strongly in the mission of BYU in training future church leaders that it uses tithing to the tune of $20,000 per student per year in subsidizing the experience. Niu apparently sees that as a positive and a blessing. And he may be pretty good. And he may be right.
Niu has not committed to BYU but he could in coming days if he can figure out how to walkon and make it productive. He wants it that bad.
How's that for a change in vision, perspective.
What goes around, comes around... |
