BYU 2012 Recruiting

2012 BYU Cougars ... Head Coach: Bronco Mendenhall

BYU Cougars

2011 Record: 10-3

Sep. 3 at Ole Miss W 14-13
Sep. 10 at Texas L 117-16
Sep. 17 Utah L 54-10
Sep. 23 UCF W 24-17
Sep. 30 Utah State W 27-24
Oct. 8 San Jose State W 29-16
Oct. 15 at Oregon State W 38-28
Oct. 22 Idaho State W 56-3
Oct. 28 TCU (in Dallas) L 38-28
Nov. 5 OPEN DATE
Nov. 12 Idaho W 42-7
Nov. 19 NMSU W 42-7
Nov. 26 OPEN DATE
Dec. 3 at Hawaii W 41-20
Armed Forces Bowl
Dec. 30 Tulsa W 24-21

2010 CFN Prediction: 9-3
2010 Record: 6-6

Sept. 4 Washington W 23-17
Sept. 11 at Air Force L 35-14
Sept. 18 at Florida St  L 34-10
Sept. 25 Nevada L 27-13
Oct. 1 at Utah State L 31-16
Oct. 9 San Diego St W 24-21
Oct. 16 at TCU L 31-3
Oct. 23 Wyoming W 25-20
Oct. 30 OPEN DATE
Nov. 6 UNLV W 55-7
Nov. 13 at Colorado St W 49-10
Nov. 20 New Mexico W 40-7
Nov. 27 at Utah L 17-16
NEW MEXICO BOWL
Dec. 18 UTEP W 52-24
- Get Tickets

The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class

Top 5 BYU Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. QB Tanner Mangum
6-2, 182, Scout.com 15th ranked, four-star quarterback. Transfer from Timberline HS in Boise. Tanner was selected to the ESPN Top 20 Sophomore 2009 watch list after throwing for 2900 yards and 29 TDs with 8 Ints as a true freshman in 2008. This past season he threw for 1900 yards and 19 TDs with 8 Ints 4800yds with 48-TD's and 16-Ints in two seasons. He was voted Quarterback MVP at the BYU Camp in both 2008 and 09... He was voted 1st Team All 5-A SIC in 2008 as a freshman. He has a 3.8 GPA in College Prep and Honors courses.

2. DE Troy Hinds
6-5, 225, Scout.com 23rd ranked, four-star defensive end. Hinds lines up at end and can play either end spot. He's quick off the ball, with very good strength and burst off the edge. His strength is in pass rushing but he can also stuff the run. Most game plans this year have been designed to go away from him, but he's still tallied numerous tackles because of his speed. He's a good athlete to boot, and could even play tight end in college.

3. FB Jherremya Leuta-Douyere
6-0, 220, Scout.som 4th ranked, three-star fullback. Plays defensive end and fullback for Servite. Best position on the college level is probably fullback.

4. LB Butch Pauu
5-11, 215, Scout.com 21st ranked, three-star middle linebacker. Pound for pound, there may not be a better linebacker in the West than Pauu. He's a big time hitter, sheds his blocks tremendously well and makes every tackle. Great pursuit, plays well in space and sees the field extremely well. Great leadership and instincts. The lone drawback is his size. He's filled out well, but he's on the short side, especially for a middle backer. Still, you can't argue his production or his play.

5. RB Jamaal Williams
6-2, 180, Scout.com 62nd ranked, three-star running back. Ran for 717 yards on 93 carries and scored 11 touchdowns as a 2010 junior at Fontana (Calif.) Summit.

The 2012 Class Was Heavy On... After losing former super-recruit quarterback Jake Heaps to Kansas, BYU needed to find a new quarterback for the future. While there isn’t anyone coming in with Heaps’ hype, Tanner Mangum is highly regarded and could be in the starting hunt next year when Riley Nelson is done. The linebacking corps is getting the most talent, but overall the skill players should make the class.

Team Concerns For 2012: The Cougars have to find a new left tackle to replace Matt Reynolds, and two other starters are gone off a line that needs to do more for the running game. Backs J.J. Di Luigi and Bryan Kariya are gone, but Nelson is a good enough runner to take off from time to time to help the production. The defense has to replace corner Corby Eason and free safety Travis Uale.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: Can the Cougars take things to another level after a terrific 10-3 season? A lot of the projections depend on who’s leaving for Church missions, but one player sticking around is QB Riley Nelson, who took the starting job by the horns midway through last year and was so good that Jake Heaps ended up transferring to Kansas. Three starters are gone off the O line including bruising tackle Matt Reynolds, but Cody Hoffman and the receiving corps is in place and the running backs are just promising enough to keep the production going. The defense that finished 13th in the nation gets back just about everyone of note – again, with the exception of those leaving for missions – including Kyle Van Noy, who should be among the nation’s most productive all-around linebackers. The one big loss is in the secondary where FS Travis Uale will be missed, but Daniel Sorensen is a rising star at the KAT position.

Armed Forces Bowl
BYU 24 … Tulsa 21
- CFN Thoughts on the Game

BYU: The Cougars held Tulsa to 272 yards of total offense. … Riley Nelson completed 17-of-40 passes for 250 yards and three scores with two picks. … J.J. Di Luigi ran ten times for 38 yards. … Cody Hoffman caught eight passes for 122 yards and three scores. …. Punter Riley Stephenson averaged 41.9 yards per kick putting seven of eight inside the 20. … LB Kyle Van Noy made ten tackles, two sacks, five tackles for loss and a forced fumble.

Tulsa: The Golden Hurricane ran for 37 yards. … G.J. Kinne completed 17-of-31 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns … Trey Watts ran ten times for 38 yards. … Bryan Burnham caught four passes for 113 yards and a score. … Curnelius Arnick made 17 tackles, a sack, and two tackles for loss. … Shawn Jackson made nine tackles with three tackles for loss.

DALLAS (AP) -- Riley Nelson threw three touchdown passes to Cody Hoffman, the last with 11 seconds left, and BYU beat Tulsa 24-21 Friday in the Armed Forces Bowl for another 10-win season.

With no timeouts and the ball at the 2, the Cougars hurried up to the line. Nelson then faked a spike that would have stopped the clock and instead stood up and threw to Hoffman in the end zone.

The Cougars (10-3) wrapped up their season of independence by winning 10 games for the fifth time in coach Bronco Mendenhall's seven years.

G.J. Kinne threw three TD passes for Tulsa (8-5), including a 30-yarder to Bryan Burnham with 10:42 left for a 21-17 lead.

BYU needed 12 plays to go 48 yards on its last drive. Nelson converted a fourth-and-9 with a 14-yard scramble and later ran 8 yards on third-and-5.

Tulsa, whose other four losses this season came against top-10 teams, failed to take advantage when BYU was penalized for running into the kicker on fourth down from the 10 with about 6 minutes left. But the Golden Hurricane punted the ball away four plays later, setting up the winning drive for the Cougars.

Hoffman, who had eight catches for 122 yards, got his first TD just before halftime after an impressive block gave Nelson time to throw the ball.

Nelson was scrambling to his left to avoid pressure and threw back toward the middle of the field after 305-pound offensive tackle Matt Reynolds, who had already lost his helmet on the play, retreated for a crushing block that flattened pursuing 275-pound defensive end Cory Dorris.

Hoffman made the catch, then lunged forward with the ball in his stretched-out hand out for the 17-yard score that cut Tulsa's lead to 14-10.

Oct. 29 at TCU 38 … BYU 28
CFN Analysis: BYU just isn’t good enough to screw up against the better teams. The offense moved the ball on the TCU defense, but the special teams gaffes and the three turnovers were a killer. Riley Nelson ran for 84 yards on 23 carries, and he threw for 215 yards, but he also gave away two picks. This isn’t a team built to make big comebacks, but it had to try in the second half after the defense couldn’t hold time and again when pressed. Fortunately, this should be the toughest game left with Idaho and New Mexico State two layups up next before closing out at Hawaii. 

Oct. 22 at BYU 56 … Idaho State 3
CFN Analysis: The Cougars might not be beating a murderer’s row of teams, but it’s on a five-game winning streak, it’s going to a bowl, and the embarrassment to Utah was eons ago. The defense continues to be fine and the offense exploded against a badly overmatched team, while Riley Nelson is improving by the week throwing for three scores and spreading the ball around well and running for 62 yards and a touchdown. The team is as tuned up as it can possibly be with a showdown against TCU up next, and now it’s time to come up with a real win. Oregon State was close, UCF was nice, and Ole Miss was a name, but beating TCU on national TV would be the key moment to make a good season possibly great. Beat TCU, and the Cougars will be 9-2 going into the regular-season finale against Hawaii. 

Oct. 15 BYU 38 … at Oregon State 28
CFN Analysis: Riley Nelson continues to be a savior for the season with his legs as well as his arm, running for 87 yards while throwing for 217 yards and three touchdowns in an effective day. As good as Nelson was for the offense, Brandon Ogletree was better for the defense with two forced fumbles, a pick, 1.5 sacks, and six tackles as the Cougars forced four key turnovers. The pass defense had a few problems and the pass rush still isn’t anything special, but on a four game winning streak with Idaho State up next, the disastrous season has done a quick turnaround because there’s finally an offense. Nelson has everything to do with that.  

Oct. 8 at BYU 29 … San Jose State 16
CFN Analysis: It’s not like Riley Nelson led the way to an explosion, but the offense moved the ball well with 219 passing yards and 224 on the ground. Nelson’s mobility adds another element that Jake Heaps can’t provide, running for 65 yards while throwing three touchdown passes, but the offense turned it over three times with two Nelson picks. Finally, the team had an easy win after having so many problems putting away the other three, and now the season appears to have taken a good turn forward. No, the Cougars just aren’t going to be special, but they’re not going to be miserable. Against Oregon State, the pass rush has to come up with a bit more production, and Nelson has to cut down on the mistakes. 

Sept. 30 at BYU 27 … Utah State 24
CFN Analysis: BYU comes up with another interesting fourth quarter win, and considering the problems on offense, no matter how it happens, the team just needs to be happy coming up with wins. Now the big question is the quarterback situation with franchise prospect Jake Heaps not leading the attack to enough points and enough good drives, while Riley Nelson was terrific pulling off the shocker. Heaps completed 11-of-25 passes and didn’t get anything going down the field, while Nelson pulled off two miracles with the 40-yard prayer of a heave to get the offense close, and with the tipped touchdown pass to Marcus Matthews for the win. With San Jose State, Oregon State, and Idaho State up next before dealing with TCU, and with home games against Idaho and New Mexico State ahead, 8-3 has to be expected before going to Hawaii. 

Sept. 23 at BYU 24 … UCF 17
CFN Analysis: Don’t let this desperately needed win gloss over the major problems BYU continues to have. The defense came up big with the three game-changing turnovers, and Riley Stephenson was terrific blasting away on his kicks, keeping UCF under wraps in key spots, but the offense still didn’t work. Everything that’s being tried is getting stuffed. Jake Heaps isn’t coming up with any big plays, Riley Nelson isn’t getting the offense moving with his feet, and there aren’t any big plays down the field whatsoever. As good as the defense and special teams might be, if the offense doesn’t find any answers, and doesn’t get more out of the skill players, the Cougars will be in huge trouble against Utah State next Friday. 

Sept. 17 Utah 54 ... at BYU 10
CFN Analysis: The BYU offense might be the biggest disappointment of 2011 so far. Jake Heaps threw for 305 yards, but the embarrassing mistakes on special teams and in the running game, the seven turnovers, and the eight penalties made a close game early on a blowout. The Cougars fell apart in stunning fashion, and had no prayer of turning the momentum around once things started to get ugly. With no running game to count on, Heaps has to press, and he wasn’t able to do enough to move the chains to slow down the avalanche. With just 40 points in three weeks, something has to be tweaked in a big hurry on offense, while the defense that hasn’t registered a sack yet has to start pressuring the passer.

Sept. 10 at Texas 17 … BYU 16
CFN Analysis: BYU needs to find a running game. Struggling to get going on the ground against Ole Miss and Texas isn’t anything to get into a twist over, but Jake Heaps isn’t doing enough for the passing attack and he’s not getting any help. The defense isn’t providing any sort of a push, and it didn’t do anything to rush the Longhorn quarterbacks on a regular basis, but the overall results have been fine so far. The 1-1 start isn’t bad considering how close both games were against two brand name teams, but if BYU wants to have a decent season in any way, Heaps needs to live up to the prep hype now. He completed 22-of-38 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown, but he threw two picks. Against Utah, he’ll have to keep the mistakes to a minimum with the defense doing most of the work.

Sept. 3 BYU 14 … at Ole Miss 13
CFN Analysis: This wasn’t exactly the way BYU might have wanted to draw it up, but it’ll take it. The defense did a terrific job of holding up against an Ole Miss offense that didn’t do much to push the ball down the field, and when everything was on the line late, the big plays were made. Jake Heaps had a decent day throwing the ball, and he was able to move the chains, but the Cougars couldn’t turn the time cranked off the clock into points. The ground game was nowhere to be found and the offensive line didn’t generate enough of a push, but it’s not like there’s time to figure out how to do more with Texas and Utah up next. In the first game as an independent, the Cougars will happily take a road win over an SEC team, no matter how it comes.

(AP) OXFORD, Miss. -- Linebacker Kyle Van Noy recovered a fumble in the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown as BYU came back to beat Mississippi 14-13 Saturday in the season opener for both teams.

BYU trailed 13-0 early in the fourth quarter, but Jake Heaps hit Ross Apo for a 19-yard touchdown with 9:52 remaining to pull within 13-7. Less than five minutes later, BYU's defensive pressure forced Ole Miss quarterback Zack Stoudt to fumble, and Van Noy jumped on the football to cap a stunning comeback.

Ole Miss led 3-0 at halftime and stretched it to 10-0 with 8:34 left in the third quarter on a 96-yard interception return for a touchdown by Charles Sawyer.

BYU won its first game as an independent after leaving the Mountain West Conference last year. Heaps completed 24 of 38 passes for 225 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The Cougars outgained the Rebels 318-208.

Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt had said that he hoped Saturday's game would be played in stifling heat and humidity since BYU comes from a more arid climate. But with Tropical Storm Lee looming, the weather was relatively pleasant, with highs in the 80s and overcast skies.

The first half was full of punts, defense and missed opportunities. BYU gained just 102 yards while Ole Miss managed just 93. Bryson Rose kicked a 20-yard field goal with 49 seconds left in the first half to give the Rebels a 3-0 halftime lead.

Ole Miss sophomore Barry Brunetti started at quarterback, but the Rebels couldn't do much with him under center. Part of that was because of an extremely conservative approach. Brunetti completed 2 of 3 passes for four yards before being pulled for Stoudt late in the second quarter.

Stoudt's presence immediately energized the Rebels. The 6-foot-4, 217-pound junior completed two passes for a combined 21 yards on his first drive, which ended in Rose's field goal just before the half. Stoudt finished 13 of 25 passing for 140 yards, but the crucial fumble is what most will remember.

But the Rebels really didn't get going until Sawyer's interception, which stretched the lead to 10-0 and was the program's longest interception return for a touchdown since 2007. Another Rose field goal stretched the Rebels' lead to 13-0 early in the fourth quarter and the program looked well on its way to a much-needed quality win after a dismal 4-8 season in 2010.

BYU had other ideas.

The Cougars kept pounding away, with a 69-57 advantage in offensive plays. By the fourth quarter, the Rebels' defense looked gassed, and didn't have an answer for the BYU offense. JJ Di Luigi rushed for 56 yards and also caught four passes for 32 yards.

But the biggest play was Stoudt's fumble. Three BYU defenders converged on Stoudt, slamming him to the turf as the ball popped loose. Van Noy took advantage of the opportunity, pouncing on the bouncing ball to lead the Cougars to the victory.

The 2011 Class Is Heavy On … Defensive linemen. Bronco Mendenhall did a great job with the defense over the last few years, and even though the 2010 class was heavy on linebackers, this year’s haul highlighted Austin Heder and Adam Pulsipher who should start in the very near future. The bulk is on the defensive front with versatile tackles in Moses Kaumatule and Kesni Tausinga for the inside and Baker Pritcher and Lene Lesatele two good-looking hybrid ends who should grow into great pass rushers.

Five BYU Recruits You Should Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. FB/RB/LB Manoa Pikula
6-1, 230, Scout.com’s 8th ranked fullback. A three-way standout for Bingham, Pikula makes an impact on offense, defense, and special teams. A throwback type of fullback/middle linebacker, Pikula actively seeks out contact and plays unselfishly on offense paving holes for his teammates. He maintains a good body lean while keeping his head up, so he's always in a good position to deliver a blow as he quickly spots his target. Could play fullback or linebacker.

2. LB Austin Heder
6-2, 215, Scout.com’s 30th ranked middle linebacker.

3. LB Adam Pulsipher
6-2, 230, Scout.com’s 41st ranked middle linebacker. 126 tackles, 3 interceptions, 2 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, 28 rush for 224 yds 7 TD's. 40: 4.6; BPs: 275; SQs: 385; SH: 4.2

4. OT Ryker Mathews
6-6, 285, Scout.com’s 43rd ranked offensive tackle. Mathews is considered the top offensive lineman in the state of Utah. Army All-American Coach Dave Peck has stated that Mathews is one of the top offensive linemen performers from the West. Mathews was also one of the top offensive linemen and was named MVP at the All-Poly Camp in 2010.

5. TE Colby Jorgensen
6-7, 215, Scout.com’s 29th ranked tight end.

2011 Entire Recruiting Class

Corey Edwards K 5-10 190 Hurricane, Utah/Hurricane HS
Preston Hadley DB 6-0 200 Pleasant Grove, Utah/Snow College
Austin Heder LB 6-3 235 Pleasant Grove, Utah/Pleasant Grove HS
Colby Jorgensen TE 6-7 230 Provo, Utah/Timpview HS
Corbin Kaufusi DL 6-7 230 Provo, Utah/Timpview HS
Moses Kaumatule DL 6-2 240 West Jordan, Utah/Bingham HS
Alex Kuresa QB 6-0 175 Millville, Utah/Mountain Crest HS
Ului Lapuaho OL 6-7 280 West Valley City, Utah/Hunter HS
Lene Lesatele LB 6-2 240 Artesia, Calif./Gahr HS
Ryker Mathews OL 6-6 285 American Fork, Utah/American Fork HS
Aulelio Olomua LB 6-4 235 Mesa, Ariz./Mesa HS
Manoa Pikula LB 6-1 225 South Jordan, Utah/Bingham HS
Baker Pritchard DL 6-2 240 South Jordan, Utah/Bingham HS
Adam Pulsipher LB 6-2 230 Temecula, CA/Temecula Valley HS
Brian Rawlinson OL 6-6 280 Oologah, Okla./Oologah-Talala HS
Stehly Reden DL 6-6 245 Valley Center, Calif./Valley Center HS
Joe Sampson DB 6-0 205 Oakland, Calif./College of San Mateo
Matt Sumsion TE 6-8 215 Springville, Utah/Springville HS
Kesni Tausinga DL 6-1 285 South Jordan, Utah/Bingham HS

Returned Missionaries

Michael Alisa RB 6-1 215 Provo, UT/Timpview HS
Kevan Bills LB 6-3 225 Provo, UT/Timpview HS
Cameron Comer DB 6-0 189 Springville, UT/Springville HS
Ian Dulan DL 6-1 255 Hilo, HI/Kamehameha-Hawaii HS
Kaneakua Friel TE 6-5 235 Kaneohe, HI/Kamehameha HS
Spencer Hadley LB 6-1 221 Connell, WA/Connell HS
Adam Hine RB 6-1 175 Santa Clara, UT/Snow Canyon HS
Solomone Kafu OL 6-2 309 Rio Linda, CA/Rio Linda HS
Rex Morgan DB 5-10 177 Greeley, CO/Greeley West HS
Iona Pritchard LB 6-0 234 South Jordan, UT/Bingham HS
Daniel Sorensen LB 6-1 208 Colton, CA/Colton HS
Justin Sorensen K 6-1 222 South Jordan, UT/Bingham HS
Christian Stewart QB 6-0 190 Orem, UT/Timpanogos HS
Brock Stringham OL 6-5 280 Highlands Ranch, CO/Mountain Vista HS