The Cancer of Success

[Cougarbib]

Back in the day, after BYU won the Mythical National Championship (they are all mythical in my book), I noticed the beginnings of what I will call the cancer of success. It is relevant, because I started to see signs of it again over the last couple of years.
BYU started scheduling games with the big boys and started to land big-time recruits. Leaving the moderate success achieved by recruiting over-looked, under-hyped, under-sized, slow-but-smart, quick, hungry, disciplined, tough players behind, BYU was going to attack the future – take it to the next level – and was now, because of the past success and future schedules, able to recruit the players everyone else wanted.

Then BYU began to discover the challenges of dealing with under-achievers instead of over-achievers. They began to learn that not only do some highly-recruited players not work out, but the Big Boys have them 3-deep, not on occasion. But as BYU landed ore of them, the divisiveness of having entitled players want to be guaranteed starting roles began the debate of experience Vs Talent.
This issue is biggest when it involves QBs.

I have seen a few cases of this up close and somewhat personal. I have seen it in basketball as well. When my son played for Mission Viejo High School in southern Orange County, California – El Toro High School had Bret Johnson coached by his father and Capistrano Valley High school had Todd Marinovich (nicknamed by me Todd Marijuanvich). These schools were all within a 5 mile or so radius from Mission Viejo High School. Experts could not agree whether Johnson or Marinovich was the best QB in the country. But they were touted to be the best two. Marinovich was called Robo QB due to the regimen his father, as his personal trainer, put him through. He wasn’t even allowed to eat a Hostess Twinkee until he went to USC and started smlking them. The Raiders tried to make a reclamation project out of him, as they often do, but that too was a bust. Johnson, iirc, went to UCLA and never did meet expectations. Later his little brother, Rob Johnson made some noise and made it to the NFL iirc. Throw in Ben Olsen who played with my son-in-law, and there are 3 #1 QBs I have met that – for various reasons did not pan out.

That is why you need to have them earn it on the field before you get all invested in 4-year dreams of uninterrupted Heisman trophies, breaking all of Detmer’s records and the unheralded QB from Hawaii that broke many of them. OK, then throw in Chris Burgess for basketball, and those are the consensus #1 picks I have met personally just by living in the neighborhood, who spoiled all of our dreams for them by not meeting expectations. None of them were horrible – just not as super duper as assumed.

Here is what I think often happens. Dad, as coach or personal trainer or multi-millionaire (Kevin Feterik comes to mind) provides a multitude of resources including personal QB coaches, camps, trips, etc. to their kids, and why wouldn’t you if you could do it, and the kids overachieve relative to their peers, and then we all just assume they will keep growing forward form that point at the same pace. And sometimes they do not. Sometimes injuries enter in. Sometimes they have already reached their peak. Who knows what happens.

So if I get a little testy, when posters call for BYU to play Texas, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, etc., every year even giving away 2 for 1s or 0 fer 1s, or getting all giddy about some 5* recruit, and call for some respect for the kids who come here, with their limitations, work hard, are loyal to the team and coaches and do the best they can with what they have – that is where I am coming from. BSU, TCU, Utah, and BYU have had great success with the other guy’s leftovers. Maybe we need to be careful about getting too far away from that.

Luckily, or not, Utah seems to be willing to let BYU have the Utah recruiting market – with mostly white guys, not quite as athletic, not as fast, not as big – but with heart, smarts, and work ethic. If suddenly we don’t want them and their limitations – USU or BSU will be happy to take them.

So, I don’t apologize that I like to respect the overachievers and have patience for them to provide moments of glory. And, I don’t mind the 5* that actually plays like one on the field. We are who we are.
Back to the topic of the day – I was told before the first snap of this season – a star line-backer and a starter on the O/L both felt that a divide was widening between the entitled superstars and the experienced players that have paid their dues. I guess the coaches are trying to figure out how to deal with some of that.

But humor me – re the CANCER theme: Name all of the big-time recruits that never quite met expectations once they took the field. The coaches often got blamed. Skip non-BYU like Todd Marinovich - USC QB, Brett Johnson - UCLA QB. And Chris Burgess – Duke / Utah basketball or the list will never end.

BYU List - Highly Hyped Recruits That Never Met Expectations On The Field

Ben Olsen - BYU / UCLA QB
Paul Shoemaker – BYU QB from Colorado recruited over Koy Detmer (never lost a high school game in 4 years)
Hans Olsen – BYU Lineman – chose BYU over Nebraska at his own press conference iirc
Steve Clement – transferred from the University of Texas iirc
The Polynesian BYU OL that transferred in after starting for Nebraska as a freshman – what was his name?
I am horrible with names – you guys need to help me out – and this list should be really long by the time we get done.

[Cougs_Rule]

Mania Brown transfered from Nebraska

I agree with most of your points, particularly the fantasy schedules many fans seem to think BYU will play great against. Holmoe today is sort of apologetic for the schedule in 2011. Who is he placating and apologizing to? Alot of fans. Careful what you ask for folks.

Why Utah is leaving BYU behind is that they are getting faster recruits but Whit is kicking their butts in practice and demanding discipline. Not sure BSU is taking the hearts and smarts guys--they are getting legit players.