The BYU Cougars Have Opportunity To Be On Forefront Of New Big 12 & NCAA Era | BYU Football Podcast

the future is now in the NCAA and BYU has an opportunity to differentiate themselves early on in this new era of College athletics how do they do that and what is changing we're talking about it on today's show you are locked on cougars your daily podcast on the BYU Cougars part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day what what's up everybody I'm Jake hatch your host here on locked on cougars resident BYU Insider thank you for making lockon cougars your first listen of the day thank you once again for being in what we like to call an everyday right here on the locked on podcast Network this is your original daily podcast focused on the BYU Cougars and we are brought to you today our friends over at game time download game time app today create an account use the promo code locked on college for $20 off your first ticket purchase terms apply all right let's Dive Right In we've been talking about it over the past week or so about the pending uh agreement from the NCAA to settle an antitrust case under the title house versus NCAA now some of you who are everyday as know what I'm talking about for those of you who don't there has been an antitrust case out there essentially saying that NCAA unfairly uh precluded athletes from participating in nil opportunities as uh and they essentially are trying to get back damages for athletes dating back to 2016 now the agreement which is formally agreed to by all power five conferences and the ncaa's Board of Governors this week is going to pay out nearly $2.8 billion do over the next decade to roughly 15 to 25,000 athletes who participated in NCAA Sports between 2016 and 2020 and the whole Crux of the case was that these athletes once again were not able to participate in n n opportunities like athletes uh beginning in 2021 up until the current time have been able to do so what does that mean for BYU well I talk often for those of you once again who are every dayers about BYU finding advantages when it comes to highlighting what BYU is all about now there are inherent advantages BYU has there's also inherent disadvantages that the Cougars have as well especially when it comes to recruiting and selling what BYU is to prospective athletes who are considering going to BYU well the the situation with this case is yes there is going to be those damages that are absolutely going to take a hit in the pocketbook for all cult programs especially those in the power five ranks I know by the way BYU is a member of the power five so uh you're going to see a reduction in the payouts from the NCA over the next decade which is going to hurt BYU but the thing is BYU's been making more money since joining the Big 12 than they ever have at any point in the history of their athletic department and BYU really doesn't know anything different so they'll be able to absorb that hit better than a number of other power level programs are going to be able to there's a number of power level programs who have i' say actually more than uh the majority majority operate at a deficit and the fact that they're going to have to potentially see less money coming to them from the NCAA well that's a major hit to their books now the other part of this which I think is a big Advantage for BYU here is is that there is a a part of this settlement that has got a lot of new uh forward-facing rules for the NCAA and how they're going to operate going forward the biggest one is revenue sharing I've talked about it often on this podcast that the next uh round of nil or whatever you want to call it was the fact that schools were going to be able to compensate their athletes directly the era the whole thought of amateurism was a complete farce to begin with but it is officially dead beginning in 2025 next year everybody BYU and other programs in the NCAA especially the power level are going to be able to spread um between 20 and22 million annually to their athletes inside their athletic department now how do they go about Distributing that who gets the money Etc that is remains to be determined Title 9 will obviously play a role this you can't essentially say it's all going to beu football it's all going to you have to distribute it uh evenly along Title 9 guidelines on that but it is going to be a big part of the of the budget now in highlevel college athletics and BYU has to look at this and say okay how much uh are we able to afford where can we cut back how much can we uh spend because the 20 to $22 million it's not a hard and fast rule you have to spend that amount of money as I understand this lawsuit and the pending uh settlement uh essentially the schools can set however much money up to that cap of how much they want to revenue share with their athletes I am advocating this is Jake hatch speaking that BYU pay out the full amount if you can pay 20 million pay the 20 million if you pay 22 million you pay the 22 million differentiate yourself there are going to be the big dogs in college athletics the Ohio States the bamas the texases of the world who are going to be able to do that and not have a second thought about it because they're operating budget is just that massive BYU doesn't have an operating budget that massive but BYU I think as they are early on in their power five tenure can adapt their Ro their not their roster their budget to absorb this and make it a big part of it they're going to be other programs who are on the quote unquote same level as BYU who are going to be so strapped for cash with all this going on like I said lesson payouts from the NCAA and oh by the way trying to come up with potentially $20 million in your annual budget pay to your student athletes that they're going to be struggling with that BYU if they can afford to do so and I would hope that they can find a way to do it they can become one of the Premier Power Players if they can have that in their back pocket say yeah we pay out the full amount of our Revenue to our athletes that is a recruiting Advantage BYU should absolutely aspire to get to when it's available beginning next year will they get there TBD but I hope the BYU is Talking Tom Homo Brian Santiago C Shane Reese the university Brain Trust and Athletics Brain Trust that runs BYU Sports I hope they are meeting and they will be meeting in coming days and weeks to talk about this and find a way to do that the distribution will be an allocation uh obviously at the school's Direction I'm interested to see how BYU were to go about it but get on top of it and find a way to be able to pay out as much money if not the entire uh amount that you're capable of paying out every single year the other thing I'm looking forward to here is there's changes coming to scholarships and particular rosters for Athletics what's going to happen here is they're eliminating scholarship caps in college athletics from the NCAA number of you know that uh there are programs that have a full ride scholarships those are the football and basketball programs that they have to pay out full ride scholarships there are other sports like baseball in particular that you have 30 to 40 Man rosters who are splitting 11 scholarships that was the old format under the NCAA well gone on the 11 scholarship cap but there's going to be an Implement of new roster limits which will be coming so po you could see BYU baseball being essentially limited to 30 to 35 players overall but you now have the ability as an institution to provide scholarships to an entire roster so in theory BYU could take what whatever the cap is on BYU baseball I'm using it as an example because was across the board for any sport the BYU has that BYU could say okay now every one of those athletes in BYU baseball is going to be a full-right athlete now it's going to take millions of dollars of investment to be able to obviously do that but I would hope the BYU is able to fund and uh Endo endow that's best ter use endow as many scholarships as possible because that's an advantage as well if a guy like Trent Pratt for BYU baseball can go out on the recruiting Trail and tell a young man yeah you may be looking at half scholarship there I've got a full rde scholarship for you BYU that's a major boost for BYU's recruiting efforts in baseball it could take me the same thing for BYU women soccer volleyball tennis uh swimming and dive whatever program you happen to to root for at BYU it's gonna change the whole dynamic of this now there's also a change coming to football because there's a potential roster reduction coming to as few as 85 roster spots that meaning essentially the walk-on part of college football may be dead and gone because it would cap it at 85 roster spots and currently you have a cap of 85 Scholarships in college football that is the one downside to this but Title 9 does apply to all of this and I do Wonder uh H how be why you can differentiate themselves once again and it is essentially to identify which sports that you want to I guess prioritize and how many scholarships can you allocate full rde scholarships can you allocate uh to those programs to get BYU another Advantage now one other note real quick is there's going to be new governance structures coming into place that there's a potential new Division and subdivision for increased power uh conference Ru making that could come into effect as a result of this also flexibility for leagues to set some of their own rules so a big Big 12 could do something different than the Big 10 the ACC and the SEC uh changing things for BYU and then also the revenue sharing model which is currently slated for the next decade over 10 years could be extended beyond that period so there is a lot of change coming for BYU there's a lot of change coming to the NCAA but once again I am advocating for my chair uh here in my studio saying the biu we talk often about you guys wanting to have an advantage in terms of what you can do to differentiate yourself well a pay out as much money as you can to your athletes I know that's a major hit in the pocketbook for BYU Athletics but it's a way once again to be among the quote unquote big dogs right from the get-go and then also once again identify which sports uh you are capable of funding more scholarships for and find a way to generate as many scholarships for those Sports as possible and help them rise uh to a higher level there's been a lot of angst around BYU baseball and their failings this year well guess what in the Big 12 it's going to be tough sled and if they are continuing to have to deal with a partial and not a full allotment of scholarships moving forward here under this current model we'll see how it goes but I think BYU has an opportunity here to be a differentiator uh by themselves and essentially say no we're willing to play ball and the nice part is the Cougars once again they're finding more money coming into their coffers than they ever have before we just reallocate that and get yourselves into a spot where you're not essentially having to go back and try and uh scr up every figurative penny and nickel and dime that other programs are having to do to come up with this money you can essentially from the get-go here as a power level program be on the same footing as maybe some of those quote unquote big dogs because you plan right you run at a at at a you run in the black is the best term for BYU the vast majority of power level athletic departments run into deficit they run in the red they just they they spend more money than they actually bring in BYU Athletics we've talked about this often does not get money from uh main campus BYU or the Church of Jesus Christ of latterday saints they do not fund BYU Athletics I don't know how many other trolls can claim that it's otherwise but it's not true because I know the people who know but regardless BYU eats what it kills and they've always had to operate in the black it is a big big opportunity in this day and age with the NCAA changing at a Breakneck speed right now for BYU to essentially uh say we're here and we're here to play and start doing things like a big dog here and essentially make it a part of your core identity at BYU to be like that it's going to take some investment it's probably going to take some extra donations maybe from from some boosters uh to get those scholarships and the like in place but get on it and get it done and be a part of it when it's right at the outset don't wait for 2030 don't have a a goal of getting to that level do it beginning in 2025 if at all possible and I believe it would be a major boost and A major advantage for BYU if they can get on top of this and make it uh part of who they are moving forward here in this in this new era of BYU in the power five power 4 and the Big 12 Conference all right coming up next we're going to talk about a new addition to the BYU football program a new verbal commitment coming from the left side of the lake out here at West Lake High School who is Sano we're talking about him next right here unlocked on cougars Today Show's brought to you by our friends over at FanDuel now FanDuel is here for you guys with it being a winner take all time in the m ba and NHL playoffs they want to give you a shot to bring home the biggest win of your own and the best part is right now new customers got $150 in bonus Bets with any winning $5 bet think about that it's 150 bucks to bet on spreads money lines player props and much much more think about it this way you put some money down on maybe one of those NHL games or an NBA game you win the 150 bucks with your $5 initial investment take the 150 bucks and place it on the over or the under of BYU at 4.5 wins this coming fall and let it ride throughout the season you can cash in to a very very large degree if you take the over or the under no matter where you're at and you can do that as simple with just a winning $5 bet it's a really really fun way to get in on this so visit 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yesterday from Sol fono now uh that last name should sound familiar yes he is related to the fos who spurned BYU or now at the University of Utah Logan most notably having uh spent a period of time at BYU before transferring to Utah Spencer was a a standout player at Tim View High School But ultimately just signed uh with Utah but their cousin solono decided he is going to wear blue rather than red in the Rivalry uh it comes to BYU by way of Westlake High School now those of you who know me I live in Saratoga Springs where Westlake High School is located now I had heard about Sol last year and he was a very intriguing athlete to me personally because watching his tape he has got the height and weight combo you want as a premier pass rush SL outside linebacker type in this BYU defense he is listed at 6'4 between 210 and 220 pounds and he looks like he's quite skinny at that at that with his frame so there is a potential to bulk him up to what 6'4 250 maybe make him a defensive end when all a said and done but what I love about Sal Foo is he brings a pass rush element that BYU is still continuing to look for we talk about it often BYU's inability to get after the quarterback has been absolutely crippling for their defense over the past three to four seasons and Jay Hill last year he talked about wanting to get more pressure on the quarterback but the simple fact of the matter is they did not do that it's going to take time to get it right but you can never add too many talented pass rushers and I believe s Foo has the capability of contributing in that uh in that market now the question I have uh for fono is does he have definitive Mission plans I have not been able to scr up that information so that could change things it could obviously see him uh as a member of the 2025 recruiting class he may not enroll at BYU till 2027 or 2028 but you look at his tape he's a mid three star Talent 83 according to 247 sports but this is a a kind of a low-risk potential High reward type addition for BYU he was starting to get some power for interest Washington state had offered him recently he's also had offers from New Mexico State UNLV Utah Tech Hawaii was also in the mix according to what I'm reading on 247 sports but what I I see from aano is a guy who is just coming into his own he is not a a polished Prospect by any means but it doesn't mean that he's a completely raw either this is not BYU of yester year under Elisa tuak and Ed lamb taking a guy who is maybe wholly uh familiar with the position and saying all right we'll train him up over the next three to four years and by the time he's a senior he'll be able to contribute for us that's not what salano is salano has got some very very nice tape to him but the good news is it feels like he's just scratching his potential here there is an opportunity to really bring him into BYU mold him into what you want him to be whether it's a a standup two footed pass rusher or a a down three three technique uh defensive end whatever you want him to be he can be that that is the possibility with a skill set like salano he fits a lot of what BYU is looked for in athletes on the defensive side of the football once again you can't teach 6 foot4 you can't teach a guy who carries 210 pounds unless she frankly looks skinny out there on the football field you watch him on his highlight reel and he shows a really nice ability to diagnose plays shed blocks and go make the tackle he's unafraid of contact he loves making plays in the back field so you look at this and say okay this is a really Savvy pickup for the BYU football program and it just kind of goes more to what Jay Hill as by's defensive coordinator it's what he's ascribed to since he arrived in Provo he's talked about wanting to have an attacking defense a defense that can uh get pressure with four men up front maybe even three men in certain circumstances allowing the back end of by's Defense to obviously hold up in coverage and be much better than they have been it's going to take time for the mix of BYU's defense and Jay Hills philosophy to get it right but adding guys like fono here of his ilk that's a great great addition because you continue to pile athletes onto that roster that is going to pay off in dividends down the road when you get it right so the hope is that there is an improvement on defense this year for BYU and funo will not be part of that but the good news is as BYU starts to understand what Jay's asking of them they get better athletes like aono on this roster you're going to see better product on the field and we all know that BYU's defense it's been major major liability for them over the past uh two to three seasons I think it become a very very nice strength for the Cougars provided they're given their Runway to get it right and I I think that fono he's picking BYU because he sees what BYU has in store for him so I I like the pickup I think it's a Savvy pickup and I love when I have kids from my uh figurative neighborhood getting an opportunity to go and play for BYU I'm a kid from Utah Valley I love seeing kids from this Valley put on for the University City that's located here in Provo Utah so congratulations uh to S Foo and the rest of the Foo family on this commitment and looking forward to seeing him uh continue to develop this year now I've got even more of a a reason to go out and check out more Westlake football games this fall as well I'll just say that all right coming up here in just a minute we're gonna round out Today's Show with a couple of notes on a BYU basketball prospect that I think some of you may know about other ones may not I'm going to lift the lid a little bit on who eigor demon is and we're going to get to that next As We Roll on right here online locked on cougars today's Show's brought to you by our friends over at game time if you guys want to get out to NBA playoff games really any other event you have a interest in you can do it with our 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get much more simple that you have to go to some Message Board you have to log into some website to get the inside Intel it's coming to you in the form of a text message click the link in the show notes below uh whether you're watching and or listening to this 14 day free trial $4.99 a month after that and join us on our lock on cougars Insider uh group it's been a really really fun thing uh we're tracking here all right so uh some of you may know the name eigor demon now uh he is a six foot eight or six foot n Swingman from Russia who is playing over in Europe right now now he has got a lot of bonafide NBA draft hype about him there are a lot of people talking about him being a a mid current mid- round uh mid first round pick next year in the NBA draft why do I bring him up well more and more reports are emerging and what I've talked with people about is that he does have an offer at least interest on BYU's part and bringing him to BYU now you'd say a guy's got NBA draft potential that seems like a home run uh a guy for BYU to go after it just screams to me this is gonna be more of what BYU basketball is going to be doing moving forward under Kevin young Kevin young knows what he wants he knows what he wants to accomplish and he's got Bonafide credentials they can say to guys I've helped develop X Y and Z players in the NBA let me do that for you now obviously they're still waiting the word on Chaz lanir and that'd be a very nice Edition for this year B why you can land him but the reports say that Tennessee is in the lead there so be it if you can get eigor demon I take Egor demon all day every day because what I see it with from this young man is he played let's see he played uh for Real Madrid uh this comes from a NBA draft point yesterday uh in the first day of a> which I think it's an Adidas tournament over there in Europe he had 19 points six boards four assists one block shot six of 13 from the field 0 of four from three-point land and seven eight of his uh free throws they said the six8 guard struggle from the three-point line but made some big time plays on offense to help Real Madrid tonight does mention he has offers from Illinois and and BYU now the original way I found out about eigor demon and the reported interest from BYU is because of Illinois fan sites they are claiming that BYU is willing to foot2 million in I nil for eigor demon I don't know if that's a legitimate number for BYU frankly I'd be stunned if it is because BYU's not really been one of those programs who's been willing to go to seven figures for athletes but if you can get demon to come play for BYU this would be an awesome pickup he is a Swingman of swingmen and if his skill set is as advertised he's as versatile as they come on the wing and has 68 a height that goes with it this is a very very nice Prospect for BYU basketball what are the chances BYU lands him it's anybody's guess at this point but uh it sounds like he's playing well over there and the thing about the tournament he's playing in it's it's like Adidas's like next Generation tournament for European young European stars and if he can stand out in that field we're talking he's going up against fellow guys he'll be potentially playing against at the next level whether that's in college or more importantly in the NBA yes he may be a oneandone type for BYU but let's embrace it if you can get guys of his talent and his caliber to play for the BYU basketball program sign me up I'm all over that because it gives me more to talk about more to cover obviously when it comes uh to draft prospects and the like but uh keep an eye on the name of eigor demon EG r d m i n now if I'm pronouncing that incorrectly please uh let me know in the show notes or comments let me know how I'm supposed to pronounce it correctly but I'm assuming it's e or demon and we'll see how it goes but just it's more the same from Kevin young I am just flored at what he has been showing as BYU's head coach he has been absolutely awesome uh in terms terms of going out and being unafraid of going after the biggest fish in the seas that he possibly can find and that should be celebrated if you're a Cougar Fan this is exactly what you want for BYU basketball there's some of you saying well BYU basketball is doing what BYU football is incapable of doing I'm not saying Bo football is incapable of but I'm just saying that Kevin young is coming and he is going for it all there is no uh learning uh process for him there's no saying well we'll get to it when we get to it no he is hitting the floor running and he is going to go out there and get the best roster he can possibly compile and if you can get guys like demon to come in maybe the outside chance that Jackson Robinson or Chaz lir decide to return to BYU you could have the makings of an absolute Big 12 Contender on your hands that that is the potential of what BYU is trying to accomplish on the recruiting front right now will it pay off and obviously will it get all these guys I have my doubts I do Harbor the be Harbor doubts the BYU can land a guy like eagor because trust me there's a number of other programs out there like Illinois who are probably going to be willing to pay a number of uh hundreds if not millions of dollars in and dollar bills to that young man to come play for their programs but if BYU can win out that recruiting battle it just adds to an already incredible run in the early tenure for Kevin young and would be just another feather in an already just like Bountiful hat of H plumage that he's wearing I know it's that's a a phrase that we use all the time but it's really cool honestly I I'm I'm stunned at what Kevin young has able to accomplish so far as BYU basketball head coach but he has been an absolutely insanely successful hire so far now there's a lot to prove obviously on the court as the head coach making the decisions for the first time uh as a college division one head coach but that will come in time right now all you can do put together the best roster you possibly can do and uh guys like eward demon would be a very very big ad to that roster and we'll see how it all shakes out in coming days and weeks all right uh I think that's it for today so a big thank you to all of you for your support of the podcast as always cannot thank you guys enough for your continued support of the show uh pleas please continue to share rate review tell your family and friends about this podcast it's free it's available every single day I cannot thank you guys enough for the support you've already given us and please continue uh to do just that and help us build this audience as well so until tomorrow thank you once again not tomorrow actually until Monday unless some news comes out then we'll sit down and do it an emergency Edition but uh until then thank you once again for making lockon cougars your first listen of the day thank you to all of you once again who are every dares and we will talk to you guys again soon right here on the lockon Cougar's podcast