Could the only Heisman Trophy winner in BYU’s storied offensive history be returning to Provo and manning a significant position of responsibility in the new football regime?
In the hours and days since Kalani Sitake was rumored to be named and then confirmed as BYU’s new head coach, the speculation centered on Sitake, a defensive guy by trade, hiring Ty Detmer as his offensive coordinator. Detmer, currently the head coach at a high school in Austin, Texas, took to Twitter as the rumors grew to debunk the talk -- at least in the here and now.
I appreciate all the texts and calls but the reports are inaccurate at this time.
— Ty Detmer (@TyDetmer14) December 21, 2015
At least one of his current high school players, though, posted on the same social media site a note of congratulations to “one of the best men I know” and, most notably, labeled him as “BYU’s new OC.”
Congrats the one of the best men I know, and BYU's new OC. @TyDetmer14 pic.twitter.com/TZcypVRZhS
— Blais Herman (@BlaisHerman17) December 23, 2015
More “traditional” media outlets have also since confirmed the high school senior’s “report.” “Detmer will be named the next offensive coordinator at BYU, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed,” KSL-TV reported yesterday.
The school, obviously, has yet to confirm one way or the other the addition of Detmer to Sitake’s staff. The Provo Daily Herald, however, notes that “Detmer hasn’t signed a contract yet but... the deal is basically done.”
Detmer is one of the most beloved players in BYU history. His 1990 Heisman win was the first, and thus far only, stiff-arm trophy for the football program. He’s one of the most statistically prolific passers in BYU history, and still holds a handful of NCAA and school records.
On the coaching side? Well, the 48-year-old Detmer, whose nephew, Koy Detmer Jr., is a freshman BYU quarterback, has never coached at the major college football level -- or any other college football level, for that matter. For a defensive guy like Sitake, that’s a rather high-stakes in which he’s wading.
Add in the fact that Sitake, the former defensive boss at Oregon State, will also bring in a first-time defensive coordinator in the form of Ilaisa Tuiaki, and the replacement for Bronco Mendenhall is seemingly set to enter uncharted territory as a first-time head coach with assistants who will be entering equally uncharted territories. For a football program looking for enough relevance that could merit it a spot in a Power Five conference, that’s, well, ballsy.