Cavalier Corner

ing really, really hard to find and to highlight what makes this institution so unique and how we can leverage that, not only on the field but in the com- munity and on Grounds." One of the first tasks for the new regime was to talk to the various high school seniors in the class of 2016 that had committed to Mike London and his staff. That's something that immediately showed itself to be an easy propo- sition. "What I know they've heard from us is that we're absolutely authentic and we're looking to high- light this institution, not have it become another institution," Mendenhall explained. "We have an amazing history here. We have amazing standards not only with the academic component but with the honor component as well and with what is great, great potential with a sys- tem that's already proven to be very successful, coaches that have proven to be very successful. "Really, what we're pre- senting to those who were committed players before we took over this job is that this is for you," he added. "We've been work- ing hard to educate them. Not convince them, but educate them as to what path we're going down and inviting them to join us, but really allowing them to choose and what we call 'self select' whether this is something they want to do. "We really only want players, especially through this transition and the unique set of circumstances to be recruited by two different staffs, that really want to be a part of the direction we're now going." Though he hadn't had a chance to do many in- terviews since his hiring, Mendenhall was resolute both in terms of his overall vision for the program's success and also for the schemes and systems he'll implement on the field. "I'm the head coach as well as the defensive coor- dinator and we run a 3-4 defense," he said. "What I care about most is how hard kids try and how many points we give up. Those two things usually deter- mine the outcome and I'm passionate about the effort part of our team and how hard we play the game. "I think the 3-4 defense is best suited to all of col- lege football and the game now and we've had great success with it. We've av- eraged being in the top 25 the entire time I was at BYU and so we already know what that result will be." On the other side of the ball, the scheme will be tai- lored to the personnel. "Offensively," Menden- hall noted, "I would say we'll be very multiple with the focus on scoring points based on who we have at quarterback and that will determine whether we're a dual-threat offense or whether we're more traditional. We'll morph and change as we need to and we have all kinds of ex- pertise and knowledge. "The best way to describe what we'll be on of- fense is multiple. If we have a dual-threat quarter- back, there will be all kinds of zone-read and run- pass conflict plays. If not, we're more traditional, but still unique in terms of formation and approach." One of the unique things Mendenhall relied on THE BRONCO MENDENHALL FILE Personal Born: Feb. 21, 1966, in Alpine, Utah. Family: Wife, Holly, and sons, Raeder, Breaker and Cutter. Education High School: American Fork High School, Ameri- can Fork, Utah, 1984 College: Oregon State (phys. ed.), 1988 Graduate School: Oregon State (Master's of Edu- cation, exercise physiology), 1990 Playing Experience Snow College JC (1984-85) • Gridwire All-American • Team captain • NJCAA national champions (1985,11-0) Oregon State (1986-87) • Played safety and linebacker; team captain (1987) • Leo Gribkoff Memorial Award (1987) given to the most inspirational player

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