New BYU coaching staff pleased despite time constraints

PROVO, Utah (AP) BYU's greatest accomplishment on signing day may have been holding on to players previously committed to former coach Bronco Mendenhall. Kalani Sitake was hired in late December and his staff was still being put together last week.

''The commitment to the school speaks a lot about their character,'' Sitake said. ''A lot of these guys committed way before we even came along. Being able to rely on the players on the team to have those relationships with them, and also the coaches we had on staff at the time. It's a huge compliment to those young men. It was a challenge, obviously. That with trying to hire a staff and get everything organized. That was difficult. We're asking a lot of the coaches to wear many hats. I have great guys that work nonstop.''

BYU's staff is full of coaches new to their positions. The young, energetic group should connect well in recruiting, but the inexperience showed when first-time collegiate offensive coordinator Ty Detmer began to talk about a walk-on by name. Sitake interrupted him and whispered in his ear that NCAA rules prohibited them from talking about walk-ons at the time.

Other things to know

Top 25 Class: No

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Best in class: Handsome Tanielu, DT, Snow College, Ephraim, Utah

Best of the rest: Jonah Trinnaman, WR, Snow College, Highland, Utah

Late addition: Sione Finau, RB, Kearns, Utah

One that got away: Mique Juarez, LB, Torrance, California

How they'll fit in: Trinnaman has the chance to see immediate playing time with leading receiver Mitch Mathews exhausting his availability. He received a four-star rating from Rivals.com and ESPN. The BYU defense suffered a severe blow when defensive tackle Travis Tuiloma was injured last season. Tanielu, who received four stars from Rivals and 247Sports, adds depth to a line that could see a scheme change from a 3-4 to 4-3. Sitake has yet to commit to a defensive scheme.

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