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The Kevin Young Hire is Proof of Change in the BYU Athletic Department
The Kevin Young hiring is different from any hire in BYU history
On Tuesday, BYU was at the center of the basketball world when they hired the highest-paid assistant in the NBA - Kevin Young - to lead the BYU basketball program. The news was broken with a "Woj bomb", the truest sign of a significant basketball story. The same guy that has coached Kevin Durant, Joel Embid, Chris Paul, and Devin Booker will now be coaching at BYU. Hiring Young from the NBA ranks was, in the opinion of this author, the splashiest hire in BYU history. It was also representative of a new era of BYU sports and a signal that BYU is prepared to invest at the necessary levels to compete in the Big 12.
For years, BYU didn't have a seat at the table, and as a result, operated on fewer resources than the Power Five programs. BYU's brand and fanbase had the appearance of a Power Five team, but its budget did not. Doing more with less became the path to survival. It wasn't sustainable.
BYU's future took a turn for the better in 2021 when they were invited to join the Big 12. The Big 12 meant more opportunities to compete, more money, and a more level playing field. Something, frankly, BYU has never had before.
Now, BYU has a seat at the table and the Cougars are investing like a program that wants to compete for Big 12 championships. Matt Norlander of CBS Sports reported that Young's contract is worth approximately $30 million over seven years. If true, that would make Young one of the highest paid head coaches not in the Big 12, but in the country.
Perhaps most notably, BYU moved quickly. The Cougars got their guy just five days after Mark Pope left for Kentucky. That's about 10 days faster than BYU coaching searches in the past. It was another sign that BYU is adapting to the current landscape.
In this era of college athletics and the transfer portal, hiring a replacement quickly is extremely important to retain the existing roster. It's not uncommon for players to enter the portal to explore their options when their coach leaves - BYU was no exception. BYU lost three players to the portal in the days after Pope left for Kentucky. Time was running out and BYU responded accordingly.
BYU adjusted its policy and responded to the times by hiring quickly. BYU admin and board of trustees deserve a lot of credit for moving quickly and adapting to the times. Getting Young on board quickly greatly increases his chances to retain the current roster.
Kevin Young might pan out, he might not. Regardless, BYU picked its top target and paid enough to get him to Provo. According to Mitch Harper, Young even turned down an offer to be the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets before accepting this offer. Sure, there's a few unknowns surrounding Kevin as a head coach at the college level. The obvious things like can he recruit? Can he rally boosters to get NIL? Today, that's not what matters. Today, BYU proved that it wants to invest in sports. Not just enough to compete, but enough to win. For that reason, the future is bright for BYU athletics regardless of what Young's tenure as the BYU basketball coach looks like.
Just a few years ago when BYU was independent in football and competed in the WCC in other sports, people wondered what the future of BYU sports looked like. There is no more doubt. As long as the college landscape allows the Big 12 to compete for championships (looking at you SEC and Big Ten), BYU will do everything in its power to win in the Big 12. They proved it with the hiring of Jay Hill. They proved it with the hiring of Kevin Young.
The future of BYU athletics is bright.
