Speaker 1: Check your bracket out guys at espndefan dot Com, ESPN
The Fan h Million Dollar Bracket Challenges brought to you
by Intermountain Bobcat, Utah RV Super Show and of course
Game Day Men's Health.
Speaker 2: Time for Keeping Up with the Cougars brought to you
by Odion Men'swear, proudly outfitting young professionals, young adults, boys
and missionaries across the globe with quality suits and apparel.
Speaker 3: Find a location.
Speaker 2: Near you or Odeonmenswear dot Com.
Speaker 1: Welcome back over Sports one O three nine ninety eight
point three, ESPN The Fan, I'm Infital broadcasting from our
Banderwills Studios, Banderwill dot Comedy Stop four A Keeping Up
with the Cougar segment and to welcome to a former
by you great running back, wide receiver and just great
all round guy. It's gonna be brought to you by
Odeon Men'swear, Odion Menswear dot Com. Look your best for
your best, get out there and do your Get out
there and do your best.
Speaker 4: UH.
Speaker 3: If you've been called to serve.
Speaker 1: A mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Sayings,
say you can get a free gift with your missionary
call at Odeon Men's Wear Odeon menswear dot com. You
can also utilize the Crital fifteen coupon code Crittle fifteen
Crittal fifteen Crittal fifteen to get fifteen percent off your
order online or in store. They got elevate suits, they
got great dress shirts. They have all of the gear
that you need, all of the peril, all of the
attire you need for.
Speaker 3: Your mission field.
Speaker 1: Thrust in your sickle with your mind and have some
blessings while looking good as you lay it up and
store many of those on the mission field. Let's get
out to the hotline and welcome in Former Bo.
Speaker 3: You're great. Live from the Mouse He's at Disneyland. Ladies
and gentlemen.
Speaker 1: Let's welcome to Reno, mahe to the show Reno. How's
the Mouse Street again?
Speaker 4: Actually it's been awesome. The mouse was today. It was
a good day. Right when we walked in, she got
a picture with Mickey and Minnie right off the back.
So that was a that was a big win.
Speaker 3: That is a big win to get the pictures out
of the way.
Speaker 1: Now, are you the type family that like brings in
food with you and like drinks with you? Or I
guess you could just fill up your water bottles right
there at the at Disney then, But like, do you
bring in the food or do you buy the food there?
Speaker 4: There's only one food I get here, or I guess too,
I do the pretzels, the garlic pretzels, and the churros.
So that's all the two things I miss when I
leave here. Wait.
Speaker 1: Wait, how many pretzels and churros do you eat in
a day at Disney? Like a typical typical day at Disney,
how many churos and how many pretzels are you eating.
Speaker 4: Each day? I'm probably two of the pretzel, the garlic
cheese pretzels, and then about four churros.
Speaker 3: Throughout the day.
Speaker 4: So sometimes the double fisting two churros and it's just
it's all bad. But it's the reason why I'm about
three hundred pounds right now and looking forward to being
all time center at the Alumni game on Friday.
Speaker 1: So hey, man, I'm excited to see in your I think,
are you team Royal or team Navy this year? Because
I feel like you've swapped teams a lot.
Speaker 4: I'm with Bobko, I'm with Bosco this year.
Speaker 3: Okay, Tambosco this year. Okay, well, yeah, be all time centator.
Speaker 1: You still got to go run a route, right, You
got to run that corner pylon route, you know, just
for good old time sake.
Speaker 4: Bro run man, there's no running in this body.
Speaker 3: Hey man.
Speaker 1: Though, Like the Alumni day, right, the Alumni game and
all of this, I mean, you're an alumnus, you come
in like, the fans love it, right, You've got some
great feedback from the fans from as a former player.
You know, how enjoyable has it been for you to
kind of get out there, interact with the fans, come
back to the school that you love.
Speaker 4: You know, it's just the energy of the fans bringing
to the stadium. It's getting back in Lovell Edwards Stadium.
It's being with the former guys like it really, I mean,
the fans just kind of gives you that taste that
you had decades ago when you used to play in
front of all of them. It's it's really special for
the players. That part. I really enjoy also to have
my kids come and just get to feel a little
bit of what we got to feel when we played.
And so it really is a special time for the
family and We're all's grateful for Colonne and bringing us
back and even Jack the Mooney all the work he
does to make us former players feel special and and
they you know, it's a whole day event, so it's
it's a fun deal for us former players.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I've had discussions with uh with a lot of
different players about the things that he does a great
job right about taking care of the former players.
Speaker 3: But you know, there's been.
Speaker 1: Times in the past where it seems like there was
maybe a little bit of a gap the outreach Varsity Club,
you know, just benefits and and things of that nature
for like the former b y U football players. And
I think Bronson Kafusi is actually putting together an alumni
group now.
Speaker 3: Has he reached out to you all about that?
Speaker 2: Oh?
Speaker 4: Absolutely, Bronson is He's been a catalyst with that, done
such a good job of keeping keeping all of us informed.
And yeah, they they really do do a great job
to keep all the former former players just feeling the love.
And so you know, Lanni just does such a great
job with that.
Speaker 1: No, and Kilanie's really embodied that. I think that that's
what really changed when Kalani came to the Helm as
the head coach. I was chatting with some of those.
There's always a chatting with a few former players. There's
always a tough transition from being a football player to
getting into real life and real jobs and real work
and all that stuff and making that transition. I know,
you went to the NFL, but eventually you had to
go into like the the corporate space, entrepreneurial space. You've
done a lot of things after your NFL career. What
can be done to help ease and maybe make that
transition a little bit smoother for the former Cougars.
Speaker 3: That you know have to make.
Speaker 1: You know, our identity sometimes are intertwined with being a
football player.
Speaker 3: Now we got to go find that new identity.
Speaker 4: You know. I think I think it's it's on both sides.
I think it's one of those things that it needs
to be not only just you know, the school doing
their part, which with Kilane Jack, the Mooney guys like Bronson,
they're doing such a good job from BYU side, but
also for former players to always try to find ways to,
you know, for whatever reason, just just to be able
to come through and put yourself out there to support
the program wherever. You know, it's like that's they list
where you stand. And I think if there's anything a
former player can do is just continue to promote BYU football.
One of my favorite things to do is wear my
BYU gear here at Disneyland and just count how many
BYU and people are out here. And it's always fun
when you hear people say go Kobs when you walk
by them, and so that it's just little things like that,
you know what I mean. Like it goes a long
ways in supporting the program, supporting what we do. And
I don't know, I think there's a lot of different
ways to but it's gotta be both sides. You know,
school does their thing and former players just finding ways
to get involved. And there is there's plenty of ways
again involved. And I bet you Kalani is the most
accessible head d one college football coach there is.
Speaker 3: I agree to with that, no doubt about it.
Speaker 1: Reno mahe former b YU great talking some ball, talking
alumni game here on your Utah ESPN Radio network. Kialani
just signed a ten year extension. Right, He's going to
be the He's gonna be truly the Polynesian level. He
promised us that back in twenty sixties, said I just
want to be the Polynesian level edwards. Do you think
he coaches as long as Leavell did at BYU. He's
in you know, he's got a decade. He's extended to
another decade. How many years do you think Klooney can last?
I mean the Paul Ney's and level he's got to
get up to, like twenty eight years.
Speaker 4: I think he could totally do it. I think he's
willing to totally do it. And you know, recently he's
been an example to lose some weight to me, and
you know he can stay healthy. He will. I think
he will be able to. But it's just he he
he's doing it for the right reason. And that's the
best part about k is that he just embodies everything
that lovel stood for.
Speaker 3: They have no doubt about it.
Speaker 1: I excited for that with that with the future being
so like stable, right, and we talked about the glory days, right,
you were part of the an awesome you know, I
would say an awesome time in BA football history. Two
thousand and one was one of the best seasons in
BWA football history.
Speaker 3: Right.
Speaker 1: You had the eighties and nineties, though those were great.
My era was solid six to nine we won a
lot of football games. Now we're into the twenty twenty
Kilani era and we've won a lot of double digit
We've had a lot of double digit win seasons, et cetera.
When you compare this era, the twenty twenty season to
present day, and you compared to the other successful eras, like,
how does it stack up?
Speaker 3: Do you think.
Speaker 4: It's again, I think it's right up there with the
best of them. And I think some of the biggest
tell sign was that transition when coach Wick went to
Michigan and how many players stayed they ended up jumping
ship and the fact that all these players that everyone
assumed would jump ship they all ran it back and
then and then to pick up some of the big
pieces we picked up in the portal. I think that's
that's the tell side of where a program is by
the caliber players you're keeping in your program and the
caliber players you're going out and get. And so I'm
super excited for what Klanie is doing.
Speaker 1: Uh the nil transfer portal era, I think is also.
Speaker 3: Aid and supported b YU. Right. Once upon a time,
it was improper, it was illegal to to to.
Speaker 1: Pay players and and I think I think b YU
fans and Latter day Saints. They've always had resources. But
they are also law abiding people. They are letter of
the law. They read their.
Speaker 3: White hand Book on their missions.
Speaker 1: They they got to abide and so the NCAA rules
did not allow them to do it, while other like
SEC Big tenscles they may have been cheating and circumfending
the rules.
Speaker 3: Now we got an equal playing field. Does that make.
Speaker 1: BYU uh, you know and and Kilane operating under those rules?
Does that make BYU a premier top twenty five, top
ten type of college football program?
Speaker 3: With all things being considered.
Speaker 4: Without a doubt. The nice thing is you can always
measure that, right. I mean, they have those recruiting places
where you rank after the recruiting season, so it's you
can totally measure it. Now. I think there's something fishy
going on in that world. Whenever a kid is deciding
between BYU and you know, some of these other schools,
and then they end up deciding all BYU and then
the somehow their stars and rankings changed. I'd definitely like
to see what's up with all that. But outside of that,
I think BYU is doing an amazing job. Coach Anderson
the recruiting department with Vince Sayula and those guys just
you know, they're they're killing it. And you continue to
get in those great players. Man, you you're like coach.
It's easy to be a coach when you've got these
stunt players, right right.
Speaker 1: I mean goodness, Hey, Rena, I'm gonna bring up a
conversation that we had probably a decade ago. We were
at Thanksgiving point golf course. We were talking about recruiting. We
were talking about like investing in like all these trainers, right,
you know, specializing you see a lot of You saw
a lot of dads.
Speaker 3: You've seen a lot of dads.
Speaker 1: Parents over the years invest a ton of money in
their kids so they can get a scholarship. At that time,
it like we were kind of discussing, like is it
worth the the bang for your buck?
Speaker 3: Is the bang worth your buck? Right?
Speaker 1: And like at the time we were kind of conversing
and concluded like a lot of these guys aren't getting scholarships.
They're gonna end up wasting money. And even then when
you get scholarship, how much money are you actually getting
back for that scholarship And it could be a waste
of funds now in the NIL era, I mean the
money that's being dolled out. I mean you invest, If
you invest one hundred thousand dollars into the development of
your kid and he becomes a quarterback, he gets that money.
Speaker 3: Back year one. Yeah with right, do you remember that combo?
Do you remember that combo we had?
Speaker 4: Yes? Absolutely, Now, yes, you're right. Then the issue is
it's it's almost like a lottery now where it is
so much harder to be one of those nil kids
versus a kid that would have typically got a walk
on or you know, a preferred or even a fifty
three mans scholarship because of the portal. You're not just
dealing with you tall kids and getting a D one
scholarship and then getting an NIL deal. You're dealing with
sec kids that are jumping in the portal with big,
big ten kids, big twelve like you're dealing with the
whole country and that portal versus before you know, you
take the top thirty forty kids in Utah that are
going to go play D one somewhere. That ain't the
case no more so. It's a tough it's a tough challenge. Yeah,
there's money there, but there's also a lot more kids
and all across the country that's going after those pops.
Speaker 1: Yes, indeed they are. It makes it, It does make
it a whole lot more competitive. I hope the JUCO
ranks end up expanding, Like, I really think there's a
model for the JUCO to really see an emergence of
prosperity because you get like you're schooling paid for or
you get like some subsidy. Right, you played juco ball
for a year. I played Juco ball for a couple
of years, and uh, I think that that's a really
good option because those those those uh those jucos that
could become really good football.
Speaker 3: Again.
Speaker 4: Absolutely, it's not even just I mean, I don't know
if this still holds up. You can tell me if
it does or not, but it doesn't count anymore.
Speaker 1: Well to be determined on whether it will or not.
I think that's like by state, but you're right, like
it could very well be because it's not NC double
A sanction. It's NJC double A, right, this is not
n C double A. It's it's JUCO.
Speaker 4: Yeah, So I mean, if you can go play the
some of those semi pro league can still come play
college sports. I mean, who knows what. You can still
play and continue to come play.
Speaker 1: You can play seven years, Bro, you're making a that's
a profession, man, that's a You get your schooling a
little bit paid for. You get your associates, transfer up
to NCAA, and you get five for five is what
they're working on. Now, you get your red shirt, you
get and you get four more years. That's you can
make a lot of money in five years playing college football.
Speaker 3: That's professional.
Speaker 4: Yeah, you might as well.
Speaker 1: Would you have stayed another year at BYU if you
if you're getting paid what some of these guys are
like punt return wide receiver that you know that you were.
Speaker 3: I mean, you're pulling in at least a mill. You're
pulling in at least a mill. If you come back.
Speaker 4: All day long, you're coming back like someone like me
that didn't get drafted. I'm yelling and absolutely enjoying that nil.
Speaker 1: No doubt about it. Well, Renal, can't wait to watch
you at the alumni game. Enjoy the rest of the mouse.
Be safe and uh, always appreciate our conversations. Always learn something.
You always provide some great perspective. Man, Thanks so much.
All right, there you go. That's reno Mahey, and that
segment was brought to you by Odeon Men'swarodeon menswear dot com. Right,
look your best, for your best, get out there and
do your best. If you've been called to serve a mission,
you get a free gift with your missionary call.
Speaker 3: Hit us up at Odeon Men's Wear. Let them know
I sent you.
Speaker 1: VPY Products, VPPY Service, VPY discounts they get you.
Speaker 3: They'll get you fifteen.
Speaker 1: Percent off your suits, your your shirts, your ties, your slacks,
your shoes, whatever it
Speaker 3: Is that you need in order