This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
When push came to shove, BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said it was a gut feeling that prompted him to fire defensive coordinator Jaime Hill, taking the unusual route of dismissing a coach in the middle of the season. It wasn't something that Hill did specifically — according to statements by both coaches — but rather something Mendenhall says Hill couldn't do at the current time: lead an entire defense. Of course, Hill told several reporters Saturday that he was fired as a "scapegoat" for the team's 1-4 start, an explanation that Mendenhall said during his weekly Monday news conference was not accurate. "As a leader, there are pivotal times where there become, you can call them feelings, instincts, promptings, whatever you would like," Mendenhall said. "And that's exactly what I felt, and I chose to act on it immediately. I don't expect it to be popular with anyone, other than I think I did the right thing for myself and our program, and it certainly was not easy, and it doesn't mean I don't care for coach Hill and his family, because I do." Mendenhall said Hill was not given the option to stay on the staff in a lesser capacity because "I didn't think that would be effective, again with just some fundamental leadership philosophical differences." Asked if the decision to fire Hill is due to the poor performance of the defense, Mendenhall said there is "more to it" than that. "I need to recapture the heart and soul of this team, and I am trying to position myself in a place where I can be most effective doing that," he said. Here's more from Mendenhall on Monday as it relates to the Hill firing. More of the coach's comments will come later..... On what led to the decision to let coach Hill go at middle of season: "A couple of things. First of all, I appreciate what Jaime has done for our program. He came to BYU at a time where I certainly needed help, managing being a head coach and a defensive coach. And Jaime helped us have a lot of success over the past few years. I also know right now is a pivotal time in our program. That's the way I am defining it to myself and others. And quite frankly, from my seat as being the head coach, I was not having enough influence, not being able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder, arm-in-arm, and having the players see maybe the work ethic, and the model that I would like to show, what I see our team really needs. And so I think my influence on the defense, that's what I consider my strength, where I think I can have the most leverage, and where I think I can influence our program the most, for the rest of the season. And underlying that, knowing that there were and are just core differences in leadership philosophy, and those would have been highlighted without making the change. So I thought it was best. I am the only one that was influenced to make the decision. There was no one who had any say in it, other than myself. I did what I thought was best for the program. Difficult decision. But I have aligned myself now with the way that I think I can make a real difference in our program at maybe a deeper level."On whether there will be more coaching changes: "I will evaluate everything in our program ongoing through the rest of this year. At the end of each season I always have staff reviews with each coach. And I also pull our program apart, and re-assemble it, and see what needs to be worked on. And I will do that again at the end of the season." On whether it was a mistake to not be a part of the defensive meetings this season: "Any time, in hindsight, and you look back and things haven't gone as you would have hoped, certainly you look back and say, 'mistake.' At the time, what I really tried to do here, and worked diligently to do, was delegate and try to build people and their capacities in whatever it might be. Whether it be an offensive play caller, special teams play caller, defensive play caller, elevating Nick Howell as a graduate assistant up. So I tried to build people to eventually improve our program. Sometimes, unique challenges come along the way, either with a particular team, particular schedule, injuries, etc., to where sometimes the challenges might be beyond the current ability level of what a person is ready to handle. So in looking at it all now, with the relative youth of this team, with the quarterback situation, etc....at positioning myself on special teams, I was trying to predict where I might be most effective. I maybe didn't take on a big enough part or see myself role [correctly]. I saw my role maybe as being too narrow, rather than remaining more involved defensively. So I would call it a mistake at this point, in hindsight." On whether some coaches will get new position assignments: "No re-assignment currently on the offensive side. What I have chosen to do is Kelly Poppinga was serving as our defensive graduate assistant. Kelly played MLB in this defense. He knows it very, very well. And he knows the culture that I love, as does Shaun Nua, who I just moved as the offensive graduate assistant to the defensive graduate assistant, as he's played under myself as the defensive coordinator. Paul Tidwell and Steve Kaufusi will remain in their same positions, having been with me since I became the defensive coordinator here. Then Nick Howell will move to coach the secondary. Kelly Bills will be elevated from offensive intern to offensive G.A. And Jason Walker, who was the defensive intern, will now become the offensive intern. But that is the restructuring of what we will do." On whether the defense has got too conservative for his liking: "It is not only been maybe more conservative, but more effective. Again, if you look at the results from a team standpoint. And that's been something that hasn't just been a random thought in trying to match scheme vs. personnel, but to give our players their best chance to be successful. Not only where we put them, which is very important, but how they play once they are there and for what reason is important. So I am very comfortable with the direction we have gone, from a schematic standpoint, and have been involved in that. What I am talking about now is influencing my leadership [to a greater level]." On whether he will instill more toughness into the defense: "No specific label that I would add to it, other than I would like to be more effective leading our football team. I have tried to put myself in a position by this move to help me do that, so they could benefit. Again, rather than it being so much about anyone else, this is really about myself trying to position myself to where I can have the very most influence and help our team, this season and maybe in the future."