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Provo • Rest assured, BYU fans, Ty Detmer says he knows what he is getting into.
The former Heisman Trophy winner joined new BYU coach Kalani Sitake's staff as its offensive coordinator in December, despite having never coached at the college level before.
Detmer, new defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki and assistant head coach Ed Lamb met with reporters for the first time on Tuesday since their hirings were announced just before Christmas, and Detmer quickly found himself answering critics who have questioned his ability to make the coaching jump.
"Well, that was something I thought about [while] trying to make the decision to come in," said Detmer, who coached at Saint Andrews Episcopal School, a small, private school in Austin, Texas, the past six season. "Obviously, it is a big jump that way."
A 1991 graduate of BYU in recreation administration, Detmer said he saw Chad Morris go from coaching at the high school his daughters attended in Austin to Tulsa and then Clemson and believes he can be just as successful. Morris is now the head coach at Southern Methodist University.
"So, I was well-aware of the pressures here, and the scrutiny that may come with it," he said. "But it felt like, given the opportunity and the people believing in me, that we are going to jump right in and go to work. There are going to be some learning curves, and some things that come up that I haven't been involved in before at this level, but I feel like the guys we are going to have around me, and [with] my staff, I will be a quick learner and will hopefully overcome those things."
Detmer said he has had other opportunities to join the staff in past seasons, and that legendary BYU coach LaVell Edwards told him "you need to be here" several times since he retired from a 14-year career in the NFL.
So why now?
"My daughters [Kaili, Aubri, Mayci and Rylli] are kinda at the point in their high school career where it felt like now is the right time, and at my age, I am feeling like, 'If you are ever going to do it, now is the time,'" Detmer said. "And it just so happened that things fell into place, and I am really comfortable with coach Sitake, and everybody that is coming on board."
Demter called the decision "extremely hard," but noted that his wife, the former Kim Herbert, was on board. He said he will keep his hunting ranch in southern Texas; his family will join him in Provo in July. He said "you kinda get settled in your ways" and acknowledged that he turned down previous job offers because he wasn't ready for the rigors of recruiting and college coaches, but believes he is prepared now for all that being an offensive coordinator at BYU entails.
"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't [prepared for hard work]," he said. "I know what I am getting into. I tried to educate my wife when we were going through this decision, and she really wanted to see me make this move. She really was pushing me to go for it. … So I am prepared to do whatever I need to do to see things continue to be successful here."
Detmer's first major recruiting pitch will go to a player who spent the last four seasons in Cougar blue — quarterback Taysom Hill. Having suffered a season-ending foot injury in the opener against Nebraska, Hill has another year of eligibility left if the NCAA grants him a hardship waiver, as expected. Or, he can take advantage of the NCAA graduate transfer rule and be immediately eligible at another school next fall.
"The conversations have been great with Taysom," Detmer said. "He's a great person and I have had a relationship with him over the last couple of years. Nothing where we talked every week, but every time we saw each other we talked a little football and I have really appreciated what he has brought to the program. So, [I] definitely hope he's back. We want him here. … We want him back. He's been a leader for this team and this unit, and I told they guys today [in a team meeting], there should be competition at every position. That's what makes you great."
Of course, Hill's competition to be the starting QB, if he returns, will be rising sophomore Tanner Mangum, who played solidly in Hill's absence last season.
"Tanner is a very poised young man," Detmer said. "Obviously, he's been on a mission and is a little older than your typical true freshman. But to come in and have to play in that situation, it was remarkable what he did, because he didn't have an offseason to get ready.
So, I can't say enough good things about the way he handled himself, and the way he played. I know he is excited to have an offseason and get his body going and get his feet underneath him for the next year."
Detmer said he will install a "balanced" offense that takes advantage of BYU's personnel. His message to the offensive players on Tuesday was, "We've got to out-execute people."
Tuiaki said BYU's defensive scheme "is still kind of in the making" and will be designed to fit its personnel as well, "as far as doing what's best for the kids we have."
Twitter: @drewjay —
The new guys
BYU introduced Kalani Sitake's main three assistant coaches:
Ty Detmer • Offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach
Ilaisa Tuiaki • Defensive coordinator, position responsibility TBA
Ed Lamb • Assistant head coach, tight ends coach, special teams coordinator —
For more …
… on what Detmer, Tuiaki and Lamb had to say on Tuesday, go to Jay Drew's BYU sports blog at http://www.sltrib.com/byusports.