Provo • The athletic department Tom Holmoe inherited in 2005 isn’t the one he presides over these days.
It’s partly his doing, as he ushered in changes to help the Cougars find a home among college football’s Power Four. And it’s partly the shifting reality of college athletics, which is speeding toward a world of revenue sharing and name, image and likeness cash that mimics professional free agency.
But the athletics director’s bosses have remained the same: The leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who also sit on BYU’s board of trustees.
So Holmoe took time last week to address members of the faith who might argue BYU athletics has strayed from the faith-based mission of the university. Even as the school’s athletics department changes — spending more money and bringing in more athletes who are not members of the Utah-based church — the Cougars’ mission will remain the same, Holmoe told an audience during BYU’s Education Week.
“We are BYU. We got to a position of strength by doing things the way we do it on this campus — under the leadership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And that is not going to change,” Holmoe said. “Some of you have said that has already changed. Yeah, things have changed to a degree.”
Holmoe said “all macro decisions” being made by his department “are all understood by the board of trustees of the church who run this school.”
“They understand where we’re going,” Holmoe said. “We are constantly in communication with them as we travel. That gives me great hope, great strength and faith.”
Holmoe went into depth about the program’s recruiting strategy as an example.
Even as the school moves to the Big 12 and pushes to recruit higher-level players, Holmoe said the Cougars will not stray away from the school’s Honor Code. He said if players can’t live up to the Honor Code’s standards, BYU will not pursue them — regardless of talent.
“I coached at two wonderful schools, Cal and Stanford University. The student athletes there that I coached — I love those kids no more or more less than my student athletes here at BYU — but they didn’t have to live up to certain standards we have at this school,” he said. “And the purpose, the why, for how they go to school is different from BYU. We’re different. Do you like that? Yeah.”
Holmoe said there “are players around the country that you might see are interested in BYU … and we will look into the research and see if they are the right fit. They might be great, beautiful children to their parents. But for BYU, it takes something different. And it doesn’t mean we are better than other people.”
In the past, Holmoe has hinted that the Honor Code could relax in certain areas, including grooming and hair standards, which might help with recruiting. But last week, he reaffirmed the stance that the Honor Code was a strength for the church-owned and -operated school.
“If we as the athletic department are aligned with the university — who I trust is always going to be aligned with the church — we’ll be just fine,” Holmoe said. “There’ll be ups and downs. We won’t win every game. We won’t win every championship. But we’ll be doing the right things.”
He pointed to BYU football’s win total over the past 50 years. The program has won double-digit games in 18 seasons. Although, all of those seasons occurred in a much different recruiting environment than the one in which the Cougars currently operate.
“Time has told, in the last 50 years through last year, BYU football is No. 9 in the entire country. That counts Alabama, Georgia, Notre Dame, USC, last 50 years, No. 9 in total wins,” he said. “To do that, we’ve been doing it the same way for the last 50 years and we’re not going to change. We are not going to change our stripes on that. There is a way that we do it. It is the BYU fit.”
Holmoe touched on new basketball coach Kevin Young. Holmoe indicated that Young has recruited many players who are not Latter-day Saints. Both potential NBA draft picks — Egor Denim and Kanon Catchings — have no real ties to the university or the church.
The athletic director said he understood the pushback from some parts of the fan base, but defended his new hire.
“He is a great, great disciple of Jesus Christ,” Holmoe said of Young. “He has brought in some players who are not members of the church. Some are members of the church. Together we have this incredible chemistry on this team right now between players and coaches. It is a great thing you are going to see. He’s done some things that look differently than you’re used to. Are you OK with that? Some people aren’t. And that’s OK. We will hopefully communicate, be able to see, learn and grow.”
Holmoe believes his direction is the same as the church’s direction, even if he faces some pushback from fans.
“We are not other schools. We are not going to be Notre Dame. We are not going to be Texas Tech. We are not going to be the University of Utah or Utah State,” he said. “... We are not going to wear it on our sleeve and wear people out. But we want people to know who we are and what we believe. And what makes us who we are. We are not afraid to say that. We are going to say it.”
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