No NCAA Division 1 football team has had as dramatic of a favorable turnaround from last season to this season as our BYU Cougars. From utter collapse to perfection thus far (8-0) the results are nearly incomprehensible. So how does something like that happen? I have played and been around competitive sports for 50 years and have never seen anything quite like it. Yes, a few new coaching changes were made in the offseason, namely TJ Woods (O-line) and Kevin Gilbride (Tight Ends). Both have proven to be excellent coaches who have upgraded their respective position groups significantly. Special Analyst/Consultants, Gary Anderson and Chad Kauha'aha'a are also new this year to BYU's football staff and have made meaningful contributions. However, respectfully speaking, the addition of these coaches and analysts to the BYU mix doesn't adequately explain the transformation. While I certainly don't believe there is only one answer to our current success, I do believe there is a secret something many have missed. Let me explain.

While everyone would agree that winning breeds confidence in any athlete or team, I think there is something that is even more impactful and long-lasting. I believe one of the key reasons BYU is succeeding this year is because an inordinately high number of players are getting meaningful game reps and have the utterly irreplaceable awesome feeling that comes from knowing they are making positive contributions to the team's success. To test my theory I re-watched the SMU game and noted every BYU player who participated either on offense, defense, or special teams. I was amazed to find that our offense played at least 24 different players, the defense 26, and special teams an additional 17 players with some overlapping. That is 67 different players on the field during a game that was in doubt until its waning moments! I haven't taken the time to review all 8 games but I believe the results will be similar. I don't know what the average is around the NCAA but that to me is mind boggling!

Getting as many guys as possible on the field is producing winning results on the scoreboard and in the locker room. It's evident in the types of comments players are making during tv and radio interviews and video productions. Ensuring that as many players as possible are directly involved and invested (hat tip: Bronco) in the team's success is clearly one of Kalani's key objectives. Writing for SI, Casey Lundquist noted before the CFU game that "10 true freshmen have played 25 or more offensive or defensive snaps for BYU. Another four true freshmen have played more than 50 snaps for the Cougars in 2024." Again...incredible!

Singing the fight song to BYU fans, signing autographs, and celebrating in the locker room means so much more when you know, as a player, you've made a block, a tackle, a pass, or a kick that is truly making a difference in the team's overall success. Rather than seeing to their 1/11th, Kalani may want to modify the mantra to 1/120th. Each player in the program doing his part to contribute to the success of the whole.

At the beginning of the year I cringed when players would talk publicly about how much they loved each other, loved playing together, loved hanging out together after practice and so on. Such talk from a football coach and his players seemed too folksy and cornball to an old-timer like me. However, in retrospect I can see now that Kalani is building team unity in a way that is resilient and longer-lasting. I'm certainly down with "Love and Learning" in place of Metallica, Vince Lombardi, Snoop Dogg and other temporary emotional highs designed to produce short-term gains. Three cheers for Kalani, his coaches and staff, and the amazing players who have bought in to a lasting strategy for success on the field and in future life.