Utah and; 4. He coached at Eastern Arizona College.

So even without factoring the college football (which I know that you, among others, tend to dismiss), he has four institutions on his coaching resume, to one on Nick Howell's.

But getting back to the actual playing question - there's a reason that elite football programs never hire guys who didn't play college football (with possibly two or three very unique exceptions where they have proved themselves elsewhere). Part of it is that football people respect football people. Another part of it is that the capacity to understand what kids go through competing at an elite level is greatly helped by having had the experience personally.

I regret - a little - that it comes across that I'm campaigning against Nick. But Bronco has a bad track record in promoting coordinators, and we all have a lot invested (emotionally and otherwise) in BYU football and his promotion was, IMO, based on some shaky criteria.