But primarily for depth. Wilson, Thompson, Cox, Manning and Isom were all bigger recruits than Hansen even though Hansen is a stud. Langi is no John White, Bubba Poole or Devontae Booker. He runs high in the pads and lacks the shiftiness or speed of Troy McCormick. Langi probably could have played in the LB rotation but he wasn't plug and play at Utah even with their injuries.
We love to tell ourselves we are special but playing time is the reason to switch. I think the game outcomes last week really exposed the difference in team positioning and long term future. I can be a BYU fan without allowing that to cloud the recognition that these two team trains are on different tracks with different destinations. I'm sure they'll have down years but the difference in recruiting results shows on the field in the last two classes and will probably grow. To pretend that the two teams have parity in athleticism and that they are competing repeatedly for the same people is to ignore what is really happening.