Sean Salisbury was what today we would call a 5* QB out of HS. BYU recruited him hard to join their QB pipeline and take the reins at BYU after McMahon. At the last minute he chose USC. After spurring BYU, BYU was able to commit Robbie Bosco with the extra QB scholarship and the way the QB pipeline worked out, Steve Young was able to get in for a couple years prior to Bosco. Had Salisbury committed to BYU, there is a chance neither Steve Young nor Robbie Bosco would have led BYU as its QB.

The Salisburys were in my ward growing up and Sean had a younger brother Brett who was a phenomenal QB also. He commit to BYU but got stuck behind a sophomore sensation Ty Detmer and then left school for Oregon and then to a division 2 team. Brett was so good though that he actually got some heisman vote playing for the division 2 team. I was closer to Brett’s age and my brother and I hung out with him here and there at church and otherwise. Brett went on to be an international model, author, fitness guru, etc. Brett was also on our city’s little league team that played in the little league World Series in 1980. I always regretted he never got a go as BYU’s QB, but hey, a heisman QB in Ty Detmer was great consolation.

Anyway, back to Sean. BYU made its incredibly improbable run to the NC by being led by Robbie Bosco (who was at BYU because Sean chose USC over BYU late in the recruiting process). As things turned out Sean Salisbury was a very good QB at USC and went on to have a respectable, though not stellar, NFL career. In Sean’s senior season in 1984, only one team beat Washington. That team was USC and Sean Salisbury. That was one of about 20-25 things/games that needed to happen for BYU to with the NC. In a roundabout way, though Sean rejected BYU, he directly helped BYU win its 1984 NC.

And now, you know the rest of the story.