"Whenever BYU hires a head coach, especially in a major sport such as men’s basketball, women’s basketball, or football, the question always arises: Do BYU head coaches have to be active members of the faith that sponsors and supports BYU, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

"Holmoe said they do, “in all sports,” then noted that the requirement is “probably” not written down anywhere and is “a practice, but not a policy.” But it is a directive he continues to adhere to as BYU’s athletic director in constant communication with the school’s governing Board of Trustees.

“The biggest thing is, our coaches work day-to-day with our student-athletes. Our student-athletes are talking to their coaches about missions, and boyfriends and girlfriends that are going to lead to marriages, potentially children, while at BYU,” he said. “With those cultural decisions it is unreasonable for us to think that we couldn’t have somebody from outside of our faith that would be able to come in and counsel them on those issues.”

"What about Diljeet Taylor, the women’s cross-country head coach and associate director of BYU’s wildly successful track and field teams? Taylor was raised in the Sikh religion, according to a 2021 school news release when she was named head cross-country coach, and is not a Latter-day Saint.

"Holmoe said Taylor was promoted because she had been at BYU since 2016 and had proven that she was familiar with the religion, the culture, and the expectations previously outlined.

“I think with (Taylor) that was a great way to do it. She was already here. She wasn’t hired (in 2016) as a head coach. She was here a little bit. We saw the things that she did. … The Board of Trustees were the ones that said, she really represents what the mission of BYU is, let’s go for it. And I think it was a good move. She’s got a few Olympians (she has trained) that are tremendous people.

“Diljeet has sent missionaries out. She has had (athletes) that have had babies, and she has had runners that have been married. And so she gets our culture seamlessly. And she proved it before we (promoted) her and we said, ‘Good work, here you go.’”