Bronco Mendenhall Surfaces On Hot Lists For Colorado Search
Oct 2, 2022, 11:29 PM
Former BYU, Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the Colorado Buffaloes vacancy. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Former BYU, Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall wants back in the coaching game. Could his next stop be with the Colorado Buffaloes?
After the Buffs announced the firing of Karl Dorrell, the hot lists for the Colorado coaching searching started circulating. One of the popular names on those boards was Mendenhall, who won 99 games at BYU and guided Virginia to one New Year’s Six bowl birth.
CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd put Mendenhall atop his Colorado Buffaloes coaching big board. Dodd, who is a longtime college football reporter, wrote the following on Mendenhall:
“Mendenhall needed a reset in December when he left UVA. It was one of those Chris Peterson things where the job had just become too big. Bronco mentioned family obligations, but the buzz is that he has the bug again. This is just about the perfect fit,” wrote Dodd.
Other outlets such as The Denver Post and Athlon Sports list Mendenhall as a candidate worth considering.
Colorado could make a lot of sense for Bronco Mendenhall
Honestly, Mendenhall at Colorado –to me– makes a ton of sense. Mendenhall loves to build up programs and build up No better spot in the current coaching carousel that meets that opportunity than Colorado. The expectations at Colorado won’t be high. But Mendenhall could step in and revive the Buffs to respectability in a hurry.
It also doesn’t hurt that Mendenhall, who currently lives in Montana, doesn’t have a buyout, and he could start as soon as possible to get the ball rolling on recruiting for the early signing period in December.
Despite having a national championship history, the Buffs have been a laughing stock in the Pac-12. Outside of Mike MacIntyre’s Pac-12 South Division title in the 2016, the Buffs have primarily lived at the bottom of the standings in the league.
Mendenhall could install hope and belief into the Buffs that they could be competitive again.
Strong history out west for Mendenhall
Outside his six years as the headman at Virginia, Mendenhall’s coaching career has primarily been out west. From a lifestyle perspective, Colorado’s recreation opportunities would seem like a good fit for Bronco and his wife Holly, who is an outdoor enthusiast.
Mendenhall’s potential presence at Colorado would also add some juice to the lackluster Utah/Colorado series at the end of the season. Bronco went head-to-head against Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham 11 times during his tenure as BYU’s head coach.
Mendenhall currently hosts a podcast called “HeadCoachU” with Fox Sports writer Bryan Fischer. He’s been breaking down how he approaches coaching, from running a program to recruiting. One thing is clear from the episodes, Mendenhall wants to get back in coaching.
There are five Power Five head coach positions open at the moment, with more probably opening over the next few weeks. But the Colorado opening could be an interesting one to monitor for Mendenhall.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
