Father Of Utes TE Tweets About Recruiting Visit From BYU
Aug 26, 2019, 11:01 PM | Updated: Aug 29, 2019, 10:00 am
Cole Fotheringham #89 of the Utah Utes runs with the ball against the Brigham Young Cougars in a game at Rice-Eccles Stadium on November 24, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images)
(Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The father of Utes tight end Cole Fotheringham sent out a series of tweets about BYU recruiting his son and adjusting to cheering for the Utes.
Chad Fotheringham is a BYU fan and raised Cole to be a fan of the Cougars as well.
His tweets took a dive into what the visit from BYU was like and that head coach Kalani Sitake was very complimentary of the Utes.
Growing up a y fan and raising my son as y fan (who now plays for the U) gives me a unique perspective of being on both sides of rivalry. It’s really an incredible experience to go from one side of rivalry to the other over night. You get to see that each side has…
— Chad Fotheringham (@padreandojamon) August 26, 2019
amazing fans (large majority) and each side has not so amazing fans, (small minority). My son had committed to Utah before his senior year. Kalani came in right after he was hired and tried hard to flip my son very late in the recruiting process.
— Chad Fotheringham (@padreandojamon) August 26, 2019
Cole was a three-star recruit from San Clemente High School in California. At the time of his recruitment, Aaron Roderick, who is now the passing game coordinator at BYU, was an assistant coach for the Utes.
Chad tweeted about Sitake trying to get Cole to flip his commitment but knew the tight end was in good hands regardless of where he went.
When Kalani was at our home visit he told my son that he wanted him to come to BYU but if he chose Utah he would be in good hands and that the Utah coaches were some of his best friends and best people he knew. I was so impressed with his ability to put the rivalry aside and..
— Chad Fotheringham (@padreandojamon) August 26, 2019
Chad was concerned about his son going to Utah but after talking to coach Sitake, he felt better about the staff at Utah.
focus on my sons best interest and be 100 honest and positive about Utah. During recruitment I’d gone from BYU fan to concerned parent who wanted best experience/opportunity for my son. My son decided to go to Utah soon after that point. For me as his father and a Y fan….
— Chad Fotheringham (@padreandojamon) August 26, 2019
to concerned parent who wanted best experience/opportunity for my son. My son decided to go to Utah soon after that point. For me as his father and a BYU fan kalani’s words gave me great comfort as my son signed with Utah. I had a preconceived ideas of what Utah was….
— Chad Fotheringham (@padreandojamon) August 26, 2019
many of which were wrong. My son put a lot of thought and prayer into his decision. He felt very directed to Utah much to the sorrow of a lot of family members who love BYU. He felt that the coaches and players and opportunities were the best fit for him….
— Chad Fotheringham (@padreandojamon) August 26, 2019
Now entering his sophomore season, Cole is expected to have a big season for the Utes, especially under new offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig, who uses the tight ends in his offense.
Chad is fully on-board with the Utes and is a fan, at least for now.
I feel so fortunate for the men who coach my son at the U. He’s surrounded by really good men who coach and really good young men who play. I may have been raised a Y fan but we are now 100% Utah Utes. There are many (Utah and BYU) amazing fans that love and support my son…
— Chad Fotheringham (@padreandojamon) August 26, 2019
and coaches who do the same. Thank you all you utes for changing my perspective and opening me and my families view about University of Utah.
A few epiphanies I’ve had…
The farther one becomes a fan of one school sometimes come at the cost of keeping an open mind…— Chad Fotheringham (@padreandojamon) August 26, 2019
that the other school has good people as well. To justify some peoples fandom of BYU they have to demonize Utah and their fans and likewise with Utah fans. Being a huge fan of both schools at different points of time has allowed me to see I’ve done that. I’ve demonized the…
— Chad Fotheringham (@padreandojamon) August 26, 2019
other side to justify my fandom of one side. It’s easy to focus on the small minority of fans that behave badly and say that’s why I’m a fan of this other side and don’t like them. I hope both sides remember that the large majority of fans on both sides are really good people..
— Chad Fotheringham (@padreandojamon) August 26, 2019
Chad finished his thread by offering great advice to fans about the rivalry.
Be one of the good ones that supports and cheers for your team without talking crap about the other side or especially your own side.
– Don’t talk negatively about players or coaches. They are all really good at what they do and put incredible amount of effort to entertain us..— Chad Fotheringham (@padreandojamon) August 26, 2019
-Don’t stereotype. My son and many others at Utah could get into Y and follow the honor code (excluding current hair and beard) to the same extent the BYU players do. There are Y players that could play at U.
-Don’t give the negative (small percentage) fans the ability…— Chad Fotheringham (@padreandojamon) August 26, 2019
to shade how you feel about the other side.
-reach out and interact and talk to fans who are on the other side. You’ll realize most are good people.
-I’m grateful that both schools allow kids like my son, who want to go on a mission, to go and come back and play football…— Chad Fotheringham (@padreandojamon) August 26, 2019
Most bigger schools stopped recruiting my son when they found out he was going on a mission.
-Do I want Utah to win the game? Absolutely! Is that the most important thing to me? No. Most importantly, I desire for my sons and all players, on both teams, health…— Chad Fotheringham (@padreandojamon) August 26, 2019
Next, I want my son to grow and learn. This growth and learning comes from struggle, hard work, doing difficult things day after day. What most fans focus on is the game and the result of that game. As a fan I used to only care who won or lost and who did well…
— Chad Fotheringham (@padreandojamon) August 26, 2019
As a parent I’m more interested in my son having experiences that will make him more successful in life. Sometimes our shortcomings teach us more than success.
I hope Utah wins every game this year but more importantly I know that no matter what happens he and his teammates…— Chad Fotheringham (@padreandojamon) August 26, 2019
and those they play against will learn and grow and hopefully become more ready to be better professionals, parents, spouses, etc.
— Chad Fotheringham (@padreandojamon) August 26, 2019
