What have we learned about recruiting in recent weeks?

Unless you've been living under a rock while waiting for basketball season to start, you have probably heard about BYU's recent string of terrible recruiting luck. It started with Semi Taulanga, the defensive tackle from Mater Dei High School. The Cougars were in a strong position going into his decision - according to sources that I've spoken with, he had silently committed to BYU during his official visit a few weeks before. The Cougars felt strong and then, in a matter of seconds and a quick hat ceremony at his local Cultural Hall, Taulanga was a Ute.

A few days later, it was Nusi Taumoepeau who was set to make his decision. BYU had offered him before any other school in his top five of Utah, Stanford, Cal, Oklahoma State, and of course, BYU. The Cougars felt good and they had every reason to feel good. Just the weekend before his decision, Taumoepeau felt like a BYU guy. And then, in the matter of an early morning tweet, Taumoepeau was officially headed to Stanford and BYU was left with nothing.

After that, it was Aaron Dunn who was set to make his decision. BYU had offered the four-star offensive tackle before anybody else. The Spanish Fork standout had taken several visits to BYU and knew the BYU coaching staff well. But, BYU didn't have to wait until his official announcement to learn their fate - he wasn't coming to play for the Cougars. Dunn broke up with BYU a few days before telling the rest of the world that he would be playing out his college career at Utah.

In the span of about 10 days, BYU lost out on Taulanga - an LDS standout at a position of need, Taumoepeau - an LDS edge rusher that was the primary target of Kelly Poppinga, and Dunn - a four-star stud from BYU's literal backyard.

Woof.

All of this bad news, of course, comes in the midst of a BYU quarterback battle featuring a quarterback with one of worst four-game stretches in BYU football history and another quarterback who was pushed out of his former school and coming off a serious injury that was suffered at his next school. Needless to say, there are a lot of BYU fans who are feeling about the construction of the roster today and of the roster of the future.

It's easy to understand why. As I was laying in bed all weekend long (my wife was out of town and left me to the kids by myself so I spent lots of time hunkered under the covers just trying to keep the house afloat), I paid lots of attention to meaningless NFL preseason games.

I watched Jaren Hall bring the Minnesota Vikings back late in the game. I watched Kedon Slovis check in for the Indianapolis Colts and lead his team down the field. I watched a long-haired Zach Wilson lead not one, but two touchdown drives for the Denver Broncos.

I saw the highlights of Puka Nacua's strong rookie season. I saw a debate about Fred Warner being the best linebacker in the NFL. I watched Blake Freeland and Kingsley Suamataia get practice reps, knowing full-well that Brady Christensen was doing the same thing too.

It seemed like everywhere I looked there was a former BYU stud doing something noteworthy in the NFL.

And yet, BYU's recruiting can't seem to get over the hump. What the hell is going on?

Let's tackle the biggest realization that I've had over the last several weeks - BYU's NFL stories don't mean a damn thing.

BYU has started putting players into the NFL, but it's more than that. They are putting prominent players who are going on to play prominent roles for prominent teams in the NFL. Puka Nacua is a superstar. Fred Warner is a superstar. Taysom Hill, in his own unique category, is a superstar. Jamaal Williams is featured everywhere. Kyle Van Noy goes onto the NFL Network and the Pat McAfee Show when he's not playing. Three straight BYU left tackles have been drafted.. and three straight BYU quarterbacks all played in games this weekend. BYU has an NFL story to tell. Why won't it work?

Because BYU has upped the ante. The schools they are recruiting against also have strong NFL stories to tell. BYU isn't duking it out against Utah State and Boise State for recruits, they're trying to beat out the Utahs and the Oregons and the Stanfords of the world. BYU has a strong NFL tale... but so does Utah and Oregon and Stanford.

BYU lost Dunn to Utah. The Cougars have had three straight left tackles drafted but lost out to Utah for a left tackle. How can Dunn not see that BYU can make him a millionarie?

Well, he can. But Garrett Bolles is also a millionaire and he went to Utah. He is more successful in the NFL than any of BYU's left tackles that have been drafted recently. He's not the only one, either. Jackson Barton's career is similar to Brady Christensen's. Sataoa Laumea was just drafted by the Seattle Seahawks this past season too. Utah's story is just as compelling as BYU's.

The point isn't about BYU vs. Utah, it's about what BYU is doing with their story compared to what Utah is doing with their story. Everyone has a story to tell, but clearly, Utah's was more captivating.

Oregon got to talk about Jackson Powers-Johnson and Penei Sewell when pushing for Alai Kalaniuavalu. That's compelling too.

BYU has a strong pitch to make for an offensive lineman. The schools they are recuriting against have a strong pitch to make as well. BYU needs to sell theirs better.

How can BYU not capitalize on Zach Wilson and Jaren Hall being drafted?!

Well, who have they lost out to lately?

They lost Luke Moga to Oregon. Bo Nix was a first-round guy who is currently the roadblock for BYU's former first-round guy in Zach Wilson. They lost Maealiuaki Smith to Oklahoma State, but couldn't one argue that Mason Rudolph has been just as successful as Zach Wilson has?

BYU isn't recruiting against nobodies. They are recruiting against somebodies. And somebodies talk too.

How can this be combatted?

Do a better job telling your story.

BYU needs to find its swag on the recruiting trail. When Stanford rolls into a player's home, they expect to win. They don't feel happy for simply being let into the home - they think they are going to win. Stanford recruits with the mindset that everyone who has a brain will decide to go to Stanford, and it's shocking when someone decides they don't want that.

Utah has a similar swag. When they show up to a player's home - especially a high school player from the state of Utah or with a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint background - they expect to win. BYU isn't seen as a threat. BYU isn't even much of a consideration at all. They recruit with the kind of swag that makes a recruit feel like BYU doesn't even exist.

"Oh, BYU says they can get you to the NFL? So can we. So can everyone else. You'll get yourself to the NFL. So why are you even thinking about that dumb school to the south?"

Our beloved Cougs need to find their swag.

Recruiting is about feelings, at the end of the day. It's about money too - more on that in a minute - but it's mostly about feelings. Reality doesn't really matter on the recruiting trail, but how a player feels will shape the future reality. If a player feels like they are talking with the best, they will gravitate towards the best.

A few years ago, we went through a selection process for a major initiative at work. We saw salesmen of all kinds come in and out of the door. I took a backseat during this selection process, but the ultimate decision was going to have a major impact on my day-to-day life.

One salesman from one particular company came in and he said all the right words. His platform was the best. His resources were the best. He answered every question almost immediately, no matter where he was or what time it was. He wined and dined the members of the selection team. He impressed them with his demos. He talked down about the competition, but did it in a friendly way that you almost didn't realize was even happening. This dude was good.

As the conversations progressed, I was brought into the picture as someone who would ultimately have to sign off before moving forward. The guy did his research.

The first conversation I ever had with him centered around BYU football, around 247Sports and the work that I do there, and around how great I was for being able to balance a career and a really fun side-career at nights. We talked about sports talk radio. We talked Atlanta Braves. This guy knew a ton about me before I even shook his hand.

He was good. He was compelling. He is someone I wanted on my team.

That is the kind of confidence and swag that works on the recruiting trail. Coaches from Oregon have egos. Coaches from Utah have egos. Coaches from USC, and Alabama, and Ohio State, and USC, and every other big school BYU is recruiting against have egos. And for most high school recruits, those kinds of egos and confident sales pitches really, really resonate. When these schools miss out on a player, they are genuinely shocked and in disbeleif. They think everyone should pick their school - and they genuinely believe that too. They're really good at telling their stories.

In the end, we didn't sign with that company though. We ended up going an entirely different direction. There were a lot of factors that went into that decision, but frankly, most of those factors were being ignored during the initial sales cycle. Nobody on our side intentionally ignored them, but the sales pitch and process simply didn't allow for those concerns to even bubble to the top. The really good sales dude knew where the pitfalls were and he did a really good job of avoiding those areas.

There will always be players who see through the recruiting facade and proactively ask BYU questions and seek to hear what BYU's story is all about. That's what Bronco Mendenhall was talking about during the 'they have to recruit us' days. But in today's world, BYU has to tell their story as loudly and clearly as everyone else is telling theirs.

BYU's NFL story is a strong story and the coaches need to make sure recruits understand it.

BYU's winning history is a strong story and the coaches need to make sure recruits understand it.

BYU's coaching staff and locker room culture are attractice for almost everyone who gives it a chance. BYU's coaches need to make sure recruits understand it.

BYU has a strong story to tell, but if they aren't telling it as loudly as someone else is telling their story, then there is a large faction of recruits who will never hear it.

Find some swag and keep it rolling. And rolling. And rolling.

Oh yeah, the money thing...

NIL is a key part of all of this too. No matter how much I personally hate it, NIL falls to us fans to figure out. BYU's collectives have an appetite to give, but if donors don't have an appetite to donate, then it doesn't really matter. So, that falls to us, the fans. We have to foot the payroll bill.

I can discuss the right and wrong of that all day long, but let's just accept it as the fact that it is right now. Fans pay NIL and right/wrong doesn't matter.

As for what that means for the BYU coaches, it's not too different than what it means for recruits - what is the story?

BYU's coaches need to recruit donors with the same level of urgency as they are a five-star recruit. The coaches need to tell the BYU story and tell it loud and clear. They need to lay out the plan and vision for the future. They need to highlight the wins and the past. They need to sell every donor with a compelling pitch that makes it seem like they don't have any other choice but to donate. They need to sell.

Far too often, it seems that BYU's coaches are content to let people who want to hear the BYU story find that story on their own. But that has to change. Tell the story. Share the vision. Lay out the plan.

BYU is strong. BYU wins. BYU has always succeeded and will continue to succeed in the future.

BYU fans know the history and feel confident in the future. But sometimes, they just need to hear it from someone else who is in charge to remember.

When BYU fans remember, and when they are confident in their future, BYU fans show up, show out, and have the ability to show off. If you don't believe that's true, ask Kevin Young how he feels about BYU fans and their propensity to donate money.

Donors aren't too different from recruits - they need to be sold too.

The money is there. There is so much money potentially available that it shouldn't even need to be a thought for BYU coaches. But they have to sell the donors and tell the stories. If they don't, the money won't show up.