There was much joy and rejoicing in the streets of Provo (and across the world surely) when San Diego State’s Athletic Director stole Craig “The Hair” Thompson’s thunder and announced the signing of a deal with DirecTV to nationally distribute the Mtn. For the first time, people as far away are the Mid-west and Texas will be able to see what appears to be football games from the 1970’s. Continue Reading »

He’s an Eagle scout and returned missionary. He was an honor student in high school. He was his high school’s conference MVP in both football and basketball. He ran a 4.5 forty. In track he was conference champion in the long jump and triple jump. His football jersey was retired when he graduated. He was recruited by nearly every team in the PAC-10, but he was never contacted by BYU. Today, he’s a BYU team captain. Who is he?

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(Update: 9:50 AM Feb. 28th)

Some scout/reporter reactions:

“One mid-round prospect who stood out to me was Bryan Kehl of BYU.  He ran a 4.68 and weighed in at 242 pounds.  Kehl also put up 26 reps on the bench.  He had a very good 3-cone time of 6.88 seconds.  Fast? Yes.  Strong? Yes.  Quick, agile? Yes.  Very impressive showing.  I find this kid really fascinating.  He had three sacks and three interceptions this year.  He is a talented playmaker.” - Tommy Lawlor -Philadelphia Eagles

“His 40 time (4.65) was faster than most scouts expected.” -Tony Pauline (Sports Illustrated.)

“BYU’s Bryan Kehl with a 4.64 40yd and an outstanding last 10 yards.” -Chris Horwedel - NFL Draft Blitz

“There’s a lot of interest in Kehl, who seems to have immense physical talents. He was one of the top performers for the linebackers at the 40 and the bench press, and did fairly well in the other timed drills as well. What helped him the most though may have been his instinctive reactions during the linebacker drills. Yes, he went to a Mormon school so he is older (24) but that tells me he won’t be doing anything stupid to jeopardize himself or the team.” -Jack Gonzo

“Bryan Kehl … has flown under the radar but was very quick and explosive today in linebacker drills. He was very light and fluid on his feet, and he keeps good balance while changing directions. “- Wes Bunting - CowboyBlitz.com

Kehl is going through the tests today and I’ll post the number as they come available:

26 reps on the bench (5th overall of linebackers) - Great number for people who were wondering about his strength. One more than Beau Bell, the 250 lbs middle-linebacker out of UNLV.

Official 40 time of 4.68 (9th overall of linebackers) - Good number. He said he would run a 4.6 and he did. His unofficial time was 4.64 both times. He looked very fluid in this and in the drills. The commentators were very impressed by him.

Measured in at 6 2′ 1/4 and 242 lbs.

34 inch vertical (tied for 3rd)

9′11″ broad jump (tied for 4th)

6.88 3-cone (5th)

4.23 20-yard shuttle (5th)

Can’t find any information for the 60 yard shuttle on him. Overall a very, very impressive day for Kehl. I’d guess around 4th round (+ or - 1 round.)

Official press release can be found here.

Other good news is that its not exclusive, so the Mtn. can continue to try to get on Dish.

BYU finished last season as the #14 in the country. Crumple up all your old newspapers: any other week besides the final poll doesn’t count. With a full season of games under the belt, we learned that BYU was one of the top 14 programs in the country when all is said and done. In conference, BYU proved nearly impossible to stop and defeated two PAC-10 teams. With football season over in the NFL, they turn to the meat market also known as the “Combine” to find the next big thing. You would think BYU would have a handful of players attending the combine. You’d be wrong. Just one. Continue Reading »