There is some speculation out Utah way about former UVA coach Bronco Mendenhall and the open job at Navy, which parted ways with long-time football coach Ken Niumatalolo on Sunday.
Niumatalolo was 109-83 in 16 seasons at Navy, but since the 11-2 record in 2019, which ended with a win in the Liberty Bowl and a Top 20 finish in the national polls, the Middies had won a total of 11 games over his final three seasons, including a 4-8 finish in 2022.
Niumatalolo, like Mendenhall, is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Mendenhall stepped down at Virginia after posting a 36-38 record in six seasons, taking the program from a 2-10 finish in his first season, 2016, to an Orange Bowl berth in 2019.
Mendenhall was 99-43 in 11 seasons as the head coach at BYU, and would seem to be a good fit, from an organizational perspective, at a place like Navy, with his success at schools that can be difficult from a recruiting standpoint.
One issue would be assembling a staff. Mendenhall had largely brought his BYU staff with him across the country to Virginia when he took that job in 2015, but after his departure from UVA, they’ve scattered to the winds.
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Chris Graham
