Incoming BYU recruit Coleby Clawson is willing to do just about anything to live his dream of playing Division I college football.

But is he willing to wait?

To college athletes, patience is not a virtue. Their athletic clock is ticking. BYU lost three quarterbacks -- Cade Cooper, Jacob Bower and Sam Doman -- to transfer in the past year, a junior college player and two freshmen who, for their own reasons, didn't want to wait their turn.

When a junior college transfer or high school senior signs a letter-of-intent, it is the culmination of years of hard work and the fulfillment of a dream. But the path to stardom in college football is often dimly lit and without handrails.

On Wednesday, thousands of student-athletes will sign letters-of-intent, including about two dozen new players headed for Provo and the BYU football program. No matter how good they think they are -- or how good they've been told they are -- they must face this fact: Few freshmen or junior college transfers make an immediate impact at BYU.

Recent numbers bear this out. Since Bronco Mendenhall took over the BYU program in 2005, only three players -- offensive tackle Dallas Reynolds, defensive end Ian Dulan and defensive tackle Eathyn Manumaleuna -- have earned a starting position as a true freshman (Reynolds was a returned missionary). A few others -- wide receiver McKay Jacobsen and defensive ends Matangi Tonga and Romney Fuga, for example -- have been able to earn a spot in the regular rotation at their respective positions.

BYU has had nine junior college starters over the past three seasons with guys like Jonny Harline, Cameron Jensen, Justin Robinson and Sete Aulai starting multiple years. Only Robinson became an immediate starter.

That's just four of 71 student-athletes -- about five percent -- in the recruiting classes for 2005, 2006 and 2007 that earned a starting role in their first year.

Those are the numbers facing this year's recruits.

Recruiting theory

In a perfect world, colleges would just recruit freshmen and they would step in when the juniors and seniors graduated. But college football is not a perfect world. There are injuries, transfers and early NFL entries. At BYU, two-year LDS missions play a huge role in how the Cougars recruit. As much as BYU coaches try to bring in freshmen and groom them to eventually take over, sometimes they are rushed into service sooner. And sometimes, BYU must look to the junior college ranks in order to fill in the gaps. Some schools use JC transfers almost exclusively -- Kansas State's rise to prominence in the 1990's under Bill Snyder used this route effectively.

Only a chosen few freshmen are tabbed for stardom immediately. At BYU, freshmen standouts include former Doak Walker winner Luke Staley and current Cougar junior-to-be Austin Collie.

"We look at filling holes, if they're a good fit for us and if they can play," said BYU recruiting coordinator Paul Tidwell. "We're going to look at high school kids first, then fill in with JC kids where we can."

A good fit is very important to BYU and its honor code. A player with great athleticism and grades may not feel comfortable in Provo.

When Mendenhall took over in 2005, several players left the program, and there have been several since then that decided BYU was not for them. If a player leaves BYU (especially if they aren't LDS) the assumption is that they couldn't handle the Honor Code or the environment, and that reflects badly on the program.

"You don't want to spend all that time recruiting someone and then not care if they leave," Tidwell said. "You want it to work out for everyone. You're recruiting every kid for a reason and a purpose. If they do happen to leave or transfer, it matters."

Under Mendehall, BYU has also gotten oral commitments much earlier than other programs around the country. By the time the Cougars have their final recruiting weekend in January, almost all of their prospects have already committed.

Wide-eyed

Freshmen have a lot to digest when they arrive on campus. There are harder classes, new roommates, unfamiliar surroundings and a much larger commitment to football. At BYU, they might also need some time to grow comfortable with the religious component of campus life.

And there's more.

"It's much more of an emotional adjustment," Tidwell said. "The players are usually pretty gung ho coming out of high school and the majority of freshmen are in pretty decent shape.

"But they have to get used to the routine, the time commitment and being away from home. The mental part is so much more important than in high school."

Manumaleuna, a true freshman in 2007 from Timpview High in Provo, ended up starting the entire year for BYU at nose tackle. Returning starter Russell Tialavea was injured during fall camp and Manumaleuna stepped into the spot. He's leaving on an LDS mission but will be long remembered for his block of a UCLA field goal to preserve a Las Vegas Bowl victory.

His high school coach, Louis Wong, wasn't surprised that Manumaleuna was ready for the big time.

"Eathyn is an example of a kid with a great attitude," Wong said. "That's why he made it. The hardest thing for kids is if they get success early, then rest on their laurels. Eathyn continued to work hard."

Wong also said there's usually a big adjustment in the difficulty of scheme moving from high school to college.

"At college, they're taking it to the next level," he said. "The speed of it all is different and freshman have to have confidence in knowing what to do."

Tidwell said freshmen must achieve the right balance.

"They've got to have the emotional and mental part with the physical part," he said. "It all goes back to how we educate them in the recruiting process. They have to be prepared for what's ahead of them."

Timpview's Michael Alisa has made an oral commitment to play at BYU. He was the only player on this year's 4A state champs to start both ways, at linebacker and running back. He's going to train as a linebacker at BYU.

"I know the speed of the game will definitely be interesting to adjust to," Alisa said. "I know one of the biggest things is to be prepared mentally. You can be the greatest player but if you don't learn the offense, you can't contribute.

"The best advice I got was from all my brothers. They told me to work my butt off and good things will happen."

The JUCO route

Clawson played with one of the country's top junior college defenses at Snow College in Ephraim. He's one of three Snow players making their way to Provo this winter, joining defensive tackle Tevita Hola and safety Andrew Rich, a walk-on.

"The biggest thing is just fitting in," said Clawson, who is a mid-year transfer and already enrolled at BYU. "It's a lot harder because they expect a lot more out of you and you work harder.

So does Clawson expect to jump right into the starting lineup?

"I played defensive end at Snow and they're putting me at linebacker at BYU," he said. "It's gonna be a whole new ball game and story for me. My plan is I'm gonna come in and work my hardest. We'll see what happens."

Clawson is a pre-med major with classes in kinesiology and chemistry. He's also married and has a month-old daughter.

"It's been really good. We have us in different lifting groups and we lift with different positions. The players have the same values and goals in mind, so it's been awesome.

"I've felt comfortable from Day 1. (Senior) David Nixon is a great leader, and coming in he's already helping me out quite a bit. When we share the same goals it's not a hard transition to come in and find where you fit in."

Tidwell said the adjustment to Division I is more physical than mental.

"My personal observation is that for JC kids, it's more of a physical grind," Tidwell said. "They're usually a little older and more mature. Most of them haven't had an off-season conditioning program or a fall camp like we have here."

It would appear BYU has become more selective with its junior college recruits. The Cougars had seven former junior college starters in 2005, Mendenhall's first year as head coach. In 2006, that number fell to four. BYU had just two former junior college starters in 2007 -- center Sete Aulai and cornerback Ben Criddle. By comparision, when BYU played Utah on Nov. 24, the Utes had six.

BYU had 22 former junior college players on its roster in 2005 and 21 in 2006. But in 2007, the Cougars had only 11.

Tidwell said the BYU coaching staff does extensive work to make sure they are recruiting the right student athletes for their system.

"Comparing us with other programs just football-wise, there's not a whole lot of difference," he said. "What's different here is we do lot of background work and research so that the transition from where they're coming from isn't as big a jump. If we get a prospect not of our faith, we need to educate them as much as we can prior to their coming out here.

"It's still a different lifestyle, but the last three years we haven't had a lot of attrition. The majority of our recruits are members (of the LDS church) and they understand what is expected."

Whether or not a freshman of junior college athlete plays in their first year doesn't just depend on how good they are. Tidwell said they give every incoming player the opportunity to prove themselves.

"It's more of a personnel issue," Tidwell said. "It depends on where our depth is in certain positions. A JC guy may need a year to get ready, same with freshmen. We never tell anyone they're going to redshirt. We just wait and evaluate. We make that determination after August camp is over with."

Which gives new players like Clawson and Alisa a chance to shine.

But patience? That seems to be the hardest thing for new student athletes to learn.

• Daily Herald Sports Editor Darnell Dickson can be reached at 344-2555 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Under Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall

BYU True freshmen starters

2005: OT Dallas Reynolds

2006: DE Ian Dulan

2007: NT Eathyn Manumaleuna

BYU First-year junior college starters

2007: None

2006: None

2005: CB Justin Robinson

No Redshirt For You

True freshmen who start and deliver in college football are rare. Here's a look at some true freshmen at BYU that made an impact immediately.

Aaron Francisco, S, 2001

Made six tackles in his debut against Tulane, including four solos

Ronney Jenkins, RB, 1996

Rushed for more than 700 yards and scored 13 touchdowns as a freshman

Luke Staley, RB, 1999

Scored 13 touchdowns his freshman year

Austin Collie, WR, 2004

Caught 53 passes for 771 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman

From JC to Starter

Here's a few junior college transfers from BYU's past that made an immediate impact.

Jason Buck, DE, 1985

The Ricks College transfer registered 11.5 sacks his first year as a Cougar

Steve Sarkisian, QB, 1995

Threw for 3,437 yards and 20 touchdowns as a rare JC transfer at quarterback

Omarr Morgan, DB, 1996

Two-time All-WAC performer earned the nickname "The Blanket"

Todd Watkins, WR, 2004

Caught 52 passes for 1,043 yards and six touchdowns in his first year at BYU