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BYU head coach Kalani Sitake talks with SUU head coach Demario Warren after the Brigham Young University Cougars defeated the Southern Utah University Thunderbirds 37-7 on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016 at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo. ISAAC HALE, Daily Herald

Isaac Hale, Daily Herald

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Southern Utah head coach Demario Warren yells out to his players during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, in Missoula, Mont. Montana defeated Southern Utah, 43-20. (AP Photo/Patrick Record)

Patrick Record

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BYU football’s newest additions to its defensive coaching staff have been immediately put to work, and if first impressions mean anything, both of them should fit right in.

At least in the estimation of BYU associate head coach Sione Po’uha’s perspective, who spoke glowingly of how both DeMario Warren and Lewis Walker presented themselves during initial coaching functions, which are already underway as the team prepares for its spring practice session.

“We had a little film session this morning, and just to kind of see the depth and really the views of both of those coaches,” Po’uha observed. “It just brings a great wealth of knowledge of experience to the defensive staff, and to be able to talk to boys and really see what their take on it probably is the most important part.”

Warren was announced as BYU’s new cornerbacks coach and defensive passing game coordinator in mid-January, before he slid over to assume the responsibility of coaching the safeties, while maintaining his coordinating duties. The reason was the hiring of Walker, who joined the Cougar staff earlier this week, at least formally, and he’ll be coaching the cornerbacks after arriving to Provo from North Dakota State, where he served in the same capacity.

But as Po’uha mentioned, it’s not so much how the coaches work with the staff’s two most recent additions, but how the players respond.

“You talk to the players, they respond really, really well to both of their coaches and their positions,” Po’uha continued. “So (I’m) super excited to see them kind of take their rooms and run with it, and have us all learn from them as a whole. But just having that perspective and the depth of knowledge that they’ve had have really been really enlightening to our room, and then when you talk to our players, it’s even more of an impact, and they’re super excited as well.”

As far as Justin Ena is concerned, he generally shares Po’uha’s opinion while adding a bit more regarding Warren specifically. Ena joined BYU’s staff in 2023 as linebackers coach and received a promotion to be the team’s special teams coordinator as part of the recent shifts within the defensive staff in the wake of both Jay Hill and Jenaro Gilford taking jobs at Michigan.

“I don’t know Lewis as much, but I can talk about Demario Warren for this whole time if I need to,” Ena said. “Me and Demario coached together for six years at Southern Utah, (and he’s) a great, great football coach, a brilliant defensive back mind, and above that, probably a better human being than I’ve ever been around with. I consider him a brother. He is a good, good man. The guys have a an incredible mentor…I think we got the best of the best, and he’s going to help us a ton defensively.”

As far as Warren is concerned, joining BYU’s staff is all about the culture established, along with the opportunity to coach with former coaching colleagues like Ena, along with newly-promoted defensive coordinator Kelly Poppinga, who he coached with while at Boise State.

“Culture Kalani is built. I mean, when he explained the vision to my wife and I was something that we felt like we couldn’t really pass up,” Warren said. “They’ve obviously been winning games. But when you talk to people within the coaching staff, when you talk to players, it’s just the culture, the way they treat people, the way they have just created a place and environment where people want to get here and then stay here. And so I’ve seen it from afar for a long time. And so that was an exciting opportunity for us to be able to join the family.”

As for Walker, he echoed Warren’s sentiments, although he hasn’t been nearly as familiar with the Cougar coaching staff, in general.

“First and foremost, it was like just the community, obviously having a familiarity with a lot of the guys on the staff from me being a player,” Walker, who played both high school and college football in the state of Utah, said. “And then again, like Demario said, it’s just a vision of a family atmosphere here, and how everybody is all together, and how Kalani provides that atmosphere for everybody to have time for their family…I’ve known it for a while, and then just have the opportunity to come up to this level, was just a great opportunity for myself as well.”

Both coaches will begin their work in earnest when the Cougars open spring practices in about a month’s time. But as for both first and lasting impressions, both of them seem to have fit the bill.