BYU options are very limited by effectively requiring that the coach be LDS with temple recommend. And there’s a few potential NBA options, but noise is that BYU wants guys from the college game.
So that basically narrows it down to
- Mark Madsen: Likely the top choice, but has a huge buyout (and we know how fiscally conservative BYU is) and just put out a tweet saying he’s committed to Cal (guessing timing on that isn’t a coincidence)
- Chris Burgess: Probably the #2 choice, his big strength is recruiting and connections inside the state…which is great given that Utah is producing some high quality recruits in recent years. He’s also (by virtue of having recently been there) the best bet at retaining as much of the BYU core as possible, including Collin Chandler (the highest rated recruit in BYU history and from a family that supports Utah). If Burgess isn’t hired, there’s a real chance Chandler flips to Utah or even Kentucky
- Bareet Peery: Currently an assistant at UNLV, he’s less connected to the program and players than Burgess and is probably the third option as a result. He does have the advantage of having been a head coach (at Portland St, but still more than Burgess) and has been an assistant at Utah, Arizona St, Texas Tech, and UNLV so lots of experience. Downside is the aforementioned lack of continuity and that he’s also nearly a decade older than Burgess
After those three, you get into really unlikely options – NBA Video Coordinators, non-LDS options, local high school coaches.
So if Madsen is out (which it sounds from his tweet that he is), then Burgess is probably the favorite. And if he’s offered the HC job (and a large raise), it’s extremely unlikely Burgess would turn it down (nor should he). So it’s not that there’s any reporting that it IS happening, more just reading the tea leaves to see that it’s very likely to happen
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