BYU football Media Day 2016 recap

PROVO, Utah – BYU football National Media Day took place on Thursday, June 30, at the BYU Broadcasting Building. Media members gathered to interview players and coaches and get a preview of the team as it prepares for its 2016 season under new head coach Kalani Sitake.

More than 70 media members registered for the event as BYU administrators, coaches, players and other members of the BYU football family participated in live TV shows, web chats and breakout sessions. From the current team, all coaches and 20 players were present.

Members of the 1996 Cotton Bowl-winning Cougars were highlighted in a BYUtv show called "BYU Football:1996 Revisited." Players from that team, along with head coach LaVell Edwards, reunited to discuss one of BYU's greatest teams.

BYUtv hosted nearly 24 hours of Media Day coverage, featuring the "State of the Program" show with athletic director Tom Holmoe, head coach Kalani Sitake and other BYU coaches and players as well as "BYU Football: 1996 Revisited." The "State of the Program" and "BYU Football: 1996 Revisited" shows were also available through ESPN3.

Below are Media Day photo, video, and audio links as well as select quotes from coaches and players.

Click here for the Media Day schedule of events.

Click here to see a behind-the-scenes video of Media Day.

Click here to see top tweets from Media Day.

Click here to see a photo gallery from Media Day.

Click here for BYUtv's Media Day interviews and web chats.

Click here to find all radio interviews from KSL.

Click here to find all radio interviews from ESPN960.

Click here to find all radio interviews from 1280 The Zone.

Click here to find all radio interviews from 1320 KFAN.

Click here to listen to Ty Detmer on BYU Radio's 'Top of Mind'.

Click here to listen to Kalani Sitake and Tom Holmoe on BYU Radio's 'Matt Townsend Show'.

Quotes from "State of the Program"

Tom Holmoe, athletic director

"This is a football team; they have a lot of football work to do. They have a lot of transitions to make, a brand new coaching staff, personalities, a lot of new characters on the team, recruits, recruiting. All those things blend together to make what's going to happen this season real."

On the schedule: "It's a little bit of a two-edged sword. We want exposure, we want access. We went across the country and tried to bring our team out to everywhere, to all the different conferences and to play the best teams in the storied programs. But in order to do that, you have to sacrifice a little bit. It's a sacrifice for our fans because of the time. But everyone across the country, that's the time they want. That's prime time. Our players want to be on prime."

On Power 5 conferences: "We're imitating a Power 5 schedule right now and being in a conference like that, but it would be a great thing for BYU football to get there."

On Sunday play: "It's something we hold very sacred. We have never played on a Sunday and we're not going to play on a Sunday."

Kalani Sitake, head coach

On his first impressions as head coach: There haven't been a lot suprises, just a lot of hard work. I've been overwhelmed by the support I've received."

On what has most impressed him from FanFests: "Just the passion and the energy that they have for our program and for BYU altogether. It's exciting for our players to get support at different venues."

On Power 5 conferences: "The fact that we're being mentioned is an honor. We're just excited about the schedule. I've been lucky to coach at a lot of Power 5 conferences and this is a Power 5 schedule. In fact, it's harder than a lot of the schedules we were a part of."

On the challenging schedule: "It doesn't scare me ... it's going to be a lot of fun."

"We're a big family. BYU's not just about one coach, it's not about one player. It's the whole unit, being a family — past, present and future. I go to work with a room full of people I call familly."

Ed Lamb, assistant head coach

"This place is special and was formative to me. I was talking to a couple of former teammates yesterday who said as they came into town they saw the stadium and got emotional. I get to live that every day."

"We want to continue to be known as a team that plays hard, that represents the church and the institution the right way and get it done the right way."

"I think football is a people business. Ty (Detmer) is a people person. He's so down to earth."

Ty Detmer, offensive coordinator

"This is my first go-around with college football. To have guys with experience to bounce things off of and ask questions, all of those things have been huge to me."

"We're all blessed to have each other and the experiences we've had in different places."

Ilaisa Tuiaki, defensive coordinator

"It's a privilege to coach these guys. I hoped that when I came back to BYU I would find a bunch of hard-working, dedicated guys. It's a privilege to coach them every day.

"We feel like we can pressue the quarterback more with four (down linemen)."

Quotes from player/coach breakouts

Taysom Hill, quarterback

"I would never wish a Lisfranc injury on anybody. But I feel between the training staff and the doctors, we've really exhausted every avenue to get healthy and recover. I'm basically doing everything with the team without limitations and the foot's responded well."

"Having the opportunity to play for Ty Detmer is a great experience. Ty clearly knows football, he's been around football for an extremely long time and had the exposure to the NFL. Knowing what it takes at that level and then to come her and share that knowledge has been invaluable to us."

"I think Kalani (Sitake) is literally the definition of a player's coach. Everything he does is to benefit us as a team and as players. We're all super competitive guys and want to win. But then there's this additional value that you're playing for because you want to take care of your coach because he's taking care of you."

On switching his jersey number to honor his brother: "I had this struggle of 'what do I do to make sure that my brother is a part of every thing that I do?' As I was driving to his funeral it hit me. I said, 'I'm going to wear his number.'"

Tanner Mangum, quarterback

On getting under center: "I've done it enough in my quarterback lifetime where it wasn't completely new, wasn't completely foreign. It just takes a litte bit of getting used to. I like it just as much as the shotgun. It give you more options. It allows you to read the defense as you're dropping back and you don't have to wait on catching the ball first. There's more versatility with the run game."

"A lot of negative things happen in general — interceptions and turnovers. You go down 35-0 in the first quarter against Utah. Tough stuff happens, so you have to say level. You have to stay confident, stay up, stay positive. Guys see that, and feed off that. I think that's an important aspect of leadership, being able to stay calm amid chaos and be able to know guys are looking to you."

"Quarterback is a cerebral position. He's (Ty Detmer) helped me to siimplify things so that I can have more control and mastery of the position."

"He (Ty Detmer) is very smart, very good at teaching. He's a teacher. He's going to help you understand things, help you process things, making sure it's simple. He's played in the NFL for 14 years. He's been around the game for a long time, so he knows how to coach it."

Jamaal Williams, running back

"I came back mostly for my team, to show them that I'm loyal to them. They love me for who I am."

"I feel really good. I didn't want to come back unless I was 100 percent."

Michael Davis, cornerback

"Last year I was tentative in tackling because I thought I wasn't big enough or strong enough to tackle those guys. With the new coaches, the way we lift and trained has helped me put on weight and feel more confident going up against bigger players. I don't have to worry about getting hurt, I just have to go hard.

Ben Cahoon, wide receivers coach

"People may say it's not a very experienced coaching staff, but it's a staff full of guys that have played the game and have gone through season upon season of ups and downs. They're guys that are steady, guys that are not emotional and that are just consistent. I have a lot of confiden"ce that we'll weather the storms well."

"I don't think it's necessary at most colleges to have a majority of coaches that have played here, but at BYU, I think it's almost necessary. It's such a valuable experience, such a valuable perspective that helps all aspects of the job, especially recruiting."

Reno Mahe, running backs coach

"I must have done something really nice before I got this job becuase I've been very blessed."

"They (the running backs) all have the ability to run the ball. I acquired a very good group. They can all run, but one of the best things is that they can all catch. They all have hands and with this offense, we're going to throw to the backs a lot. They're not just one dimensional."

Steve Clark, tight ends coach

I love the attitude of this group right now. They're just untested. Not one of them has caught a ball in a game yet. It's a challenge, but that's why you coach — for those challenges. The most fun you have coaching is watching players making plays and progressing."

Mike Empey, offensive line coach

"I'm going to try to give myself a true two-deep of 10 guys. It might take a while for some of those guys to develop. I learned from Coach French a long time ago that you need competition. If you look behind you and there's a guy pushing for your job and you feel that, you're going to elevate your level of play because you want to stay in."

Jernaro Gilford, cornerbacks coach

On what recruits think of BYU's independent status: "We show potential players our schedule. I say, 'Look, you can take any team in the nation and match our schedule up to theirs.' That matters as much as anything,"

On recruiting non-LDS players: The honor code helps us. It's not something that's just off the wall. That's something that players like, and something that parents really like. They realize they won't have to worry as much about their sons."

On depth at cornerback: "We're deep. The two through five spots are literally up for grabs. Guys should come ready to compete in the fall. We have a lot of guys to look at."

On changing to press coverage: "You're going to get beat. You're going to have trouble. You have to have a short memory. You have to have the confidence to line up again and make more plays than the opponent."