Morning Banner: ARod Says Hello and Goodbye

Aaron Roderick was an assistant at Brigham Young University for less than 24 hours before he had second thoughts and informed Bronco Mendenhall of his desire to stay at the University of Utah.

This is not the first time Roderick has agreed and then backed out of a coaching change. This situation is substantially similar to the one that took place with the University of Washington just a short time ago. Roderick was offered, accepted, and then rejected the call from the Huskies. Does it strike me as odd? Sure. Is it off-putting? Arguably, yes. Does Kyle Whittingham have some sort of incriminating photos that keep Roderick from jumping to another job? MAYBE SO! Do I give him the benefit of the doubt? Yes.

I have made my fair share of poor decisions and struggle to find fault with the decision-making of others. Life decisions are oh so tough and should never be analyzed in a vacuum. No one knows all the facts that went in to Roderick's decision. For whatever reason, he decided it was best for his family to stay in Salt Lake City and continue coaching the Utes. I would have loved to have him at BYU and am disappointed it did not work out. I wish him and his family the best and his current employer nothing but blowout losses.

Position coaches are important cogs to the success of a program. However, it would be hard to see the difference between Aaron Roderick and whomever BYU ends up hiring being more than illusory. The question: Does Ben Cahoon get a second look? And would he be willing to remain on the staff after such a pass-over? If not, who else is on the radar? Robert Anae's desire to go after a guy like Roderick shows the type of aggressiveness that could very well warrant a surprise hire in the future. I would not be surprised if this situation turns out to be a boon rather than a bust.