Bronco Mendenhall to coach BYU until after the Las Vegas Bowl

BYU football suddenly needs to find a new head coach, as Bronco Mendenhall surprised the college football world and accepted the head coaching job at the University of Virginia on Friday. The Cougars will have a unique and challenging search ahead of them, but at least they won't be without a headman immediately. In his press conference Friday evening, Bronco Mendenhall made it clear exactly when he'd be formally taking over the duties in Charlottesville....after the Las Vegas Bowl.

Bronco: I think my players know who I am and they currently are my priority. Says he won't do anything w/ UVa until after Vegas Bowl. #BYU

— Jarom Jordan (@jaromjordan) December 5, 2015

That's potentially frustrating news if you're a Virginia fan, since it means Mendenhall is waiting to get really into recruiting or assembling a staff, but it's great news if you're a BYU fan. This means the program doesn't need to worry about a messy leadership change while preparing quickly for a bowl game, or having to worry about giving the job to an interim coach should they spring an upset.

The Las Vegas Bowl would also present the chance for Mendenhall to earn his 100th win with BYU, an achievement that could be made even more special if it happened to come against Utah, a possible opponent in the bowl.

We'll have more info on BYU's coaching search as it happens.