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Kelly Poppinga once aspired to be a major college football coach, and he’s living the dream now, tutoring BYU defensive ends and coordinating special teams, an art form as a game inside the game he loves.
Poppinga is an affable, friendly personality who takes his job seriously, and the results with his special teams play this past season were key in BYU’s 11-win season and Cotton Bowl victory over Colorado.
He’ll take it.
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And he’ll keep plugging on as BYU’s spring drills come to a close.
But he’s also a guy who doesn’t forget where he came from and who helped him get to where he is now, having coached in the ACC, at Boise State and the Big 12.
His mentors?
There are many that he is grateful for.
“He did it at a high level and I think that’s how he turned BYU’s program around. He’s been able to coach a lot of very good players over the years and develop it through those characteristics.”
— Kelly Poppinga on Bronco Mendenhall
I asked him to single out a few who’ve impacted his career.
At the top of the list is current Utah State coach Bronco Mendenhall, who gave him his first crack at coaching, elevating him as a former player to a role as graduate assistant in his regime before hiring him full-time as part of the Cougars defensive staff.
“When I started this profession, I had a great group of guys, great coaches around me to help me, guide me and teach me the ropes. There was Bronco, Paul Tidwell and even Lance Reynolds, although he coached on offense, and I’d also say offensive line coach Mark Weber.”
Poppinga said these veterans took him under their wings.
“I’m 43 years old now and there are some young coaches coming up that don’t have the…
Source link : https://www.deseret.com/sports/2025/04/01/kelly-poppinga-counts-bronco-mendenhall-among-his-mentors/
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Publish date : 2025-04-01 19:15:00
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