The young Mendenhall was coming out of Snow College, fresh off a JUCO national championship, and wanted to play at BYU. His father, Paul, and older brother, Matt, had both been Cougars. But BYU wasn’t interested in the younger Mendenhall.

Utah State introduced its new football coach at a press conference Monday morning in Logan. Proximity to family was a big reason Mendenhall said chose to leave New Mexico and take the Utah State job.

Mendenhall, a Utah native who coached at BYU for more than a decade, may be a man who needs no introduction in the Beehive State.

Utah State has hired New Mexico coach Bronco Mendenhall, the university announced Friday. The 58-year-old coaching veteran is coming off a 5-7 record in his first year with the Lo