Bronco Mendenhall
Bronco Mendenhall went 148–99 as a head coach, 2005–2026, at BYU, Virginia, New Mexico and Utah State. Share
- Record
- 148–99 career
- Seasons
- 20
- Schools
- 4
- Final AP top 10
- 0 seasons
- Born
- Feb 21, 1966
- Best season
- 2009 11–2, No. 12
Season by season
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | BYU | 6–6 | T–2nd | Las Vegas Bowl L | ||
| 2006 | BYU | 11–2 | 1st | Las Vegas Bowl W | 16 | |
| 2007 | BYU | 11–2 | 1st | Las Vegas Bowl W | 14 | |
| 2008 | BYU | 10–3 | 3rd | Las Vegas Bowl L | 25 | |
| 2009 | BYU | 11–2 | 2nd | Las Vegas Bowl W | 12 | |
| 2010 | BYU | 7–6 | T–3rd | New Mexico Bowl W | ||
| 2011 | BYU | 10–3 | Armed Forces Bowl W | 25 | ||
| 2012 | BYU | 8–5 | Poinsettia Bowl W | |||
| 2013 | BYU | 8–5 | Fight Hunger Bowl L | |||
| 2014 | BYU | 8–5 | Miami Beach Bowl L | |||
| 2015 | BYU | 9–4 | Las Vegas Bowl L | |||
| 2016 | Virginia | 2–10 | T–6th (Coastal) | |||
| 2017 | Virginia | 6–7 | T–4th (Coastal) | Military Bowl L | ||
| 2018 | Virginia | 8–5 | T–3rd (Coastal) | Belk Bowl W | ||
| 2019 | Virginia | 9–5 | 1st (Coastal) | Orange Bowl L | 25 | |
| 2020 | Virginia | 5–5 | 6th | |||
| 2021 | Virginia | 6–6 | T–3rd (Coastal) | |||
| 2022–23: not a college head coach | ||||||
| 2024 | New Mexico | 5–7 | T–5th | |||
| 2025 | Utah State | 6–7 | 7th | Famous Idaho Potato Bowl L | ||
| 2026 | Utah State | 2–4 | ||||
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table.
Players he coached
Every player from his seasons with a Heisman top-five finish, a national award, consensus All-America honors or a first-round pick. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 45 | 10–35 | 22% |
| Against top-10 teams | 15 | 1–14 | 7% |
| Against rivals | 44 | 26–18 | 59% |
| Conference games | 114 | 69–45 | 61% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 15 | 7–8 | 47% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 81 | 44–37 | 54% |
| At home | 121 | 92–29 | 76% |
| On the road | 108 | 48–60 | 44% |
| At neutral sites | 18 | 8–10 | 44% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 149 | 113–36 | 76% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 98 | 35–63 | 36% |
His own 247 games on file, 2005–2026, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Whittingham 2005–2015 | 3–7 | Utah | 10 | |
| Gary Patterson 2005–2011 | 2–5 | TCU | 7 | |
| David Cutcliffe 2016–2021 | 6–0 | Duke | 6 | |
| Troy Calhoun 2007–2025 | 5–1 | Air Force | 6 | |
| Justin Fuente 2014–2020 | 1–5 | Memphis, Virginia Tech | 6 | |
| Mike Sanford Sr. 2005–2009 | 5–0 | UNLV | 5 | |
| Rocky Long 2005–2012 | 5–0 | New Mexico, San Diego State | 5 | |
| Gary Andersen 2009–2013 | 3–2 | Utah State, Wisconsin | 5 | |
| Mack Brown 2011–2021 | 3–2 | Texas, North Carolina | 5 | |
| Paul Johnson 2012–2018 | 3–2 | Georgia Tech | 5 |
Bronco Mendenhall’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Utahseries | 11 | 3–8 |
| Utah Stateseries | 10 | 8–2 |
| San Diego Stateseries | 8 | 7–1 |
| Air Forceseries | 8 | 7–1 |
| UNLVseries | 8 | 7–1 |
| Colorado Stateseries | 7 | 6–1 |
| New Mexicoseries | 7 | 6–1 |
| Wyomingseries | 7 | 6–1 |
How he was hired
Power-conference head-coaching hires since 2010, with each coach’s previous job and ties to the school as collected by hand from Wikipedia: Hiring facts: M. Schuckers, cfb_coach_analytics.
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989–90 | Oregon State | Graduate assistant | |
| 1991–92 | Snow | Defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach | |
| 1993 | Northern Arizona | Defensive backs coach | |
| 1994 | Northern Arizona | Co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach | |
| 1995 | Oregon State | Defensive line coach | |
| 1996 | Oregon State | Defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach | |
| 1997 | Louisiana Tech | Defensive backs coach | |
| 1998–2001 | New Mexico | Defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach | |
| 2002 | New Mexico | Assistant head coach, defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach | |
| 2003–04 | BYU | Defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach | |
| 2005–15 | BYU | Head coach | |
| 2016–21 | Virginia | Head coach | |
| 2024 | New Mexico | Head coach | |
| 2025–present | Utah State | Head coach |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Dave KragthorpeOregon State
- Steve AxmanNorthern Arizona
- Jerry PettiboneOregon State
- Gary CrowtonLouisiana Tech, BYU
- Rocky LongNew Mexico
Assistants who became head coaches
- Patrick HigginsPurdue, William Penn
- Paul PetersonSnow, Utah Tech
- Joe DuPaixSouthern Virginia
- Ruffin McNeillTexas Tech, East Carolina
- Rod SmithIllinois, Jacksonville State
Worked under (5)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Kragthorpe | Oregon State | 1989–90 | Graduate assistant | |
| Steve Axman | Northern Arizona | 1993–94 | 1993: defensive backs coach; 1994: co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach | |
| Jerry Pettibone | Oregon State | 1995–96 | 1995: defensive line coach; 1996: defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach | |
| Gary Crowton | Louisiana Tech | 1997 | Defensive backs coach | |
| Rocky Long | New Mexico | 1998–2002 | 1998–2001: defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach; 2002: assistant head coach, defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach | |
| Gary Crowton | BYU | 2003–04 | Defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach |
Coached under him, later head coaches (5)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Higgins | BYU, 2005–10: outside receivers and special teams coach; Virginia, 2016–17: analyst | Purdue, William Penn | |
| Paul Peterson | BYU, 2006: graduate assistant | Snow, Utah Tech | |
| Joe DuPaix | BYU, 2011–12: running backs coach and recruiting coordinator | Southern Virginia | |
| Ruffin McNeill | Virginia, 2016: assistant head coach and defensive line coach | Texas Tech, East Carolina | |
| Rod Smith | Virginia, 2021: offensive assistant | Illinois, Jacksonville State |
Other assistants under him (11)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| Brandon Doman | BYU, 2005–10: quarterbacks coach; 2011–12: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| Brian Mitchell | BYU, 2005: defensive backs coach | |
| Jeff Grimes | BYU, 2005–06: offensive line coach | |
| Robert Anae | BYU, 2005–10: offensive coordinator and inside receivers coach; 2013–15: assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and inside receivers coach; Virginia, 2016–21: offensive coordinator and inside receivers coach; Utah State, 2026: offensive coordinator | |
| Jaime Hill | BYU, 2006–10: defensive coordinator | |
| Jason Beck | BYU, 2007: graduate assistant; 2013–15: quarterbacks coach; Virginia, 2016–21: quarterbacks coach; New Mexico, 2024: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| Nick Howell | BYU, 2007: intern; 2008–09: graduate assistant; 2010: outside linebackers coach; 2011–12: special teams and defensive backs coach; 2013–15: defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach; Virginia, 2016–21: defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach; New Mexico, 2024: defensive coordinator; Utah State, 2025–26: defensive coordinator | |
| Kelly Poppinga | BYU, 2009: intern; 2010: graduate assistant; 2011–12: linebackers coach; 2013–15: special teams and linebackers coach; Virginia, 2016–17: special teams and outside linebackers coach; 2018–20: co-defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach; 2021: co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | |
| Shaun Nua | BYU, 2009: intern; 2010–11: graduate assistant | |
| Vic So’oto | BYU, 2015: intern; Virginia, 2016: graduate assistant; 2017–19: defensive line coach | |
| Kevin McGiven | Utah State, 2025: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.
Pay
| Year | School | Job | Contract pay | State payroll | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Utah State | head coach | $2,130,700 | ||
| 2017 | Virginia | head coachbonuses up to $2,165,000; buyout $17,425,000 | $3,400,000 USA Today | ||
| 2016 | Virginia | head coachbonuses up to $2,445,000 | $3,275,000 USA Today |
USA Today’s coaches salary database (2014–17, from public-records requests to the schools; Rachel Ehlers’ copy): the season’s contract pay, school pay plus outside money, before bonuses.
Transparent Utah: wages and incentive awards paid in the fiscal year from July to June, shown against the season inside it; benefits left out.
Contract pay and the state payroll differ by design: one is the season’s contract, the other what the state paid in a calendar or fiscal year, so a December hire’s short first year, bonuses and camp money paid as special payments, and pay that ran on after he left all show in the payroll.
Pay of public employees in their public job only: head coaches, and assistants in the seasons our records name them a coordinator, at public universities.
How he coached
Mendenhall’s teams went for it on 20% of fourth downs and on 35% of those where the model said go for it, passed on 53% of plays and took 24.5 seconds a play, 2005–2026.
| Season | School | Went for it on fourth | When the model said go | Pass rate | Seconds a play | EPA a play | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 11 g | BYU | 16 of 78 21% | 44% | 59% | 24.3 | +0.05 | |
| 2006 11 g | BYU | 9 of 59 15% | 30% | 55% | 26.8 | +0.14 | |
| 2007 12 g | BYU | 16 of 85 19% | 32% | 51% | 25.0 | +0.01 | |
| 2008 13 g | BYU | 10 of 68 15% | 34% | 56% | 25.5 | +0.08 | |
| 2009 13 g | BYU | 12 of 68 18% | 24% | 50% | 26.5 | +0.13 | |
| 2010 13 g | BYU | 21 of 94 22% | 29% | 47% | 22.7 | −0.05 | |
| 2011 13 g | BYU | 16 of 85 19% | 40% | 50% | 24.9 | +0.01 | |
| 2012 13 g | BYU | 28 of 104 27% | 48% | 53% | 24.1 | −0.02 | |
| 2013 13 g | BYU | 21 of 132 16% | 26% | 42% | 18.9 | +0.05 | |
| 2014 13 g | BYU | 22 of 103 21% | 42% | 50% | 20.7 | +0.05 | |
| 2015 13 g | BYU | 20 of 99 20% | 36% | 59% | 23.9 | +0.06 | |
| 2016 12 g | Virginia | 22 of 106 21% | 32% | 60% | 23.6 | −0.09 | |
| 2017 13 g | Virginia | 28 of 117 24% | 44% | 61% | 25.4 | −0.10 | |
| 2018 13 g | Virginia | 13 of 81 16% | 29% | 45% | 28.8 | +0.04 | |
| 2019 14 g | Virginia | 16 of 97 16% | 37% | 59% | 28.1 | +0.04 | |
| 2020 10 g | Virginia | 24 of 81 30% | 37% | 54% | 24.4 | +0.07 | |
| 2021 12 g | Virginia | 19 of 79 24% | 42% | 66% | 24.0 | +0.19 | |
| 2024 11 g | New Mexico | 17 of 73 23% | 38% | 48% | 24.0 | +0.21 | |
| 2025 13 g | Utah State | 14 of 101 14% | 26% | 53% | 24.2 | +0.11 | |
| 2026 6 g | Utah State | 11 of 47 23% | 33% | 54% | 25.4 | −0.15 | |
| All 242 g | 355 of 1757 20% | 35% | 53% | 24.5 | +0.05 |
His seasons as a head coach from 2004 on, from ESPN’s play by play: fourth downs where he went for it out of every fourth-down decision; how often he went when SportsDataverse’s fourth-down model said going for it was the better call; the share of his offense’s plays that were passes; seconds of game clock per offensive play (lower is faster); and expected points added per offensive play (EPA, a measure of how much each play moved the offense toward points). The season in progress counts its games so far. SportsDataverse’s coach tendencies, from ESPN’s play by play; the EPA and the fourth-down model are SportsDataverse’s.