On February 22, 2013, the Brigham Young Cougars received a verbal commitment from Trey Dye to sign a letter of intent next year to play college football in Provo. Dye saw limited playing time in 2012 at Cooper High School in Abilene, Texas. He isn't even on the radar for the major recruiting services.
Normally, this would illicit weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth from the Cougar fan base. Cries of "why is Bronco Mendenhall wasting a scholarship on this kid?" typically reverberate from outspoken fans for a prospect with Dye's profile. Dye, however, is an exception. He is a diamond in the rough.
Rivals.com and Scout.com don't have a rating for Dye, but 247sports.com already has Dye as a 2-star prospect with a player rating of 79. In the class of 2014, he is considered the 125th best wide receiver in the nation and the 153rd best player in the talent rich state of Texas. These ranking should improve dramatically with a strong senior season, assuming 247sports.com continues to watch him now that he has committed to BYU.
Dye has two intangibles that give him a lot of upside: speed and strength. Dye runs a 4.5 second 40-yard dash. According to Rivals.com, he benches 285 and squats 360. This combination of speed and strength should make up for a lot of what he lacks in size.
Two middle of the pack Big XII teams and one Conference USA team in Texas were the only other schools to show interest in Dye before BYU made its offer. As this diamond in the rough begins to shine next year, expect many more teams and some of the elite in college football to try and persuade Dye to renege on his commitment. At this point, all signs indicate that Dye will stay true to his commitment no matter who else shows interest.
With Cody Hoffman and JD Falslev exiting after this next season, that will leave some room for Trey to move in. Dye will have a great opportunity in 2014 to learn from some veteran wide receivers, including Ross Apo.
The Editor appreciates all feedback. He can be reached via email at bluecougarfootball@gmail.com
Normally, this would illicit weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth from the Cougar fan base. Cries of "why is Bronco Mendenhall wasting a scholarship on this kid?" typically reverberate from outspoken fans for a prospect with Dye's profile. Dye, however, is an exception. He is a diamond in the rough.
Dye's family tree also helps his cause with Cougar Nation. He is the son of James Dye--one of the most electric return men in BYU football history. James led the nation in punt returns as a junior with a 21.9 yard average in 1995, he returned four punts for touchdowns in his two-year career, and had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. James also had a key fourth quarter touchdown catch in BYU's 19-15 Cotton Bowl win over Kansas State. There are a lot of fond memories of the fan favorite James Dye
and hopefully we’ll see the same or greater production from his son.
While being the son of a BYU legend contributes to Trey's diamond in a rough status, it hardly tells the whole story.
As a junior in 2012, the 5-foot-9, 175 pound athlete logged 214 yards receiving, 211 yards rushing, and 28 yards in punt returns. Although he only averaged 17.8 yards receiving per game, he had to compete for play time with three seniors on a run-first team. That being said, he was fourth on the team in receiving yards and third on the team in rushing yards.
Dye's stat line should be much more impressive as a senior. He is the only returning player with more than two receptions and 15 yards receiving on his team. Only one other player returns with more rushing yards.
Although his touches were limited (44 total--16 receiving, 24 rushing, and 4 punt returns), Dye scored three touchdowns, averaged 8.79 yards per carry, and broke off a 64-yard run in 2012. His coaches see that Dye has big play potential and help explain why he was given playing time despite an abundance of talented seniors. The Cooper Cougars were a good team last year (9-3). Seeing limited playing time on a good team is a lot different than seeing limited playing time on a bad team.
While being the son of a BYU legend contributes to Trey's diamond in a rough status, it hardly tells the whole story.
As a junior in 2012, the 5-foot-9, 175 pound athlete logged 214 yards receiving, 211 yards rushing, and 28 yards in punt returns. Although he only averaged 17.8 yards receiving per game, he had to compete for play time with three seniors on a run-first team. That being said, he was fourth on the team in receiving yards and third on the team in rushing yards.
Dye's stat line should be much more impressive as a senior. He is the only returning player with more than two receptions and 15 yards receiving on his team. Only one other player returns with more rushing yards.
Although his touches were limited (44 total--16 receiving, 24 rushing, and 4 punt returns), Dye scored three touchdowns, averaged 8.79 yards per carry, and broke off a 64-yard run in 2012. His coaches see that Dye has big play potential and help explain why he was given playing time despite an abundance of talented seniors. The Cooper Cougars were a good team last year (9-3). Seeing limited playing time on a good team is a lot different than seeing limited playing time on a bad team.
Rivals.com and Scout.com don't have a rating for Dye, but 247sports.com already has Dye as a 2-star prospect with a player rating of 79. In the class of 2014, he is considered the 125th best wide receiver in the nation and the 153rd best player in the talent rich state of Texas. These ranking should improve dramatically with a strong senior season, assuming 247sports.com continues to watch him now that he has committed to BYU.
Dye has two intangibles that give him a lot of upside: speed and strength. Dye runs a 4.5 second 40-yard dash. According to Rivals.com, he benches 285 and squats 360. This combination of speed and strength should make up for a lot of what he lacks in size.
Two middle of the pack Big XII teams and one Conference USA team in Texas were the only other schools to show interest in Dye before BYU made its offer. As this diamond in the rough begins to shine next year, expect many more teams and some of the elite in college football to try and persuade Dye to renege on his commitment. At this point, all signs indicate that Dye will stay true to his commitment no matter who else shows interest.
With Cody Hoffman and JD Falslev exiting after this next season, that will leave some room for Trey to move in. Dye will have a great opportunity in 2014 to learn from some veteran wide receivers, including Ross Apo.
Although Trey Dye’s future is still uncertain at this point,
including when he will serve a mission, it is great to have this guy coming down the pipeline. He’s
still got his senior year left as a Cooper Cougar to wear red and blue, but it’ll
be great to have him in as a BYU Cougar in the blue and white!
The Editor appreciates all feedback. He can be reached via email at bluecougarfootball@gmail.com
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