PROVO, Utah – Nevada takes on BYU this Saturday afternoon and there will be one player on the opposite side of the field that decided to experience college away from. That player is BYU senior linebacker Kyle Van Noy. Van Noy was a four-star recruit in Reno and led his McQueen High School team to the 4A state title right on the very field he will be playing this Saturday.
Out of high school, Van Noy was recruited by the likes of Arizona, Arizona State, Boise State, Colorado, BYU, Cal and a few others; but he chose the Cougars. An odd fit to the extent that Van Noy was of the LDS faith but growing up his actions did not always go in line with what the religion taught.
Even more odd is that Van Noy was busted for a DUI the day before signing day in 2009, and he elected to delay his enrollment at BYU despite other schools wanting to sign the talented player.
One school that definitely that was not going to get Van Noy, before or after his DUI, was the Nevada Wolf Pack. He made that clear speaking to the media on Monday.
"No, not at all," Van Noy said when asked if even considered attending Nevada. "I didn't really like it there and wanted to get out."
The way he said how he did not want to stay at home seemed more like he wanted to experience life outside of his hometown and get away from what he had always known, and not spiteful toward the school.
Van Noy even joked Monday afternoon that he changed his phone number multiple times and probably will see and speak to people he hasn't seen since he left high school. Getting away and heading to BYU is possibly what he needed to get back to the faith he was raised in, and BYU's Honor Code would help him keep focused. That could be why he decided to stick to his commitment.
Nevada could have used a player like Van Noy to anchor their defense over the past few years, and who knows how many more games he could have helped the Wolf Pack win.
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