'I'd rather not go': Bronco Mendenhall not looking forward to UNM return

LAS VEGAS — When Bronco Mendenhall was asked about a key date in his future, he took some time to look back at a key date in his past.

At the time that the 59-year-old announced he was leaving his post as the head coach at BYU for Virginia in 2013, it was pointed out to him that both teams were scheduled to play each other in the then-near future. There, in the middle of a tearful press conference, Mendenhall made one thing clear: he didn’t want to play the Cougars. Ever.

“I don’t know how I’d handle it,” he said then.

But time passed. Despite his best pleas — there was a real attempt to cancel the game — Mendenhall returned to BYU as the head coach at Virginia in 2021, a crowd of 57,568 greeting him generously on a warm October night. He later admitted that his mind drifted on the sideline, away from a game he never wanted to play and back towards “cherished memories” with the Cougars.

“It will be similar, fresher — and I’m not sure easier — (to) what I’m going back to,” he said Thursday at Mountain West Media Days.

Mendenhall said this all with the understanding that it is, in some ways, happening again. After leaving New Mexico in December, the schedule has him set to return on Oct. 25 — this time as Utah State’s head coach. Whether he receives a generous greeting from the crowd at University Stadium remains to be seen.

But asked about it Thursday, Mendenhall once again made it clear: he’s not looking forward to it.

“I’m sure there’s all different kinds of sentiments about me in Albuquerque, and I understand — not ideal. Ultimately, I’ll honor those players, the ones that are still at New Mexico, by being supportive and loyal and helpful to them in anything they do in life. And I hope they know that.

“I’ve shared that with them, and I’ll be doing the same thing with the kids at Utah State. I would rather not play the game, and I’d rather not go — just to be honest. However, it’s required.”

Describing his short tenure with the Lobos as “magical,” Mendenhall reiterated that his decision to leave was not influenced by anything other than proximity to family. The Utah native added that his 94-year-old mother, Lenore, was put on hospice shortly after he was hired to coach the Aggies.

“I get to see her every Sunday, which I never imagined at this stage in my career … I’ve always treated ... my players and view them as family,” he said. “And I think they sense that, and it’s real. Ultimately, this was kind of choosing between two families and I think, well, my hope was the players would understand that.”

At least two players seemed to. UNM’s Gabe Lopez and Richard Pearce — the team’s player representatives at Media Days — both said they understood Mendenhall’s departure and wished him no ill will.

“When he left, me and him had a great long talk, we hugged it out,” Lopez said Wednesday. “I told him, ‘hey, if that’s best for you — just like all these players are leaving, you should go do what’s best for you. There’s no bad blood or lies. That’s how I feel.”

They even went one step further. Mendenhall said he had just arrived at Circa Resort & Casino for the league’s head coaches meeting Wednesday when Pearce and Lopez walked in.

“Out of their way, just to say hello,” Mendenhall said. “And, I don’t know, as a coach or as a parent, the chance to connect and it being initiated by your sons or your daughter … I’m not sure anything else matters on this visit to me. That was magical, and was certainly reason enough to have coached at New Mexico.

“I’m grateful to those two for showing leadership, but also the expression of just understanding, to seek me out. I expect them to play fiercely hard and great, not only against us, but (throughout) the entire season.”

After a two-year hiatus from coaching, Mendenhall was hired by UNM in December 2023. He compiled a 5-7 record in his lone season with the program, notably beating No. 18 Washington State for the Lobos’ first win over a ranked opponent in 20 years.

But Mendenhall referenced a different win in his time at UNM as one of the best in his career: ironically, a last-minute 50-45 triumph over Utah State to cap a three-game win streak, a victory that left Mendenhall visibly emotional during a postgame interview with the Mountain West Network.

“In terms of just the comeback and (being) on the road and the kind of late season run we were putting together, and to see how happy those players were,” he said. “I still remember (UNM wide receiver) Luke Wysong coming up and hugging me, he said, ‘I’ve never been part of a win like this at New Mexico,’ and the locker room celebration.”

“(Now) we’re practicing and we’re working out on that same field, and I know the exact spot where I’m having kind of a sentimental moment (and) someone puts a microphone in my face. And like, now I’m the other coach … I have fond memories being on that field everyday, even though I wasn’t Utah State’s coach.”