This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Provo • Texas coach Mack Brown and BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall have become close friends while attending various functions sponsored by apparel and footwear giant Nike over the years, but one of the winningest active coaches in college football rarely lets a visit go by without mentioning — in jest, Mendenhall believes — how the BYU coach stole one of Texas' top recruits.
His name is Ross Apo.
"Most of the time when something is said like that, there is a little sting behind it. But I am glad Ross is with us," Mendenhall said.
Apo, BYU's starting redshirt freshman wide receiver, originally committed to Texas as a junior at The Oakridge School in Arlington, Texas, but changed his mind the summer before his senior season. He committed to BYU during that famous news conference at Iggy's Sports Bar in downtown Salt Lake City that also featured Jake Heaps and linebacker Zac Stout.
Saturday, Apo will be one of Heaps' primary targets when the Cougars clash with the Longhorns in front of more than 101,000 fans at Royal-Memorial Stadium (5 p.m. MDT, ESPN2). Apo caught four passes for 46 yards and a touchdown in BYU's 14-13 win over Ole Miss last week.
Monday, Apo told reporters that letting Brown know he was no longer interested in attending Texas was not a pleasant experience.
"It was the worst [phone] call of my life," he said. "It took me forever to call him. I kept practicing in the mirror. It was hard. He wasn't too happy, either. ... They tried to get me to change my mind. They wouldn't take no for an answer."
Apo is one of seven Texans on BYU's roster, joining Teu Kautai (Arlington), Cody Monsen (Brownwood), Manaaki Vaitai (Euless), Brandon Ogletree (McKinney) and Michael Yeck (Keller).
"I can't wait to go home, see all my friends, and a couple guys I used to play with. It will be fun," Apo said. "I played with some of [Texas' defensive backs]. They are fast, and they are good. So we are going to have to be perfect in this game."
While Apo caught a touchdown pass in what amounted to his BYU debut (he actually played in last year's opener against Washington, but didn't catch a pass and suffered a season-ending hand injury a few practices after that game), he also struggled against the Rebels. Apo was out of position several times, forcing Heaps to call timeouts.
"He is learning, maturing, growing," Mendenhall said. The opener was "just a nice reference point to start from. But he's certainly capable, and will just kind of continue to learn and grow as we go."
Apo said the touchdown reception is something he will never forget.
"Just like any other dude that gets his first touchdown, I was excited," he said.
Apo, who was ranked by Rivals.com as the 13th-best receiver in the nation his senior year, said he will try to use his history with Texas as motivation in Saturday's game.
"I am sure there are a lot of people that don't like me down there, so that is going to make me play harder," he said.
Twitter: @drewjay —
Ross Apo file
• Ranked No. 13 prep receiver in the nation out of The Oakridge School in Arlington, Texas, by Rivals.com
• Invited to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl
• Offers from Cal, Nebraska, Texas, Missouri, Tulsa and others out of high school
• Averaged 19.1 yards per catch in three-year prep career
• Caught 4 passes for 46 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 14-13 win over Ole Miss —
BYU at No. 24 Texas
P Saturday, 5 p.m.
TV • ESPN2