Rumors spread like wildfire across social media and fan message boards over the weekend that BYU athletic director Brian Santiago could be fired. It wasn't true. But did it add to the speculation? KSL Sports BYU Insider Mitch Harper breaks down what happened, how BYU's athletic department took the unusual step of having Associate AD for Communications Jon McBride post directly on CougarBoard to officially shut down the speculation. Santiago, who was named BYU's athletic director in May 2025 after Tom Holmoe's retirement, was spotted on the sideline at a BYU women's soccer game over the weekend and was at fall camp practice on Monday in a navy blue bucket hat. Co-worker Tyson Hutchins confirmed BYU created the official message board account earlier this year as a way to meet fans where they are — and called the rumor "ridiculous." In his first year leading the department, BYU finished No. 25 in the Learfield Directors' Cup Standings, the highest-ranked athletic department in the Big 12. Mitch shares his thoughts on the situation. Mitch shares his observations and notes from BYU football fall camp as the Cougars enter their second week of practice at the Student Athlete Building. True freshman wide receiver Legend Glasker continued to flash with the first-team offense, catching a deep ball from Bear Bachmeier during the media observation window. The tight end duo of Walker Lyons and Roger Saleapaga is emerging as a focal point of BYU's 12-personnel packages, with both making plays in team drills. Kelly Poppinga is settling into his first fall camp as defensive coordinator, and Kalani Sitake has praised the overall team speed as a noticeable improvement from a year ago. Mitch unpacks what he's seeing on both sides of the ball as BYU prepares for a season opener against Utah Tech on September 5. Subscribe to the Cougar Tracks Podcast to stay up-to-date with all the daily episodes. Cougar Tracks is on YouTube and X every weekday at Noon (MT), and KSL NewsRadio at 6:30 p.m. (MT). Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cougar-tracks/id1146971609 YouTube Podcast: https://kslsports.com/category/podcast_results/?sid=2035&n=Cougar%20Tracks Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2NCF1KecDsE2rB1zMuHhUh Download the KSL Sports app Google: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bonneville.kslsports&hl=en_US iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ksl-sports/id143593 Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper. Want more coverage of BYU sports? Take us with you wherever you go. Download the new and improved KSL Sports app from Utah’s sports leader. Allows you to stream live radio and video, keeping you up-to-date on all your favorite teams.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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