Students and alumni alike expressed disappointment in BYU-Idaho’s new logo after a promise-filled announcement.

A recent post from the school’s official social media page featured a mysterious teaser of an unrevealed logo, with a caption that read, “A moment 25 years in the making is almost here. A nod to where we’ve been and a hint to where we’re headed. Any guesses?”

The comment section quickly flooded with hopeful theories — the most popular among them: sports.

“Could the BYUI vs. Provo game have been a test run for something bigger?” one Instagram user asked, while another pleaded, “Please be sports!”

The most-liked comment on the announcement post seemed to sum up the general sentiment: “Devastating news, 10/10 biggest bait I’ve seen. Bring back sports.”

Other comments followed suit: “Wait, so all that to have BYUI adopt ‘Ricks’ as a name again?? Talk about a disenchanting outcome. Failure to deliver after that bait… oh well.”

But this was only the tip of the Tetons. An Instagram page known as @backbyuisports shared a well-thought-out analysis, breaking down the teaser and its possible ties to a future athletics program. After the official reveal, the page commented, “Sorry y’all, might have been my fault,” taking partial blame for the hype and disappointed fans.

President Meredith cleared the air about sports back in May during a question-and-answer session of an all-faculty meeting, where he reminded students and staff that there will not be a return to sports to preserve BYUI's unique mission to provide a high-quality education to as many students as possible.

Despite the backlash, BYUI’s new logo has been praised by some for paying homage to Ricks College and the surrounding geography. Others expressed relief at the continued absence of intercollegiate sports: “Unpopular opinion, but thank goodness it isn’t sports,” one Instagram user commented on the logo's reveal post.

The new logo's vintage design was posted to social media on July 15. “To celebrate 25 years since Ricks became BYU–Idaho, we’re launching an 18-month-long celebration showcasing the living prophecy that BYU–Idaho has become,” the caption read. “You’ll be seeing this limited-edition logo everywhere—from merch to events—real soon. Old school meets new school—and we’re obsessed. 💙”