BYU football: The Cougars’ three most important players in 2017-18

Junior Quarterback Tanner Mangum

It seems like the new trendy thing among BYU football fans is to question whether or not Tanner Mangum is good.

The schedule was weak in 2015-16. He got lucky. Last season he didn’t look great.

I’ve heard it all, and every bit of it is ridiculous.

Mangum went from stepping off the plane, returning from his LDS mission, to chucking Hail Mary touchdowns. He played his way into football shape, learned the playbook on the fly, and finished the season with more passing yards than any other freshman in BYU football history. Not to mention his pedigree speaks for itself. He’s hung with the best in the nation since high school.

Mangum is so important for the Cougars this season. His backups don’t have much collegiate experience, so an injury would be very problematic. He’s also got a full year in Ty Detmer’s offense, and a full year working with his wide receivers. If he plays to the level I think he can (about 300 passing yards per game), he’s going to be looking at a 4,000+ yard season.