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BYU Football: It’s ok to be excited for Zach Wilson. Here’s why…

By Shaun Gordon

BOISE, ID - DECEMBER 21: Quarterback Zach Wilson #11(MVP) and Head Coach Kalani Sitake of the BYU Cougars celebrate during the awards ceremony at the conclusion of the game against the Western Michigan Broncos at the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on December 21, 2018 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho. BYU won the game 49-18. (Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images)
BOISE, ID - DECEMBER 21: Quarterback Zach Wilson #11(MVP) and Head Coach Kalani Sitake of the BYU Cougars celebrate during the awards ceremony at the conclusion of the game against the Western Michigan Broncos at the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on December 21, 2018 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho. BYU won the game 49-18. (Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images) /
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While Zach Wilson’s freshman success for BYU Football mirrors that of Jake Heaps and Tanner Mangum, let’s not let their regression sour us on Wilson’s future.

Zach Wilson has already found a spot in three different record books: BYU Football’s, the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl’s, and the NCAA’s.

And he’s just a freshman who’s played half a season of college football.

His 18/18 performance in last week’s bowl game set numerous records across all three books, from the longest consecutive-completions streak to the most completed passes in a game with a perfect percentage.

In the bowl’s postgame press conference, teammate Dylan Collie told the media, “I truly do believe that [Wilson] will be one of the, if not the greatest quarterback in BYU history.”

And the predominant reaction from fans was to slam on the brakes.

That makes some sense. After all, Wilson hasn’t played a full season of college football, and he had plenty of ups and downs when he took the helm of the offense.

Plus, there have been two cautionary tales in the past decade from almost this exact same position – Jake Heaps and Tanner Mangum.

Cautionary Tales?

Both were highly touted quarterbacks who took the reins of BYU’s offense as freshman due to injuries, and both looked good in their initial seasons.

Let’s compare the three as freshmen:

  • Jake Heaps (2010) – 219/383 (57.2%), 2,316 yards, 15 TD, 9 INT, 116.2 Efficiency
  • Tanner Mangum (2015) – 267/446 (59.9%), 3,377 yards, 23 TD, 10 INT, 136.0 Efficiency
  • Zach Wilson (2018) – 120/182 (65.9%), 1,578 yards, 12 TD, 3 INT, 157.2 Efficiency

Wilson didn’t set many BYU freshman passing records, since most were broken by Heaps and Mangum, who both threw the ball a whole lot more than Wilson.

But we could point to Wilson’s completion percentage, TD/INT ratio, and efficiency rating, which are all head-and-shoulders above the other two.

Let’s set stats aside though. The real reason fans should be optimistic for Zach Wilson can’t be found on the stat sheet.

It’s his mentality.

Not About the Tools

Heaps and Mangum never progressed after their freshman seasons. In fact, they both regressed. You can blame it on the coaching, you can blame it on outside factors such as injuries or other quarterbacks, or blame it on attitude and work ethic. For both quarterbacks it was likely a mix of various reasons.

But neither one of them fulfilled their potential. Both lost their jobs to other quarterbacks. And thus two of the biggest recruits in BYU’s history didn’t live up to their billing.

Heaps never lost his physical tools, but played worse after his freshman year. Mangum battled a shoulder injury, but his tools never faded as much as his play did.

For both of them it was all about mentality.  Go back and watch their film. Heaps developed happy feet and never looked comfortable in the pocket. The same is somewhat true for Mangum, plus he started misfiring on the same types of throws he could make in the past.

Their confidence faltered, and they were never the same.

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Apples and Oranges

And the same thing could happen to Wilson. Injuries could derail his career. So could any other myriad of things. Nothing in sports is guaranteed.

But Zach Wilson has confidence in spades. He’s not afraid to make any type of pass. He’s not afraid to take a hit. He has a gunslinger mentality that Cougar fans haven’t seen since Max Hall.

That’s why it’s ok to be excited for Wilson’s future as BYU’s quarterback. He has the confidence. He has the physical tools. He has the work ethic.

Let’s not let the bad taste from the Heaps and Mangum sagas sour us on Wilson’s potential.

Will he become the greatest quarterback in BYU history as Collie suggested? Who knows.

But right now the future looks bright, so let’s just enjoy the ride.

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