BYU Football: Is there really a battle for the starting QB job?

It seems like just about every season in the last decade there has been debate as to who the quarterback should be for BYU Football, but it appeared different this year with Zach Wilson, but is it?

This is a question that some BYU fans probably love and some BYU fans probably hate. The question of the starting quarterback has come about in recent years. There was the 2016 season when Taysom Hill returned from injury and Tanner Mangum was coming off his excellent freshman year. There was the 2018 season when Tanner Mangum was recovering from injury and a down year. There have been years prior, but this year was when fans thought it would not be a question. Is it though?

This is not any type of criticism towards Zach Wilson. At all. This is a compliment towards both him and Jaren Hall. While no official word has even come out about Hall even being the backup quarterback, it is clear that he is the frontrunner after a very impressive spring season.

With Wilson hurt this spring, it has cleared the way for Hall to make a name for himself, to show what he can do, to be relevant. And isn’t that what we want? A relative backup quarterback?

Kyler Murray deserves thanks in this. The star, two sport Heisman winning, top 10 MLB draftee caught the football (and sporting world) on fire with his athleticism and ability. Now Hall is hearing comparisons to Murray by some BYU fans because of play making ability on the football field and his impact on the diamond. This makes Hall the “It” guy right now on the football team despite Wilson going 18-18 in the bowl game.

But let’s talk about what really matters here; their ability to play the most important position in sports.

Zach Wilson is coming off a year that saw him go 4-3 as a starter, including an 18-18 perfect performance in a bowl victory over Western Michigan. However, his best game may have been the first half against Utah where he was 20-29 with 2 touchdowns and had maybe the best half of football to that point.. Wilson gave BYU fans hope again in a rivalry that has gone the other way too many times, eight in a row to be exact.

He was (is) the light of the team for the back half of last year. He is the dual threat quarterback that we have longed for. He has the swagger, the arm, the leadership, and is only going into his sophomore season.

Hall’s case is less proven. He went 12-14 in the spring practice that was open to the public, including 2 passing touchdowns, a 69-yard rushing touchdown that was called back due to a penalty, and led the offense to four total touchdowns on all four of his drives. Also, this was not against BYU’s first team defense.

So, is there a race? In my opinion, there shouldn’t be. Wilson is the guy who gave us so much last year. While it is excellent to have a capable backup, Wilson should be the unanimous starter. But who knows, maybe come fall, Jaren Hall will be so impressive that we have to at least think about him.