Hate to see Jake go but BYU will be ok! (Casey)

Now I know that on November 14th I stated that I did not belive Jake Heaps was going to transfer. Boy was I wrong. On Monday December 5th Jake Heaps and BYU parted ways. I know it is going to be sad to see that potential go away but FEAR NOT Cougar Fans because I feel that BYU will be just fine in the future. The QB position at BYU has alot of history behind it and with it comes it own share of scrutiny from fans. But BYU has a great set of Quarterbacks at the school that will step up in the wake of Saint Jake leaving and do just fine. Lets go over who is in the program right now and who will be coming in the near future.

• First we have the starter Riley Nelson. Now I know he isn't the best Pocket Passing QB in the country, and I know his arm isn't as strong as Jakes was but this guy is a winner. Since he came in for Jake in the second half of the Utah State game he has gained 1467 yards passing and 16 TD's to 5 Picks. He is the third leading rusher on the team with 376 yards and has gone 6-1 as a starter (not including the Utah State game). Now I know some will argue that it was against lesser opponents, but he will have 1 year as a starter, he will be a SR, he will have the trust of his teammates, an offseason knowing he will start and a coaching staff who belives in him, something Heaps i belive never got. BYU also has some backups in the wings that are good and will be servicable if Riley were to get injured.
• James Lark is a 6-2, 200lb Junior this year who by most accounts during spring ball this year had the best arm and was the most impressive out of all the QB's, that includes Jake.
• Jason Muns is a 6-5, 250lb Sophomore this year who is a freak of nature, now he hasnt got much playing time but with his huge stature (for a QB) he should in my mind get a shot somewhere on the field i.e. LB or TE.
• Alex Kuresa is a 5-11, 160lb Freshman this year that has been on the practice squad and in an interview I heard Bronco gave to Greg Wrubell of KSL, Bronco said people are going to be suprised at what Alex can and will be doing in the future at BYU.

Now those are some of the names that are already in the program. Let us take a look at 2 of the recent commits to BYU and what they could possible be bringing. Now keep in mind these guys are young and the info I have is from there high school playing days but from all accounts they should be good.

• First one I want to mention is a 3 star recruit out of Idaho named Taysom Hill. He is 6-2 210lbs. He originally commited to Stanford but chose to go on an LDS mission and decided to transfer to BYU and play. In 2008 he was the Idaho 5A player of the year and a Gatorade All American. In 08 he threw for over 2000 yards and 18 TDs as well as rushed for over 1500 yards and 24 TDs. He comes home from his mission sometime in December and will enroll in BYU in January. From what I have seen in him he is alot like Riley in that he is a duel threat but the major difference is he can throw the ball downfield and is accurate. Look for him in spring ball to make some noise and compete for the backup spot with Lark.
• The other BYU commit I want to mention is 4 star recruit Tanner Mangum out of Idaho as well. Tanner is 6-3 210lbs and is the #2 Pro Style QB in the country according to Rivals.com. Tanner in 2011 went to the ESPNHS Elite 11 camp and won the most accurate passer award multiple times and in doing so held on the the Yellow Jersey for most of the camp. He was also voted Co-MVP of this camp. He has been selected to the Under Armor All-American team and will compete with some of the best incoming freshman in the country. In his Senior Year he went 238-332 and gained 3,433 yards passing. He also had 33 TDs to 9 Picks. He is going to serve a Mission for the LDS church after High school so Cougar fans your going to have to wait at least another 2 years to see him.

So although a great talent like Jake Heaps is leaving I can promise Cougar fans that the QB position is alive and strong at BYU and will be in the future.