M
MarsAt least according to the local media it is. They have already dubbed the new starter. The guy who will be taking over in 2010 for departed senior QB Max Hall is: None other than freshman Jake Heaps. All Hail The Annointed One!!
BYU quarterback battle: Is one separating from the pack? http://www.ksl.com/?nid=272&sid=10123776
" The players, however, are starting to see one player emerge. Senior Brian Logan, who received Sports Illustrated All-American honorable mention recognition as a junior, has defended against each of the quarterbacks so far in spring practice, and he said Heaps is starting to separate himself from the pack. "I'm really impressed with Jake and his arm, accuracy and just his decision making," Logan said. "Now I understand why he was the No. 1 quarterback coming out (of high school). And it shows. I'm just excited he's on our team." Pretty high praise from a defensive back who has defended the likes of TCU's Andy Dalton, NFL prospects Sean Canfield (Oregon State), Sam Bradford (Oklahoma) and his former teammate, Max Hall. So what is it that is so impressive about the true freshman? "I think just his poise," Logan said. "He doesn't seem like a freshman at all. He seems 10 steps above the game, maybe that he's a junior or a senior. He doesn't carry himself like he's a freshman, and I think that's what makes him stand out... I would just say that Jake stands out to me the most," Logan said. "I think his poise and his attitude make him stand out." ...Quarterbacks Coach Brandon Doman said.. he has also been impressed with Heaps. "Jake is just a young phenom. He's got a long way to go to be a college quarterback," Doman said. "But just to be able to come out in this environment and be as successful as he's been is really unique." Doman added that the reason Heaps has been so successful in camp is his natural ability to pass the ball. "He can drop back and launch the ball around the field, which the other two guys can't quite do it the way he does it. But they're still pretty adequate that way," said Doman before noting that the hype surrounding Heaps' recruitment was warranted. "I would say every minute in recruiting was worth it."
BYU football: Coaches like what they see from Jake Heaps
" "Jake is far beyond his years. For an 18-year-old young man, he should be 18 right now, but he's not. He's acting like a 23-year-old veteran," said Doman. "That's very unique. That's his No. 1 strength right now â his maturity and confidence for how young he is. It allows him to succeed out there. He's also been trained well. Credit his coaches who have trained him through the years. He's got a long ways to go to understand the offense and efficiently move the team around," Doman continued, who didn't get his first start at quarterback at BYU until late in his junior season. "There's a lot of things we put on the quarterback. We're not going to decrease that for him. We'll still expect him to do all those different things that we need to happen for this offensive scheme to work.. We need to make sure that if Jake's the starter, that we're 100 percent confident that we're on our way to a championship with him." Just a little more than a week into spring practice, coach Bronco Mendenhall likes what he's seen from Heaps. "It's hard to remember sometimes that he's a true freshman," Mendenhall said. "He's a true freshman that's practiced with us five days. For him to be performing the way that he is, I've been very, very impressed. Not to say James and Riley aren't doing a good job. To me, just the thought that he's a true freshman and five practices in the spring and he has the poise and the confidence and execution that he has so far has been impressive." "
Heaps impresses again Tuesday
" Freshman quarterback Jake Heaps looked like a seasoned veteran Tuesday, engineering an 83-yard touchdown drive in a two-minute drill. He completed 7-of-7 passes that culminated with a short touchdown toss to Spencer Hafoka. During that drive, he completed passes to O'Neill Chambers, Matt Marshall, Marcus Mathews, and McKay Jacobson. "
Spring practice report: Heaps shines again
" The more the Cougars do their 11-on-11 scrimmages, the more a pair of freshmen stand out: Jake Heaps and Joshua Quezada. Heaps was nothng short of brilliant on Tuesday, going 7-for-7 for 83 yards in a two-minute drill. He completed passes to OâNeill Chambers, Matt Marshall, Marcus Mathews and McKay Jacobson on the drive and then threw a short TD pass to Hafoka. Seriously, Max Hall did it no better. Riley Nelson and James Lark mostly just handed the ball off when they got their turns, but Mendenhall said that was âreally just coincidenceâ and that nothing should be read into the which plays are being called for which quarterbacks. âThe plays being called [through six practices] have been almost identical for the three quarterbacks, other than a little bit more run stuff for Riley because thatâs maybe a little bit more of his strength,â Mendenhall said. âMaybe it is just because of the success rate of the bigger plays downfield, that [Heaps] might get more of those [play] calls.â Still, if the starter had to be named right now, I would be surprised if it was not Jake Heaps. "