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PROVO — The open secret around BYU’s campus is officially out of the bag.
BYU offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes confirmed that the Cougar quarterback race is down to two, with senior Tanner Mangum and true freshman Zach Wilson contending for the starting role with just over two weeks left until the season opener Sept. 1 at Arizona.
The duo had been separating themselves since the latter part of the first week of fall camp, and distinctly set themselves apart from a group that includes sophomore Joe Critchlow and freshman Jaren Hall while taking the bulk of the reps a week ago.
But Mangum and Wilson will receive most of the reps with the first- and second-team offenses until a starter is finalized, Grimes said.
"Those two guys have been neck and neck since the day we started, and have out-performed all the other guys," said Grimes, who was brought in last December to replace former BYU quarterback Ty Detmer as offensive coordinator. "They'll get all the reps with the ones and most of the reps with the twos."
Quarterbacks coach Aaron Roderick said the two stood out in Saturday's closed-door scrimmage, largely for two reasons: They didn’t commit a single turnover, and that both threw identical 16-of-21 passing lines.
"They played well," Roderick said. "I thought they were efficient — we had zero turnovers, which is a big deal. That was a huge point of emphasis all spring, and will continue to be. If we continue to take care of the ball like that, we are going to have a chance to win, no matter what."
Roderick added that Critchlow and Hall took the competition cut-down “like real professionals,” and that he anticipates at least one of them being used to help BYU during the 2018 season.
But cut-down day is hard — and the next one will test Roderick, Grimes and the rest of the offensive coaching staff in charge of picking a started before heading to Tucson, Arizona.
"It’s making my job tough. They’ve been very, very sharp," Roderick said of Mangum and Wilson. "We’ve got a lot of work to do still, but I’m impressed with both of them, with the way they push each other and the way they work together.
"We’ve got a good group of quarterbacks."
Mangum has the experience edge. A two-year starter who burst on the scene in 2015 as a freshman, the senior-to-be missed the final three games of the 2017 season with a torn Achilles’ tendon.
But even the elder statesman with 5,158 yards passing and 34 touchdowns has had to learn from his younger competitors.
"It always pushes everyone to be at their best," Mangum said. "You can’t take days off, or plays off. Every play counts and every rep matters.
"That’s good for us and good for the team, as well."
For Wilson, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound signal caller from Corner Canyon represents youth, speed and a mix of the run/pass balance in a starting quarterback that BYU had as recently as two years ago under Taysom Hill.
Wilson threw for 2,986 yards and 24 touchdowns — and added 758 yards and eight scores on the ground — while leading the Chargers to the Class 5A state semifinals as a senior in 2017. But once the season ended, the former Boise State commit selected the Cougars over scholarship offers from Oregon State, Cal and Iowa, among others, before passing on his senior season of basketball and enrolling in Provo in time for spring camp.
And it’s a move he doesn’t regret, the son of former Utah defensive lineman Mike Wilson said. Zach Wilson has already learned a lot in his eight months at BYU.
"You see all of the quarterbacks pushing each other every day. I think the competition is there," Wilson said. "If someone had it easy and knew they were the guy, he wouldn’t be pushing every day. It helps."
But the competition isn’t over.
"Me and Tanner are going to push each other to do the best we can," Wilson said. "I know someone else who is not in the running will try to do more to try to get there, too. You can’t stop pushing for everybody."
