Vanquish The Foe, a BYU Cougars community

As a freshman, Heaps set new standards for BYU freshmen quarterbacks in almost every statistical category. He won a bowl game and was named the game’s MVP. Joining the club appears to be there for the taking.

If Heaps is going to be the next great BYU quarterback, a former BYU great says Heaps needs to play like JImmer Fredette. Ty also gives the scoop about how close he was or wasn't to being a BYU assistant Coach. He talks about his family and professional life building a football program at St. Andrew's in Austin, TX. If you are going to the BYU game vs. Texas in Austin, he also gives his recommendations for where to eat.

Did Bronco Mendenhall’s comments really change the quarterback situation last week? No. They were simply more of the same rhetoric that has been going around for the last three months. The quarterback competition is still open. Yet, somehow, while still being noncommittal about a 2011 starter, Mendenhall found a way to diffuse this issue without saying anything substantive or conclusive. It was genius.

BYU QB Jake Heaps had a rough start to his college career. The start was so rough that 2/3 of the way through the season, this site questioned: Is Jake Heaps the worst Brigham Young Cougars freshman quarterback ever? Now that the final 1/3 of the season, plus a bowl game, has been played it is time to do justice. Is Jake Heaps the best BYU freshman QB ever?

The Brigham Young Cougars’ true freshman quarterback Jake Heaps had his much anticipated breakout game against UNLV last Saturday. Heaps finished the day with 19 completions on 31 attempts (61.3%) for 294 yards and 2 touchdowns. His pass efficiency rating was 162.25. In reality, this stat line represents what should be a "typical day at the office" for a BYU quarterback, but for this true freshman, it was a breakout game for several reasons.

You can add USC transfer Uona Kaveinga (6-0 245 LB) to the Class of 2011 as well. He's working out with the team and will have two years to play two. So what prizes are still out there for the Cougars? Here's a look at the top guys still on the board who BYU has offered. Kasen Williams (6-2 195 WR) Skyline (Issaquah, Wash.) Austin Seferian-Jenkins (6-7 245 TE) Gig Harbor (Wash.) Harvey Langi (6-1 208 RB) Bingham (South Jordan, Utah) Brennan Scarlett (6-4 245 DE) Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.) Taniela Tupou (6-2 260 DE) Archbishop Murphy (Everett, Wash.)

My one concern about BYU's impressive and promising incoming class has nagged me for months, though. Wednesday's lunchtime ceremony and Mendenhall's explanations didn't totally soften that edge. It's been well documented how one incoming BYU player, highly touted quarterback Jake Heaps, has been a recruiting service all his own. He is supposed to be a really good player, maybe even right away. He wanted really good players around him. Makes perfect sense. He went out and texted them, befriended them -- all within the rules -- and courted several kids to Provo. Call these cases, "Heaps of Faith." Heaps held a "commitment" ceremony over the summer. A lot of people in blue cheered the deal in Salt Lake City. A lot of people (some in blue, but mostly others who root for rivals) rolled their eyes. But there was a very admirable quality about the over-the-top orchestration: Joined by some other future Cougars, he appeared genuinely thrilled to share the spotlight and even deflect it to his new friends. Cougar recruiting coordinator Paul Tidwell quipped a couple of days ago that he hopes he isn't soon out of a job because of Heaps. Let's hope, for everyone's sake, that this unusual strategy works out. We all know players in this class, like any other, will drift in varying orbits. Injuries, playing time availability and, of course, those two-year missions will present plenty of helter-skelter scenarios just like any other year. I absolutely love that Mendenhall mocks nerdy reporters like myself, recruiting-service geeks and even his own fan base for questioning his recruiting strategies. Truth is, none of us have a clue -- or any real perspective -- about the scene.

Rivals' highest-rated quarterback (No. 63 overall) is Jake Heaps, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound drop-back passer from suburban Seattle who has already enrolled at BYU. With the departure of three-year Cougars star Max Hall, Heaps, a consistent and accurate passer, will be one of four thus-far untested quarterbacks competing for BYU's starting job this spring. "Heaps is probably the most ready to play in college," said Newberg, "but he needs to get bigger." Others aren't so keen. SuperPrep's Allen Wallace said Heaps is "a guy that's polished, but you wouldn't say he was stupendous." Luginbill, whose service doesn't ranks Heaps on its ESPNU 150 list, calls him a great fit for BYU's controlled passing offense but questions his potential. "As we looked at [Heaps] and studied him, we felt like he was going to be same guy five years from now that he is today," he said.

The principal actors in this spring's drama: Riley Nelson: A Parade All-American out of Logan who played one year at Utah State and whose transfer to BYU helped establish new NCAA legislation for missionary athletes. A great athlete, solid leader, he's already established an audience in the locker room and field for his work ethic, attitude, personality and dedication.