Tanner Mangum answers questions after Taysom Hill named BYU Football’s starting QB

Tanner Mangum spoke to media for the first time Thursday, after news broke Wednesday that Taysom Hill would be BYU’s starting QB.

Judging (very scientifically) by the feel of Twitter, not many were too surprised by this. Taysom is your veteran senior (like so veteran, people are comparing him to Methuselah). He’s making this triumphant return, he looked so good against Nebraska, he’s Heisman-caliber.... Yes, yes, yes all of these things are true, but that’s not what this article is about.

How is our backup QB turned starter turned backup feeling? (Tanner Mangum, in case you didn’t keep up with me on that.) Is he surprised? Feeling sorry for himself? We got all the answers to those questions and more in a quick recap from his remarks.

OK let’s do this in list format:

1. Was he surprised? No.

2. What’s Tanner’s main concern in all this? Winning games. Taysom’s too.

3. Are there any hard feelings between Tanner and Taysom? Absolutely not.

And let me reiterate here, this has always been the case, since fall camp started. Even before Fall Camp, one of our Cougs on Cougs Notable Quotables came from Tanner at Media Day re the “QB controversy.”

“Competition brings out the best out of everyone,” he said. Sounds like that still holds true. So don’t you worry your pretty little heads about a locker room divide or anything of the sort.

4. Does losing the starting job have Tanner thinking about taking his talents elsewhere? Tanner thinks that idea is laughable. Literally. He laughed.

5. Does Tanner being the backup (that’s what Sitake and Detmer said he would be) mean he’ll work any less hard? Does this question even merit an answer?

And in case you need some actions to back up those words... Sean Walker said Tanner was the last player off the field Thursday. Here he is getting in a little extra work with Nick Kurtz:

I rest my case. Feel free to leave your Taysom/Tanner thoughts and opinions in the comments below!