Grimes: “Tanner and Zach are the two guys”; BYU QB race officially down to two

After many had speculated that the BYU QB race had been whittled down to two guys, offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes confirmed the news late Monday afternoon.

“We’ve narrowed it down to two guys,” Grimes told the media. “We feel like Tanner (Mangum) and Zach (Wilson) are the two guys we’re gonna concentrate our reps on. Those two guys have been neck and neck since the day that we started.”

Grimes also stated that freshman Jaren Hall is competing with Joe Critchlow for the third-string spot.

The news comes two days after BYU completed its first scrimmage of Fall Camp. Grimes said Mangum and Wilson “pretty much had the same day” at the scrimmage and that there were zero turnovers on the day.

What does this all exactly mean? Personally, I believe that coaches are seriously considering Zach Wilson as the starting QB. Wilson has been great during camp, and the athleticism he brings gives another dimension to the offense. The fact that coaches haven’t named Mangum, a senior with 21 games of starting experience, the starter yet over a true freshman means that Wilson is impressing coaches. If Mangum is named the starter game one, he will likely be on a short leash due to how well Wilson has performed.

Grimes’ full comments, courtesy of Jay Drew of the Salt Tribune, can be viewed below.