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One week into Fall Camp and it appears that the BYU starting QB battle is getting whittled down even further.
After news came out that Beau Hoge has switched over from QB to RB, QB Coach Aaron Roderick told Hans Olson on 1280 The Zone that Senior Tanner Mangum and Freshman Zach Wilson are now taking a “majority” of the reps with the first team, while Joe Critchlow and Jaren Hall are “battling just a little bit behind” them.
Media members noticed during Monday’s media portion that Mangum and Wilson were taking a majority of the snaps during the 11-on-11 portion.
Zach Wilson has been one of the stars of camp thus far, as he’s hit multiple receivers in stride on long throws. Here are a few examples below:
: True freshman QB Zach Wilson (@zachkapono) goes over the top to Talon Shumway for the TD pass during today's session of @BYUfootball fall camp pic.twitter.com/L3xTZaOO3T
— Brandon Judd (@brandonljudd) August 7, 2018
: Zach Wilson (@zachkapono) hits Micah Simon (@micahsimon_) for the 40-yard TD on Day 1 of @BYUfootball fall camp pic.twitter.com/yzXUL8pPNz
— Brandon Judd (@brandonljudd) August 3, 2018
Wilson also weighed in on the QB competition:
"I’m just focused on myself. I mean, I really don’t have much to lose. I’m 18 years old" — QB Zach Wilson (@zachkapono)@AJeffreyCall with the latest on BYU's QB competitionhttps://t.co/2LA7O2cOQN pic.twitter.com/BxirdYVLVH
— Brandon Judd (@brandonljudd) August 8, 2018
Wilson may more highlight-worthy plays in the media viewing sessions thus far, but he will likely have to be head-and-shoulders ahead of Mangum if he wants to be the starting QB week one. With Tanner’s experience and recovery since his achilles surgery, he’s the safe bet to be the starting QB week one versus Arizona.
We may not find out who the starting QB is until BYU takes the field versus Arizona, as Roderick stated that coaches may elect to not publicly announce their decision before the game.
You can listen to Roderick’s entire interview here.