BYU football: Tanner Mangum named BYU starting quarterback over Zach Wilson

Tanner Mangum will be BYU’s starting quarterback.

After starting fall camp in early August with a 4-man QB race, senior QB Tanner Mangum will be BYU’s starting QB versus Arizona. BYU released its official depth chart late Friday afternoon.

True freshman Zach Wilson impressed during spring ball and fall camp, but coaches ultimately went with the senior who has 21 games of starting experience under his belt.

Tanner will be the starter when BYU comes out versus Arizona, but how long will his leash be? With his 2017 performance and Zach Wilson’s emergence, Tanner will presumably have a short leash. Just how short is the question.

Will coaches start Tanner for most of the season, regardless of performance, in order to preserve Zach’s redshirt? Remember, a player can play up to any 4 games in a season while preserving his redshirt.

Or, will coaches give the reigns to the true freshman if Tanner struggles early?

Whatever the case may be, BYU starts a brutal stretch with four P5 teams in the first five games.

Here’s to hoping Tanner can recapture some of that magic from his freshman season and have a redemptive senior year!