What could have been for BYU if Jake Heaps didn’t transfer


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

PROVO — A recent Yahoo! Sports blog listed current Kansas and the heralded former BYU quarterback Jake Heaps as one of six transfers who could have an impact this coming college football season.

This makes me wonder: What could have been if he had never transferred from BYU?

Before we preview the 2013 version of the BYU Cougars, one cannot look past the magical season that was 2012. Led by junior quarterback Jake Heaps and the nation’s third best defense, BYU posted one of the best years in its history, suffering just one loss, busting the BCS for the first time, and culminating in an Orange Bowl win over Florida State and finishing fifth in all the polls.

What could have been for BYU if Jake Heaps didn’t transfer

After struggling in 2011 and momentarily losing his job to the fiery yet less talented Riley Nelson, Heaps rededicated himself before last season and showed why he was the highest-rated quarterback coming out of high school. Taking advantage of the multiple weapons at his disposal, Heaps became just the fifth quarterback in school history to throw for over 4,000 yards.

His 36 touchdowns was the third-best total behind Jim McMahon’s record-setting 47 in 1980 and Ty Detmer’s 41 in 1990. He also protected the football, throwing just eight interceptions. That was a key stat in tight wins over Utah, Boise State, Notre Dame and San Jose State where BYU won the turnover battle.

Offensive coordinator Brandon Doman utilized Heaps accuracy and arm strength to produce two 1,000-yard receivers in Cody Hoffman and Ross Apo in addition to a 1,000-yard rusher in freshman Jamaal Williams.

The two biggest question marks for the offense after last year’s incredible run was a) would Heaps return for his senior season and b) how would the offensive line reload?

Heaps put BYU fans' minds at ease quickly after the Orange Bowl, saying with one of the most difficult BYU schedules assembled in 2013, he wanted one more year to try to lead BYU to a national title. Meanwhile, the offensive line will definitely be a question mark this upcoming season, but with all the playmakers returning, Doman’s offense is sure to be explosive once again.

A year ago, BYU was just flat out dominant defensively. Led by the emergence of Ziggy Ansah, the No. 5 overall pick by the Detroit Lions in this year’s NFL draft, and outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy, who will be a first round pick in the 2014 draft, the Cougars were the nation’s No. 3 overall defense. In addition, the team finished second in the country against the run, 10th against the pass and third in scoring defense, giving up just 14 points per game.

What could have been for BYU if Jake Heaps didn’t transfer

Ansah will be tough to replace, but BYU feels sophomore Bronson Kaufusi is ready to step up into his shoes. The return of Eathyn Manumaleuna will also help bolster the defensive front. Despite losing both inside linebackers, the return of outside backers Van Noy and Spencer Hadley assures that they will dominant once again. The secondary should also be solid as long as they can find a replacement at boundary corner for Preston Hadley. Add in that head coach Bronco Mendenhall is perhaps one of the best defensive masterminds in college football, there is no reason this cannot be a top 10 defense once again.

The schedule is definitely much more difficult than a year ago, playing the likes of Texas, Utah, Georgia Tech and Boise State at home and tough road games at Virginia, Utah State, Wisconsin and Notre Dame. However, with Mendenhall’s stout defense and Doman’s explosive offense, the Cougars should be in every single game.

And if BYU could run the table, it’s not out of the question that the team could live up to its senior quarterback’s bold prediction — a spot in the BCS title game. A dream Heaps has had since he arrived as a confident freshman four years ago …

Too bad that dream ended up as a nightmare for Heaps and many others. Kevin Graham co-hosts Gunther and Graham 3 p.m.-7 p.m. on 1320 KFAN. He is also the founder and editor of sportsmashup.com. You can follow him on Twitter @KevinGrahamKFAN and like him on Facebook (SportsMashup).

Most recent Sports stories

Related topics

SportsBYU Cougars
Kevin Graham

    ARE YOU GAME?

    From first downs to buzzer beaters, get KSL.com’s top sports stories delivered to your inbox weekly.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast