Mangum or Hill: Who should start in 2016?


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PROVO — Recently quarterback, Taysom Hill announced that he is returning to BYU to try to do a re-do of his senior season after being injured in the Cougars' 2015 opener against Nebraska.

With Hill's return, BYU offensive coordinator Ty Detmer has a decision on his hands. Detmer has to decide whether he goes with Hill or hands the reigns to Tanner Mangum, who had a record-breaking freshman campaign in 2015.

Here's arguments for each quarterback to be the starter.

The case for Taysom Hill

Hill is a once-in-a-generation talent. The Cougars have not seen someone with his blend of size and speed since Luke Staley, the 2001 Doak Walker Award winner. BYU has never seen a quarterback like Hill. By Steve Young's own admission, Hill is more dynamic athletically than even him. Detmer pointed out in his press conference that Hill is not only more athletic than Young, but he also is put together much better than the NFL Hall of Famer. Hill's ability to run is a game changer for the Y as defenses have an extra variable that they have to contend with.

While Hill will always be deadly with his legs, he has also shown signs the last two seasons of being a much more complete quarterback. In 2013, Hill put up incredible numbers on the ground as a sophomore. However, he struggled to consistently complete passes and had a mediocre 54 percent completion rate. Through four games in 2014, Hill had significantly raised that percentage as he was completing over two-thirds of his passes. In his only game in 2015, Hill was throwing darts all over the field and it looked like he was on his way to a huge year. If he can continue to develop as a passer, he has a very high ceiling and can be virtually unstoppable for opposing defenses.

Hill's value as a leader also should not be understated. It was clear that he had the full respect of his teammates and many of them became emotional when he went down. Hill is the type of guy you want leading your program as he is congenial and polite with the media, is a good student and stays out of trouble.

Photo: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Photo: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

The case for Tanner Mangum

While Hill's athletic ability doesn't come to Provo often (or ever at the quarterback position), it is also a rare thing at the Y to have a guy with as much arm talent as Mangum. Go back and watch the Boise State game. At a full sprint and off his back foot, Mangum hit in stride receiver Mitchell Juergens with a perfect 60-plus-yard bomb. It looked as though Bronco defenders were in shock that he was able to chuck the ball that far. Mangum would show off his arm over and over throughout the season and get the ball through windows that seemed impossible.

Mangum doesn't only have a strong arm, though. He was remarkably mistake free for a freshman and seemed to be able to read defenses at a level much higher than his experience. His football intelligence, mingled with his cannon, helped him shatter every meaningful record for a freshman gunslinger at the Y.

His leadership, like Hill's, is also noteworthy. Mangum wasn't supposed to see any meaningful time in 2015. By the start of the season, he had only been home from an LDS mission for a few months. He had not played organized football since 2011. Still, Mangum was immediately recognized as the leader when Hill went down. Mangum showed an impressive amount of poise and leadership in his freshman year and his teammates rallied around him. It will be exciting to see what he can do when he has a full year of preparation to get his legs back and to study the game.

Taysom Hill returns

The case for a dual-quarterback system ... or is it?

It may be very tempting for Detmer to play both quarterbacks given how talented each is and how they have different strengths. In my opinion, this would be a big mistake. Many coaches have tried the dual-quarterback system and few have succeeded.

Legendary BYU head coach LaVell Edwards took a stab at it in 1978 when he had two exceptional quarterbacks in Marc Wilson and Jim McMahon. Edwards had a hard time choosing one over the other all season and the Cougars suffered because of it as a whole. After that experiment, he said he wouldn't try a dual-quarterback system again.

While either quarterback can help the Cougars win, it's imperative that Detmer chooses one and sticks with him. My bet is that the Y will go with Hill as this will be his final campaign in Provo and Mangum will have two years to lead the Cougars in 2017 and 2018.


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About the Author: Dylan Cannon ------------------------------

Dylan Cannon is a regular KSL.com contributor and can be reached at DylanCannon86@gmail.com or via twitter @DylanCannon11.

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