The Legacy of Jake Heaps

The following is one man’s opinion of the saga of Jake Heap’s career at BYU. Almost all of this is my opinion/speculation based on what I’ve seen and read. The truth to the following questions are out there somewhere, but are beyond my reach. So don’t take this as gospel.

Why did Jake initially choose BYU?

Jake was a phenom quarterback from a very young age. He has had a personal quarterback coach since he’s been in the sixth grade. Everything in his life was grooming him to be an NFL quarterback. Jake is also a Mormon so in a lot of ways it would make sense for him to go to a Mormon school with a legacy of NFL quarterbacks. To think that John Beck and Max Hall (neither highly touted out of high school) both are/were in the NFL tells me that BYU can produce NFL quarterbacks. Let alone the amazing string in the late 70’s thru the early 90’s.

Word was that Brandon Doman was the reason that Jake came to BYU. BYU was relentless in their pursuit and they were able to get their man.

Was Jake a big-time recruit?

Of course. He was a 5-Star athlete and was the highest recruited quarterback in the nation. One recruiting service had him the #1 recruit in the nation. BYU doesn’t get 5-Star athletes very often (Ben Olson, Ofa Mohetau) so this was a big get for BYU.

What happened Jake’s first year?

Jake Heaps was probably the most hyped recruit that BYU has ever had. We went to the Spring Game/Practice when Jake had left high school a semester early to enroll at BYU. At the Spring Practice they had a clinic where they let kids (and overeager parents) onto the field to run through drills. Each position group had a station and the BYU players for each position were at their respective stations. When they let people onto the field there was a mad dash to the quarterback station. At the quarterback station you had guys like Riley Nelson, James Lark and Jason Munns showing kids how to throw a football. I’ve got pictures of Riley Nelson showing my niece how to grip a football. Meanwhile Jake Heaps signed autographs the whole hour. No other player on the team was being hounded for autographs. I even remember thinking, “What is the rest of the team thinking as they are out paying their dues and their freshman sensation quarterback is signing autographs?”

So my personal preference at the time was to see Jake redshirt his first year and let Riley lead the team his junior year. Then Jake can get some snaps as a redshirt freshman during Riley’s senior year and then Jake could lead the team for three years. I’m not a big fan of true freshman quarterbacks. Particularly in complicated passing offenses. I didn’t want to see Jake put into the role too early.

But the hype machine was on overdrive. By the time fall camp rolled around I was convincing myself that Jake was a special talent and that he could come in and lead the team and that he might be the best option at quarterback. Reports out of camp were that the team was divided. The older guys wanted Riley and the younger guys wanted Jake.

The solution was to play both of them. An idea that usually never works, but an idea that I was warming up to because I really wanted to see Jake play. In concept it makes sense. Let teams prepare for two very different styles at quarterback.

The first game of the year, a victory against Washington, was probably the worst thing that could happen. Both Riley and Jake had the exact same passing yards in the game. All of the sudden the two quarterback system was doable. Then Air Force happened. The team looked good for the first quarter and Riley led a couple of touchdown drives. Jake throws a pick early on and is benched the rest of the game. Riley reverts back to his drop back and then tuck and run offense and BYU ends up getting hammered. All of the sudden the two quarterback system isn’t that great.

The third game of the year is Florida State and Riley goes down with a season ending injury. All of the sudden it is Jake’s team. Being that I wasn’t too pumped about Riley’s inability to complete a pass further than 10 yards (due to a shoulder injury that he never disclosed to the team or doctors), I had mentally made the step that Jake Heaps at starting quarterback was going to be a positive.

The next couple of games were a mess against Nevada and Utah State. Especially the Utah State game. They had Jake throw the ball over 50 times (he wasn’t helped by 11 dropped passes by receivers that game). The fallout was BYU firing their defensive coordinator the next day, but people weren’t too pleased with Robert Anae’s offense either. It was a very dark day. Side note: We spotted Jimmer. He sat just a few rows in front of us and JJ noticed him as the game was winding down. I always thought it was kind of cool that the star basketball player would make a road trip to Logan to watch the football team.

I kept waiting for Jake to turn the corner. For the offense to start clicking. I knew it was going to be a process and I was willing to wait because Jake always showed flashes of brilliance. At times he would make throws that most college quarterbacks can’t make. He was tantalizing that way. But it was always marred with inconsistency. For every great throw he would throw a swing pass right to a Wyoming defender for a Pick-6.

The easing of the schedule in late 2010 allowed Jake to really shine. He started throwing touchdown passes, he was moving the offense, BYU was scoring points, all of the things that are expected of a BYU team. And I can even remember the exact moment when I thought Jake was going to be the next great BYU quarterback:

The Utah game at the end of 2010 was an ugly, sloppy game. Both teams had numerous, bone-head type turnovers and it was BYU’s game to win until Utah made a late run. However, BYU had the ball, down by one with just under two minutes left and 80 yards to go. At that time, I can remember thinking that if Jake could lead the team down the field for a score that this would be the foundation for the legacy of Jake Heaps at BYU. And he did. He went 5-5 on the drive and got BYU down to the Utah 25 yard line, before Robert Anae sat on the ball. After a couple of “running” plays to center the ball, BYU settled for a long field goal that was blocked. I couldn’t help to wonder what would have happened if they would have let Jake take a couple shots on the 25 yard line. There was still 45 seconds left when they got there. Maybe he would have made a play. Maybe they would have won the game. But, it turned out just like his career at BYU. A big bunch of maybe’s.

So the stage was set for 2011. A freshman quarterback who was one year wiser and one who re-wrote every freshman passing record at BYU. It was going to be a big year for Cougar fans.

What happened Jake’s second year?

By the time that fall camp rolls around the excitement is at a fever pitch. This was going to be a great team with a lot of young talent. Riley Nelson is an afterthought, in fact many were speculating that he wouldn’t even be able to hold onto the second string position.

It all starts with Ole Miss in Oxford. The offense never seems to get on track. They would make a play here and there, but they lacked consistency to get it into the endzone. In the second quarter, I witness a play that really changed my attitude towards Jake. Jake throws an interception near the BYU goal line, which is OK, that happens. But as the defender was returning the ball, they show on the replay that Jake is in essence trying to get out of the way of the defender. Making absolutely no attempt to tackle the guy. The defender then returns the ball all the way for a touchdown. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you need to see this play. I’m sure his teammates weren’t too excited watching film as their “leader” is trying to get out of the way so he doesn’t have to tackle someone. Would Riley Nelson have done that? Max Hall? Suddenly, I’m starting to question his leadership.

The next week versus Texas is a similar feeling. The offense settles for field goal after field goal instead of putting Texas away. The offense does pretty much nothing in the second half and they lose by one. The rumbling is getting a little louder. What’s wrong with Jake? Why can’t the offense be consistent?

Then there’s the Utah debacle. The third play of the game is a botched snap (not Jake’s fault) that he tries to pick up and throw (Jake’s fault). His “throw” goes backward and he still has a chance to fall on it. He then proceeds to do a barrel roll over the ball (Jake’s fault) and a Utah defender falls on it for a touchdown. Now the whole Utah game wasn’t Jake’s fault. In fact he had over 200 yards passing in the first half alone. But the scoreboard wasn’t reflecting that success. Ten points is all they can muster all game.

The Central Florida game was just another example of defense and special teams pulling it out. Again Jake made a couple of great throws, but there was no fire power. No consistency. Which leads to the Utah State game. Jake was looking terrible. The offense was anemic. I didn’t think they would bench him, but wasn’t surprised when they did. Riley Nelson pulls off the comeback and all of the sudden there’s a full-fledged quarterback controversy again.

The coaches stick with Riley. Can you blame them? Jake’s completion percentage went down every single game for those first five games. Riley comes in and the team seems inspired. The offense comes to life. Riley leads them on a 96 yard drive with under two minutes left to beat the Aggies. It had been awhile since fans had witnessed success like that.

At this point, I try to figure out how the rest of the season is going to play out. Is Jake going to mope on the bench? Is Jake going to use this as motivation to work hard and get his starting job back? What happens if Riley finishes strong for the rest of the year? The “T” word is starting to be used for the first time. Transfer.

It was probably a foregone conclusion that Riley wasn’t going to get through the whole year without getting injured. And he didn’t. Jake got his second chance, but yet everyone knew that this was still Riley’s team. The Hawaii game sealed the deal. Riley passes for over 360 yards (something Jake never came close to touching in all of his starts) and it was clear that Riley was going to be the man. A whole new set of questions arose leading up to that Hawaii game. Would Jake transfer? Would he red-shirt? Was he humble enough to red-shirt?

What was Jake’s downfall?

There are many things that can be listed. The top three being:

Lack of Leadership- I truly believe that this team had a difficult time getting behind Jake. I don’t think they ever saw him as a leader. When you have the consummate leader (Riley) that is actually battling you for the same position then I can see how many teammates would struggle to support Jake. I never saw things from Jake in the huddle or on the sidelines that made me think that this guy is leading the team. In fact I always thought from his body language was that he was aloof. Maybe not totally aware of his surroundings. It was always kind of puzzling to me, but it seemed that the talent (or potential talent) always seemed to override the intangibles.

Entitlement- I have to tread carefully because this is more opinion than fact. But the feeling was that the quarterback was a position that Jake felt he was entitled to instead of having to earn it. That his high school accolades were enough to qualify him. That he shouldn’t have to battle for the position. That he would step in an automatically and re-write the record books. That maybe he wouldn’t have to work as hard because all his life he had been told that he was very talented and that it was a foregone conclusion that he would be in the NFL.

The press conference announcing his commitment should have been an indicator. I thought it a bit strange when it happened, but plenty of kids now-a-days make their commitment via a press conference (pick a hat, anyone). It reeks of entitlement, but, hey, we were getting the #1 recruit in the nation. It was easy to look past things like that.

Regression- The thing I never figured out was why he seemed to get worse instead of better from 2010 to 2011. Maybe the competition at the end of 2010 was weak. But I watched that last drive against Utah in 2010 with my own eyes. A good Utah defense that Jake was able to pick apart in crunch time. He could do it. But where was that in 2011? All of the sudden I’m watching a scared quarterback. He had happy feet. He was throwing a beat early just so he didn’t have to get hit. The timing was off. The receivers had passes sailing over their head and at their feet. If Jake felt he was robbed by getting benched, his play spoke for itself. It just wasn’t good.

So, why did Jake transfer?

Ahh, yes. The $64,000 question. I would love to ask Jake and get a straight up honest answer. Here’s some ideas:

Not wanting to redshirt- This is quite an interesting concept because whether he redshirted at BYU or if he transferred then he was sitting out next year anyway. It would seem that if he redshirted then he would be BYU’s unquestioned starter for his junior and senior season. Against two great schedules that would have plenty of high-profile games and exposure. So it seems to me that being asked to redshirt wasn’t the reason behind the transfer. He was going to sit next year either way.

Coaches- It seems that maybe Jake and Brandon Doman had a falling out sometime this past year. It could have been right about the time that Doman benched Jake for Riley. All of the sudden Riley’s getting the first team snaps, the coaching, the praise, all the things that come with being the starter. I could see Jake shutting himself off at that time. Doman was a big reason that Jake came to BYU so if Doman isn’t coddling Jake then I can see why he might want to go elsewhere.

Players- I really don’t have any insight on this other than I would like to see what it’s like in the locker room. Who does Jake hang with? Who does he joke around with? Is he friends with everyone or is he kind of cliquey? It just seems that you’re not hearing a bunch of players voice their disappointment about him leaving. Maybe because there just isn’t any.

Personal issues- I don’t know if any of us can really understand all the pressures that come with being a starting quarterback at BYU. There is a ton of criticism. I try to place my 40 year old self in Jake’s 20 year old shoes. It’s impossible. He has the maturity of a 20 year old. He doesn’t have the hindsight or experience of a 40 year old. For all we know he did the best he could. Three things personally seemed to be part of the equation.

Not serving a mission- This stigma seemed to hang around Jake even though many BYU athletes never serve. Ask Jimmer how his mission helped him. It goes back to the maturity thing. Two years of adversity would seem to help him with these leadership skills that he lacked. Had he ever dealt with adversity in his whole life? Had everything always been handed to him? I remember thinking when he was benched that this was probably the first time in his life he was benched. He probably had no idea how to react.
Getting married at 20 years old- Jake got married last summer to the delight of many BYU fans who had been torn up over Harvey Unga and Brandon Davies issues the past two years. But I can’t imagine trying to deal with marriage at 20 years old. I’m not inferring that he is having difficulty in his marriage, just that marriage has a lot of challenges and with school, football and all the other things in life, it seems like a tall order.
Parents getting divorced- I don’t know much about this other than it was fairly recently and it just seems inevitable that it would be difficult to handle. Once I heard this, I had a lot of sympathy for Jake and thought that he really needs to do what’s best for him and his life. We as fans can deal with our own disappointments with him leaving, but we will never know all the factors that lead to his decision.

Where’s Jake going?

Word on the street is Cal with Washington St. having a shot. USC and UCLA have both been mentioned as well, but it will be either of the first two. Which means that he’s destined for the Pac-12 and we’ll see him again. If it’s Washington State then BYU will see him in 2013 up in Pullman. That would be an interesting story line. Either way the Utes will get another crack at him. Which I’m sure they are happy about.

Did Jake make the right decision?

Time will tell. Will a coach hand him the starting job in 2013 or is he going to have to earn it? Will he regain his confidence? Ultimately, I don’t think Jake really didn’t want to be at BYU any longer. And if that’s the case then he needs to leave. I’ll be very curious to see how his career pans out and will still be cheering for him to succeed. Especially if he’s playing the Utes.

It can’t be forgotten that because of Jake we have Ross Apo and Zack Stout. Jake was also instrumental in getting Kyle Van Noy to keep his commitment to BYU after he (Kyle) got a DUI his senior year in high school. In fact Kyle lived with Jake’s family for the year leading up to both of them enrolling at BYU. Jake did some great things for the program and his legacy will be long remembered whether good or bad.