BYU's Tanner Mangum is ready to be 'The Guy'

Tanner Mangum is the talk of the town.

The BYU quarterback has reached celebrity status as fans follow his every move hoping to get an autograph or a picture with him. Some even try and sneak a picture of him when he’s not looking.

“It’s funny to see people trying to sneak pictures,” Mangum said during BYU's football media day on Friday. “I’ll be standing in line at a restaurant and some will have their phones out trying to get a quick picture. I’ll turn around and catch them and just wave to them. But’s its all good. People in Provo know their football players and it comes with the territory.”

And not just any territory.

BYU has long been known as the “Quarterback Factory” producing top players in Jim McMahon, Steve Young, Marc Wilson and Heisman Trophy winner and current offensive coordinator Ty Detmer.

And now, it’s Mangum’s turn with Taysom Hill off and graduated.

The junior quarterback is excited for his new role as he looks to lead the Cougars to a big year in 2017.

“Last year, Taysom was the team captain and the starter and it was his team,” Mangum said. “I wasn’t going to step on anyone’s toes. “Now, it’s different. I’m a junior, an upperclassman and the starter. I’ve paid my dues and worked hard to get to this point and look forward to rallying the guys together this fall and doing something special.”

After Hill went down with a season-ending injury, Mangum was thrust into the spotlight despite recent coming off of his LDS mission in 2015. 

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But after two consecutive game-winning Hail Mary’s to beat Nebraska and Boise State, fans have already put Mangum in BYU lore. The 2015 National Freshman of the Year threw for 23 touchdowns and broke several BYU freshman records before waiting behind Hill in 2016.

That’s why expectations are still high for the Cougars as many prognosticators believe the football program could see double-digit victories this season.

And despite one of the hardest September schedules in program history with the likes of LSU, Wisconsin and Utah, Mangum just smiles at the opportunity.  

“We are going to be tested early for sure, but as a player and as a fan, you want to play all the top teams,” he said.

While losing 11 guys on offense is tough for any program, Cougar fans can take comfort in that Mangum has made great strides over the past year. 

“Tanner progression in the last year has been a night and day difference," said Detmer. “He’s really put in the time. He does the extra things, stays after practice and has really put in the work.”

Going into his second year as the offensive coordinator, Detmer is more comfortable in his position. And while he’ll tailor to Mangum’s strengths, he’s going to stay true to his balanced offense.

“Expectations have been raised,” he said. “Everybody wants to see Tanner throwing it. But we’re going to do what we need to do to win the game. We’re not going to worry about stats.”

While Mangum is more than willing to zip the ball around the entire game, he understands the importance of ball control. 

“Ty is always telling us about that from his experience in the NFL. It’s huge. But it’s funny because when Ty was here (BYU) he threw for like 58 touchdowns and 29 picks in one year or something like that,” he said jokingly. “I don’t think we will be throwing it that much, but I do think we will be throwing the rock around a little bit more than in past years. We want to stay balanced and it showed how we played last year.” 

“Nobody liked to throw it more than I did,” Detmer added. “But my job is to win football games and if that means to keep the defense off the field and have a lot of 12-13 scoring drives, then that is what we will do."

When asked about what they wish to improve on this upcoming season, BYU head coach Kalani Sitake and his staff all stressed the same thing.

Big plays.

“We want to have more chunk plays,” he said. “I don’t know if we’ll have the same production that we had last year in the run game, but we do want to put ourselves in better positions on offense and not so much in third down situations. We aren’t going out there to play it safe. We have full confidence in our guys and we are going to take chances down the field.”

And for Mangum, he can’t wait.

“Hopefully I won’t need any Hail Mary’s this year,” he said, smiling. “I feel really good heading into the season and really confident with the guys that we have. I can’t wait.”

Follow Justin Giles on Twitter @Justingiles_ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JustinGilesSportsWriter.