Jake Heaps is transferring from BYU, finally confirming one of the worst kept secrets on the West Coast this year. After starting 15 games for the Cougars -- spanning the end of his freshman season and beginning of this season -- Heaps had fallen out of favor, with head coach Bronco Mendenhall changing his course and opting to go with Riley Nelson. Following the move, rumors of Heaps' intention to transfer heated up, and Monday provided a resolution.
Other than the Washington connection and the fact that Heaps came out of high school as one of the top players in the nation, I'd assume most Washington State fans don't care. But wait! Hit me with the good stuff, Mason Kelley.
Potential destinations for Heaps include Washington, Washington State, Cal and USC.
Heaps also spoke about his decision to transfer in a general sense right here.
We could make all sorts of connections and take guesses as to whether this will happen, but won't. While Washington would seem like a viable choice, remember the Huskies are bringing in two top-flight quarterbacks this year, and already have Keith Price on the roster. Which leaves Pullman and new head coach Mike Leach if Heaps is looking for a somewhat close-to-home destination.
Before anyone dismisses this off-hand by pointing to Washington State's wealth of quarterbacks, consider what happened this year. The Cougars burnt through three quarterbacks and needed all the depth they could muster. By the time Heaps is eligible, Jeff Tuel will likely be gone -- barring a very long-shot medical hardship -- and outside of Connor Halliday the roster will include two young quarterbacks who will likely been as green as they come in Cody Clements and Austin Apodaca.
So while the younger quarterbacks may develop -- Apodaca looks promising and like he's a great fit for Leach's system -- we don't just know. If Heaps thinks he could compete with Halliday for the starting job, and is confident enough to transfer to WSU, then I'd love to see it. Adding more talent at the quarterback spot is never, ever a bad thing.
But again, Heaps is at the early stages of making a decision and Leach hasn't even arrived in Pullman yet. So take everything with a grain of salt for now.