BYU: Been There Before

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: Recruting doesn’t mean all that much right now.

That applies to all college recruits.

Reports today said quarterback Jake Heaps , from Skyline High in Washington State, is going to BYU. That’s good news for BYU, because a number of recruiting publications rank him the best quarterback in the nation.

Wait. Isn’t this where we came in?

Oh, yes. In 2001, quarterback Ben Olson announced he was going to play at BYU. He was not only rated the top quarterback, but the top player in the nation, according to some publications, including at least one ESPN expert.

What happened? Olson floundered at BYU and transferred to UCLA, where he had a spotty career.

The point is, nobody has done anything yet – at least on a college level. At BYU it’s a particularly dicey thing, because so many players end up going on LDS missions. Heaps is a member of the LDS Church, and thus could interrupt or delay his college career due to missionary service.

Thus, it could be several years before he proves if he’s going to be good.

College football is all about recruiting. The news that Heaps is going to BYU is a nice coup for the Cougars.

But like making money, planning too far ahead in football can be a dangerous thing.