BYU Football: Can Tanner Mangum return to freshman year form in 2018?

BYU football quarterback Tanner Mangum has the skillset to be one of the more elite quarterbacks in the country. Will he produce at a high level in 2018?

The BYU Cougars are coming off a year to forget, posting their worst record since 2003 and failing to make a bowl game for the first time since 2004. Not only were the Cougars defeated nine time in 2017, they were demolished in many of their losses, with just two of their defeats coming by single digits.

Majority of the Cougars’ struggles came from the offensive side of the ball, which is a surprise given the program’s offensive prowess over the years. In seven of their 13 games played, the Cougars mustered 13 points or less and while the entire offensive unit was depleted, the normal production they have received in recent years at the quarterback position was not present.

Entering 2018, senior quarterback Tanner Mangum will look to have a bounce back year after enduring his worst year with the program. In his defense, injuries nagged at him in all of 2017, forcing him to miss a few games, but the team went just 2-6 with him under center — with the two victories coming against FCS school Portland State and 2-11 San Jose State.

If the Cougars are going to get back to the success they have been seeing prior to 2017, they are going to need Mangum to return to his freshman year status. During his rookie campaign with the Cougars, Mangum recorded action in all 13 games played that season. Since then, he has seen just 12 games combined between his sophomore and junior years.

To continue the comparison, Mangum posted just under 3,400 passing yards his freshman year during a 9-4 campaign that saw a road win at Nebraska and a victory over No. 20 Boise State in his first two games. Since then, he has just under 1,800 passing yards in two seasons and just 11 touchdowns compared to his 23 back in 2015.

The good news for BYU is that Mangum will return his leading rusher from last season, along with his top three pass catchers. A much more experienced offensive unit will bode well as long as Mangum can remain healthy. The inconsistency the team saw last season with multiple quarterbacks caused problems for everyone and it made it difficult for the quarterbacks to get into any rhythm. Being the go-to guy in 2018, there is no question Mangum has the tools needed to return to freshman year glory.

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Mangum and the Cougars will have a great chance to build confidence to start the season as they take on Arizona, California, and Wisconsin right off the gate.