BYU football: Jake Heaps unafraid of lofty expectations

PROVO — From the moment that he announced he was verbally committing to the BYU football program during a news conference at a sports bar in Salt Lake City, Cougar fans' expectations for quarterback Jake Heaps were high.

It took a little while for Heaps, regarded in some circles as the nation's top prep QB two years ago, to start living up to those expectations. As a true freshman, Heaps, who started 10 games, struggled before leading the Cougars to wins in five of their final six contests and becoming the most prolific freshman quarterback in school history.

Now, as a sophomore, and surrounded by experience and talent on the offense, those high expectations are higher than ever.

And that's exactly how Heaps wants it.

"I came to BYU because of the rich quarterback tradition, because BYU has such a prolific offense and this is a storied program," he said. "To be a part of this, to be the quarterback, it's a humbling experience. I wouldn't want to be in any other place. People ask, 'How do you deal with the pressures or the situation?' I signed up for this. I wanted these expectations. I wanted our team to be in this situation we're in right now, and have people believe that we can go win a national championship.

"We can go to BCS games. That's the expectation that we want. We embrace it and we love it. Personally, I have a blast watching these guys believing in each other and believing that we can do it."

Though he grew up in Seattle as a diehard Washington Huskies fan, Heaps has learned in a hurry what it means to be a Cougar quarterback.

"BYU is truly Quarterback U.," Heaps said. "This place is so unique and so different. You're not only representing a football team, but BYU is sponsored by the LDS Church and you're representing the LDS faith. You take on that role and responsibility."

First-year offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brandon Doman, who was a BYU quarterback himself exactly 10 years ago, worries about some of the hype surrounding his young quarterback, knowing that Heaps is still learning.

But, Doman adds, that if Heaps continues to work hard, "he will become the best quarterback in the country. I don't shy away from saying that."

During the off-season, Heaps got stronger, spent countless hours honing his game, turned 20, and got married.