Cougars capitalizing on players' change of heart

PROVO —

Stanford-bound quarterback Taysom Hill was in Australia serving a church mission when he decided he wanted to return and attend BYU instead of Stanford.

Hill shared his future goals with his mission president, who contacted BYU to see if there was mutual interest. This set off a series of checks by BYU's compliance office to see if Hill's original letter of intent to Stanford had expired and all releases from Stanford's athletic department were in order. "Then we responded," said BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall.

So, what's the big deal?

BYU is getting great help from what one could call bounce-back players. These are athletes who, for whatever reason, signed with another school but later ended up with the Cougars after missions or playing at major programs.

Can you say Max Hall? How about Riley Nelson?

Nelson is the heir apparent to BYU's QB throne after doing his part in etching a 10-win season and bowl victory this past season. Hall notched more wins than any Cougar quarterback ever. Both began at other Division I schools.

Hill, a 2008 Idaho 5A player of the year, was the No. 30 ranked high school quarterback by Scout.com and the No. 1 rated Idaho recruit, according to Rivals.com. Known for not only his passes but his speed and running ability (1,500 yards rushing as a senior), Hill is currently enrolled at BYU and winning many of the offseason conditioning drills supervised by Jay Omer.

The Hill signing on Wednesday is an interesting if not key happenstance for BYU football. Hill joins former Alta High 5A quarterback Ammon Olsen on BYU's recruit list released Wednesday. Olsen, a former Southern Utah quarterback, actually played for the Thunderbirds before going on an LDS mission to Mexico City.

With the transfer of Jake Heaps, rising up of Nelson, a spring practice that will feature another senior-to-be James Lark and junior Jason Munns, Mendenhall told reporters the quarterback spot is one the biggest areas of discussion amongst coaches in recent weeks. Hill and Olsen on site is huge since a third QB signed in this class, Elite 11 co-MVP Tanner Mangum, is expected to go on a mission out of high school.