Former BYU quarterback Jake Heaps using 2012 season to improve

Former BYU quarterback Jake Heaps is still waiting to resume his college football career.

After getting benched halfway through the 2011 season in favor of current Cougar starter Riley Nelson, Heaps quickly chose to transfer to Kansas. But in doing so, he was forced to sit out the 2012 season, as per NCAA transfer rules.

In the meantime, the Jayhawks have struggled in a reloaded Big 12 conference. Incumbent starter Dayne Crist, formerly of Notre Dame, was benched earlier this season, and the 1-9 Jayhawks are currently muddling along with redshirt freshman Michael Cummings at the helm.

"Jake is very, very frustrated," Kansas coach Charlie Weis told KUSports.com. "He's frustrated that he can't help."

As a freshman at BYU, Heaps battled for playing time with Nelson until the latter was injured. Heaps tallied 2,316 yards and 15 touchdowns and helped the Cougars to a 7-6 record.

Heaps entered 2011 as the undisputed starter, but his inconsistent play, most notably in a 54-10 loss to archrival Utah, led to his benching. Nelson reclaimed the starting job after he led the Cougars to a comeback win over Utah State.

A five-star recruit coming out of high school in Washington, Heaps has yet to live up to his potential. But he told KUSports.com that he's doing the best he can with his transfer year:

"As much as I am frustrated that I want to be out there, I know this is helping me improve as a player," he said. "Me sitting out has made me a much better player than I (would be) if I was to play right now."

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Read more about Jake Heaps' transfer year at Kansas on KUSports.com.