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Commitment is a smash with Cougar nation

Olson committed to Gary Crowton and the change in coaches had to have a big impact on his decision to transfer. Too bad he got hurt, but Hall is better and Heaps is more like Hall.

Whats with all you BYU fans????? You sign a guy with 28 wins and you act as if you just confiscated the National Championship trophy for years to come.

What happens if this kid doesn't pan out???? Then what? Many of you will run up to Utah and buy your season tickets?

Those ICE CREAM socials are really taking a toll on you guys, chill out!!!

Heaps seems like a great person and has great credentials. I hope he made the right choice. Steve Sarkisian knows football and especially quarterback oriented passing football as well or better than anyone in the country. He would certainly develop Heaps potential. On the other hand Mendenhall is a disciplinarian and company man. He projects the image that the church wants. But does he know football? Can he really coach? He is pretty much a bust as a defensive coordinator and Robert Anae is now Sarkisian or Norm Chow. It is rumored that Robert Anae has a bias in favor of polynesian players and a prejudice against white athletes. The news conference was a success and these kids may be great missionaries. But are they playing for the right people to help them develop their football skills. I certainly hope so.

Unfortunately for the QBs at BYU, this kid coming in is and has been promised a starting job ASAP. Thus, you committed for nothing other than a good education which shouldn't be a bad thing unless your goal is to move to the next level.

As for this kid, it is a shame that he would even have to think twice about serving a mission regardless of how it plays out on his playing career. I believe that BYU sports is making this more and more acceptable. I hope that the Church makes a stand on this possible trend. These kids need the Church more than they need football. Don't give me the idea that this is a missionary tool, as I know, living outside of Utah, that it is not, not the way local Utahns believe it is. If this kid served a mission, then was successful, yes then it would be for missionary reasons b/c one could say "I was taught the gospel by Steve Young etc...".

These kids need to recognize priorities for elements beyond this life.

Sounds like a great catch for BYU. Hopefully the offense modifies itself and builds around him and doesn't try to change him. And hopefully he is much better than Hall. If he is only as good as Hall it could be another round of highs and lows with overachieving expectations and underachieving results. I also wonder if Lark, Nelson and Munns are going to satisfied with watching from the sidelines. They all came to Provo with outstanding credentials and now they learn they may become spectators. Unfortunate for them.

Just ask your self-righteous self, how would the Utes act if they just signed the top qb in the nation, and he brought 2 other blue chippers along? Certainly you can wrap your mind around the excitement.

What's the ice-cream social comment about, you wouldn't be taking a jab at the LDS Church would you? Never mind, I know the answer, thanks for enforcing the perception that U fans have no class.

Dude, Heaps made the comment as well as Apo and Stout. Not BYU fans. If their goal is to win one, why not??? You land some key players in key positions, you never know what can happen. After all BYU already has a National Championship and they can do it again.

Yes, I will run up and buy my utah tickets, Utah Jazz that is. Who cares about the utes. I don't.

And Jonny Harline is STILL open!!!

Acts like a fan base desperate for anything good to happen. 3 or 4 years from now this kid might actually play, sorry that's to far off to get excited about.

I was impressed until I read the quote by Heaps that he has "swagger." If you have to say you have it, you don't.

Last QB I heard proclaim his own swagger was Bret Engemann, in an interview played during the 2000 Pigskin Classic. If you recall, that was a 29-3 pasting by Florida State.

Congrats to the Cougs from a Ute fan.

Now, and more importantly, does anyone else think that it is ridiculous that a 16 or 17 year old kid calls his own press conference and then a bunch of grown men show up at the conference to cheer him on? I don't care what school you root for, that is a set of misplaced priorities.

more to date: So is the Utah Defense. Thanks Max. Only kidding, good snag BYU

That was one of the most uninformed posts I've ever read. Does Bronco know football? Is his team one of the most successful in college football over the past 5 years as far as wins are concerned? Did he just miss a 3rd straight MWC championship because Robert Anae seemed to be prejudice towards a WHITE QB by the name of Max Hall throwing to another WHITE WR by the name of Austin Collie? And if you recall, BYU's run defense was one of the best in the nation with Bronco as the D-Coordinator, and he was dang good when he was with New Mexico. What a ridiculous comment on so many levels.

I know that to some, serving a 2-year mission is the golden calf of Mormonism for our young men. But I have the elders in my home for dinner and a lesson every week AND have seen the fireside schedule Mendenhall puts his players on - particularly the stars. In my opinion, BOTH can have a tremendous effect both on the young man and on potential converts. How many years would someone like Heaps have to actually serve in the mission field to equal the number of people he will teach and affect by being the starting QB at BYU for 3 or 4 years. I am very pro "mission" but let's expand beyond our typical LDS boxes to recognize that being the starting QB at BYU gives you "mission" opportunities that 50 full-time elders could not match. And this Heaps kid seems to have the personality and confidence to take full advantage of it.

As far as the "ice cream social" comment - good one! Actually I love LDS humor and we LDS have a ton of unique, quarky things about us. But I'll be chearing my way to Coldstone all weekend after these announcements!

stout and apo are not bluechippers. do the research

Are we doomed for a negative Ben Olson comment every time we pull in a top recruit? Ben Olson is an outstanding kid, husband, and member of the Church. He served an honorable mission. He was stuck in a very bad situation with Crowton. He actually won the starting QB spot at UCLA three times only to have terrible luck with injuries. Anyone who saw him throw was in awe at his raw physical skills. He just didn't translate that to on-field success. He was even injured AGAIN prior to his scheduled on-campus workouts with NFL scouts a couple of months ago. He still may make a team but he will definitely have to make it the hard way. He did nothing wrong. He was very talented, worked hard and unfortunately had Luke Staley-like luck with injuries. Let's all please show both class and intelligence when commenting about Ben Olson!!

Playing BYU football DOES NOT equal serving a mission! Not for the people he could have (and should have) taught, and CERTAINLY not for the player!

I will give you that a successful football program at BYU helps project a mostly positive image of the church to non-members, but lets not cheat our athletes out of a mission when they can easily do both. If Heaps isn't QB at BYU someone else will be, and chances are pretty good that he'll be better anyways.

National media sites say Stout and Apo are bluechippers. You're just jealous.

Maxie is the top Utah defensive player. How many turnovers did he get for Utah last year against the zoobs? What was it? 12? 30? I've never seen a defensive effort like that before. Thanks Maxie.

I'm a BYU alum and fan and I agree. But then I think NCAA football and basketball have gotten completely out of hand generally. Why should schools distort their academic mission and spend huge $$ to act as minor leagues developing public entertainers for professional leagues? How is that consistent with any university's mission?