So Jake Heaps is gone, abruptly but not surprisingly.
There has been speculation he would leave BYU ever since he lost his starting job to Riley Nelson five games into the season. With Nelson back next year, things weren't likely to improve.
So now it's supposedly a fresh start for the player who was the No. 1 prep quarterback in the nation two years ago.
While a lot of BYU fans are upset Heaps would leave, I have to give him points for good behavior. Despite the obvious turmoil he has been in this year, he never bad-mouthed BYU's coaches or his competition for the starting spot. In fact, he seemed downright grown up about it.
In any event, it ended one of the more hyped events in BYU football history. I still remember the standing room only crowd at Iggy's in downtown Salt Lake when he announced he was going to BYU. "I think I bring a leadership and a swagger to a team," Heaps said at the time. "I think I bring a winning attitude. I think I bring an accurate arm and knowledge for the game."
Here's the column I wrote on the blue-letter day: deseretnews.com
I don't know whether Heaps will star at another school. But one thing I do know is this whole incident reconfirmed something I've always believed: Talking about your recruits is one of the more overrated things in sports.
JAKE HEAPS, FAR RIGHT, AT IGGY'S IN 2009