Heralded QB Recruit Jacob Conover Joins BYU Program For 2020 Season
Sep 5, 2020, 8:26 AM | Updated: 1:21 pm
Chandler High quarterback Jacob Conover, who verbally committed to play for BYU, takes a moment to prepare for the Wolves' game against Mesa High in Chandler, Arizona, on Friday, Aug. 31, 2018. "Growing up, I loved watching BYU football,” he said. (Photo courtesy of Shannon Liebrock)
(Photo courtesy of Shannon Liebrock)
PROVO, Utah – BYU enters the 2020 football season with a stacked quarterback room that goes four-deep according to coach Kalani Sitake. Now the rich get ever richer at college football’s most important position.
Former Elite 11 finalist Jacob Conover is now enrolled at BYU and practicing with the football team.
A four-star prospect in the class of 2019, Conover picked BYU over offers from Alabama, Arizona State, Northwestern, Ole Miss, and others during his recruitment.
Jacob Conover enrolls at BYU
Conover was serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Paraguay and was scheduled to be there until January 2021 but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Chandler, Arizona native to return home early from his mission service.
With BYU juggling such a high number of scholarship athletes unexpectedly returning home from missions, players like Conover were going to grey shirt this fall. Greyshirt means a college freshman delays their enrollment until the winter semester.
But when the NCAA announced that the 2020-21 college football season will not impact anyone’s eligibility, Conover enrolled in classes when school started at BYU on August 31st. Giving him the opportunity to practice with the BYU football team this fall and earn valuable reps while not starting his eligibility clock.
Conover’s father posted an image on his personal Instagram of Conover with his old high school teammate Gunner Romney from Chandler High School in Arizona, at a BYU practice this week.
The 247Sports Composite rankings had Conover as the 302nd ranked prospect in the country for the class of 2019. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound signal-caller was the highest-rated prospect in BYU’s 2019 class and was a vocal leader to try and recruit others with him to play in Provo.
A lifelong BYU fan, Conover has immense respect for the storied history of Cougar quarterbacks and it was a dream of his to play for the Cougars after he graduating from high school.
BYU Quarterback Room in 2020
Zach Wilson, Junior
Baylor Romney, Redshirt-Sophomore
Jaren Hall, Redshirt-Sophomore
Sol-Jay Maiava-Peters, Freshman
Mason Fakahua, Freshman
Jacob Conover, Freshman
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12-3 pm) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
