Are BYU Fans Expecting Too Much From Zach Wilson?

PROVO, Utah – College football is just around the corner and that brings a lot of optimism to the fanbases across the country and memories flood the mind of the good times from last year with the hopes of them spilling into the 2019 season.

However, maybe those memories are not all they are cracked up to be and there may be some players who are getting perhaps too much praise heading into the upcoming season. KSL’s Unrivaled takes a look at who from BYU might be considered overrated for the 2019 season.

Zach Wilson Is Still Not Healthy

Everyone marveled at Zach Wilson’s play in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl where he completed every pass en route to a 49-19 victory over Western Michigan.

Not only did he go 18 for 18 but he also now owns the record for most consecutive completions in a single game at BYU by surpassing Steve Sarkisian’s and Steve Young’s mark of  14 straight in a single game.

Zach Wilson was perfect in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl 👀 pic.twitter.com/ZGCCCmfLlz

— ESPN (@espn) December 22, 2018

The reason that KSL Sport’s Scott Mitchell and Alex Kirry put Wilson on this list is not just because of the hype but also because Wilson is still not completely healthy from having offseason shoulder surgery which held him out of spring camp.

Wilson gave an update on his shoulder during BYU’s fan fest in Tennessee on May 18.

“I’m feeling better, the mobility is there but I kind of got to take it slow. I am about four months post-surgery and the goal now is to just slowly get back to work throwing,” Wilson said. “So, I’m hoping within the next month or so I’m feeling pretty normal and then you know having a good two and a half to three months before the season starts just to you know get back into the rhythm of things.”

That time frame is cutting it close and if everyone expects Wilson to be better than last year early on, well they might be in for a little bit of a surprise.

“BYU is less than a month away from media day. He says he will maybe be ready to throw normally next month,” Kirry said on KSL’s Unrivaled. “Then you have maybe all of July and then you are not even getting all of August before playing the University of Utah. That is less than two months and in a good scenario.”

There is a decent chance that the Wilson everyone saw against Utah and Western Michigan will not be the same one who shows up at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Aug. 29 for the season opener.

Why Wilson Is Considered Overrated

It may be easy to forget that Wilson was a true freshman last year and went 4-3 in his seven starts and just 2-3 vs. bowl-eligible teams. Saying Wilson might be considered overrated does not mean that he will not have a good, or even, great sophomore year.

Expectations might just be too high for how he finished the year because there are still a few things he needs to get better at.

Not bad @zachkapono 👀💪#BYUFOOTBALL #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/afXixkx3Co

— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) January 30, 2019

“If anyone needed spring football it was Zach Wilson to really elevate himself to next season. There were throws that were not as accurate or a little flippant and those are dangerous throws he was making,” former NFL quarterback Mitchell said. “You like that he is making those throws and the confidence he has in him making those throws but he has to be more careful and accurate.

“He did not take the time to make a better throw and those things that will hurt him and those are things that would have helped him in the offseason.”

Also to consider is that Wilson will face a much tougher schedule than he what teams he went up against last year. In the first four weeks, Wilson will take on Utah, Tennessee, Washington, and USC. It is very possible that Wilson may not live up to some fans expectations for 2019, but even if does have some hiccups, Wilson’s future with BYU is bright.

Tune into KSL’s Unrivaled every Monday through Friday, 7-9 p.m., or download the KSL NewsRadio app to subscribe to the podcast.