"Ever since I can remember, I've been a positive person," Mangum said. "Some people think that makes me soft, but I'm not soft at all."
Mangum is "a little idealistic," said Paul Peterson, his coach at Eagle High School in suburban Boise. "I say that in a very envious manner."
Now comes another career alteration for Mangum, with quarterbacks coach Jason Beck among the BYU staff members headed to Virginia after Saturday's Las Vegas Bowl vs. Utah. The variables surrounding coach Bronco Mendenhall's successor, concerns about a new offensive scheme (the triple option?) and former starting quarterback Taysom Hill's future converge to create all kinds of uncertainty for Mangum, as he concludes the best season of any freshman QB in school history, with 3,062 passing yards and 21 touchdowns so far.