Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Jacob Conover (17) looks to pass into Logan on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021. (Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)
Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
PROVO — The transfer portal giveth, and the transfer portal taketh away.
Change beckons in college football for all teams, and the opening of the NCAA transfer portal’s latest window Monday will have hundreds — possibly thousands — of players heading for the exits.
Among them will be BYU backup quarterback Jacob Conover.
The former four-star recruit from Chandler, Arizona, announced his intentions Friday on social media, adding that the past three years since returning from a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and enrolled at BYU “have been some of the greatest times of my life.”
“They have involved moments, memories, and relationships that will last a lifetime,” Conover wrote in a post on social media. “I am so grateful for the love and support I received during my time here from my teammates, staff, and fans. I’m thankful for the opportunity I had to attend this university and pursue my athletic and academic goals. I believe everything happens for a reason and that God has a plan for everyone.
“With that being said, after much prayer and talking with my family, I will be entering the transfer portal and starting a new chapter of my life. I am excited for what the future holds and ready to attack the new challenges ahead.”
The transfer portal opens for most FBS schools on Monday, Dec. 5, although a few exceptions were made under the latest NCAA legislation. For example, players whose head coaches were fired had around 30 days to enter the portal and choose to move on, while FCS players could enter as their own seasons ended (even prior to the playoffs).
Conover, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound freshman returned from a church mission just weeks prior to the 2020 season and immediately reported to campus to help run the Cougars’ scout team. He departs Provo after playing in just five games, completing 5-of-11 passes for 45 yards with one rush for 5 yards.
The third-year freshman’s extended service came during a 34-20 win over Utah State during the 2021 season, when he threw for all 45 yards in relief of injured starter Baylor Romney.
The former four-star recruit and ESPN top 300 recruit nationally chose BYU over offers from Alabama, Arizona State, Arizona, Ole Miss, Oregon State and South Carolina after a high school career that included three consecutive state titles and more than 10,000 passing yards and 102 touchdowns at Chandler High, where he was teammates with BYU receiver Gunner Romney.
With Conover’s departure, Boise State transfer Cade Fennegan is likely to be the primary backup to starting quarterback Jaren Hall for the Cougars’ upcoming bowl game. Other quarterbacks on the roster include Sol-Jay Maiava-Peters and former Utah walk-on Nick Billoups.
transfer portal
- Jacob Conover, Fr., quarterback (Chandler, Ariz.)
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A proud graduate of Syracuse University, Sean Walker has covered BYU for KSL.com since 2015, while also mixing in prep sports, education, and anything else his editors assign him to do.
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