In doing some early prep for Cincinnati’s opponent this week, the BYU Cougars, I came across the above photo of quarterback Tanner Mangum.
Oct 2, 2015; Provo, UT, USA; Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Tanner Mangum (12) passes the ball during the second half against the Connecticut Huskies at Lavell Edwards Stadium. BYU won 30-13. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
At first I couldn’t place him. “Where have I seen this guy before?”, I thought to myself. But as I continued to stare creepily at his face, eventually it came to me.
By golly if Mangum doesn’t bear a striking resemblance to the Mortified Punter. You know, the infamous gif from 2011 when the Wolverines were deceptively decent in Brady Hoke’s first season in Ann Arbor.
This one.
It’s like Mangum played for Michigan for a couple of years, went on a Morman mission, then decided to use up the rest of his eligibility at BYU. Upon a three second Googling of “where did Tanner Mangum come from?”, I can’t prove that this theory doesn’t hold water. Plus, it’s not like a one second search of “has a punter ever transferred and played quarterback at a new school?” yielded any meaningful results.
So it’s sort of plausible.
Regardless, let’s hope Mangum’s making that face more than a few times on Friday night.