Mangum continues to perform well
MALIBU, Calif. - For the second straight day, Tanner Mangum won the accuracy competition at the Elite 11 and it's an especially rewarding accomplishment for the Eagle, Idaho, pro-style quarterback who thrived at The Opening and has followed that up with another strong showing so far this week.
"It's exciting," Mangum said. "I heard only one person has done that before in the history of this event so it's good company to be in.
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"I just came out and was excited because I didn't want to give this up. It's a pretty prestigious award. It may seem small but it's pretty big between the guys and gives you some respectability and kind of gets your name out there.
"That's what I wanted to do. I wanted to show this wasn't a fluke. I wanted to compete and keep this up."
Mangum, who committed to BYU in early April, was arguably the best quarterback all week at The Opening in Beaverton, Ore., where he emerged as a legitimate national prospect and not just a gem tucked away in the Northwest.
Things went so well in Oregon that Mangum was conscious heading into the Elite 11 that his reputation is getting bigger and he didn't want his performance to slip. The four-star prospect rated ninth at pro-style quarterback by Rivals.com wants to keep getting better and end the Elite 11 on a high note.
"Some people thought, 'Who's this Idaho kid? Who's this BYU kid?'" Mangum said on Tuesday.
"I think there were some expectations for me not to live up to my billing but I didn't pay attention to that and I just wanted to come out and play and have fun because when I do my thing and worry about what I'm doing that's when the best Tanner Mangum comes out."
It's been a big summer for Mangum since he performed well at the Stanford Elite 11 regional and especially The Opening and here at the Elite 11 final.
The Idaho standout doesn't want to rest, though. He wants to build on those performances heading into his senior season and then on to BYU.
"The hard work is paying off and that feels good because I've been working at the quarterback position my whole life and it's something I love and it's my passion," Mangum said.
"It feels good to come out and do well and kind of show everybody what I've been working on."