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Provo • For the first time in coach Bronco Mendenhall's 11 years, BYU will be coming off consecutive bowl losses when it begins spring practices Monday on campus.

But an even bigger concern as the Cougars start their 11th spring camp under Mendenhall is the quarterback position. Who's going to throw the passes to returning receivers Mitch Mathews, Colby Pearson, Devon Blackmon, Trey Dye, Mitchell Juergens and Terenn Houk and highly touted returned Mormon missionary Josh Weeks?

That duty will probably fall on the shoulders of McCoy Hill, the 6-foot-6 230-pounder from Jordan High who was a walk-on tight end a few years ago before a church mission to McAllen, Texas. Hill, no relation to the 2014 opening-day starter with the same last name, was Christian Stewart's backup in the double-overtime loss to Memphis in the Miami Beach Bowl.

The real McCoy, as it were, is Taysom Hill. But he is still recovering from a broken leg suffered against Utah State last October, and probable backup Tanner Mangum is an assistant to the LDS mission president in Chile, and won't return until June 1. The only other QB on the spring roster is sophomore returned missionary Hunter Moore, a walk-on from San Marcos, Calif., who played in one game last year — against Savannah State — but didn't throw a pass.

BYU didn't make Mendenhall or any of his assistant coaches available for interviews last week, but Taysom Hill's brother-in-law, former BYU linebacker David Nixon, told Ben Criddle on 960 AM radio that Hill "is doing really well" in his second comeback from a major injury that cut short a season.

"He can run straight forward, but can't cut yet," Nixon said. "He will get light reps in the spring."

The Cougars chose to not bring in an experienced junior college QB after Arizona Western's Trent Hosick, who started his career at Missouri, backed out of his commitment. In his remarks after Signing Day, Mendenhall acknowledged that not having an experienced backup going into the 2015 season "is a concern" and a "valid point" to be raised, but said he believes Mangum will be ready because he got a lot of reps in spring camp in 2013 before leaving for Antofagasta, Chile.

The Cougars signed two high school quarterbacks Feb. 4. However, Kody Wilstead of Pine View High will leave on a mission shortly, while Beau Hoge of Fort Thomas, Ky., son of ESPN NFL football analyst Merril Hoge, will join the program this summer.

"It is not a complete bridge in terms of experience, but what I saw there [from Mangum] lent confidence to me, and what I saw from Beau Hoge, even though he is a high school player, and what he can do, his escapability, that gives you a chance," Mendenhall said. "To me, when you add escapability, that gives you a chance to not have to execute at such a high level, and rely so much on precision, as sometimes just escapability, to move the football."

Most college football programs begin spring camp in the middle of March, but BYU has generally opted to start the first Monday of the month. The Cougars will practice or scrimmage three times a week through April 3.

The annual Blue-White spring scrimmage is set for March 27 at LaVell Edwards Stadium, with a 5 p.m. clinic for kids to be followed by the 6 p.m. open-to-the-public scrimmage.

BYU is one of five programs across the country that did not change any coordinators or position coaches in the offseason. The only new face on the staff is strength and conditioning coach Frank Wintrich, who replaced the retiring Jay Omer.

"Our players have been working hard the past two months in their workouts with coach Wintrich, who is having a great impact on our program," Mendenhall said in a statement provided by BYU sports information. "We are looking forward to starting spring practices to continue the development of this team."

Mendenhall announced Jan. 7 that he will oversee the defense again, and take the play-calling duties back from Nick Howell. Having lost in the Miami Beach Bowl on Dec. 22, a year after falling 31-16 to Washington in the Fight Hunger Bowl, the Cougars are seemingly at a crossroads, athletic director Tom Holmoe said last week when asked to assess the state of the program.

"There were highs and lows last year," Holmoe said. "We did some things last year that we can definitely improve on. And a lot of it is not just on the field, but off the field: things that we can do with our fan base, and we can do with me, our athletic director, and our coaches, and our players. We learned a lot about ourselves last year. That's where we are focused right now, is turning the page on 2014. We can still go back and flip back and say, 'What do we need to do?' But our focus is on 2015 and beyond. There are a lot of indicators that would say some people aren't buying. But there are a lot of people that are buying into the Cougars still."

drew@sltrib.com Twitter: @drewjay —

BYU spring football camp

Monday • Camp begins at SAB Outdoor Field or Indoor Practice Facility

March 20 • High school coaches clinic

March 27 • Pro Day at Indoor Practice Facility, 10 a.m.

March 27 • Spring Scrimmage (open to public) at LaVell Edwards Stadium, 6 p.m.

April 3 • Alumni Day (final practice)

Note: Practices are closed to the public.