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Eye on the Y: Zach Wilson better get ready for the bright lights

The former BYU quarterback’s future looks destined to be with the New York Jets.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) BYU quarterback Zach Wilson warms up before working out for NFL scouts during BYU Pro Day, in Provo on Friday, March 26, 2021.

I may have taken last week off, but the BYU sports news certainly did not. Most recently, the biggest news may be that of the New York Jets selecting former Cougar Zach Wilson in the upcoming NFL Draft.

On Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported a new deal within the Jets’ organization: the Jets traded quarterback Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for a 2021 sixth-round pick and second and fourth-round picks in 2022.

For those who may be confused about what that could mean, it almost certainly means Wilson is headed to New York.

The Jets have the No. 2 pick in the draft and will be looking to find a quarterback replacement. Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence is still expected to be the top pick come draft day, by Jacksonville, but it’s looking more and more likely that Wilson will be the second-overall pick.

I’m not the only one to think this is how it will play out in a few weeks — Schefter does, too.

In a tweet, Schefter said “I sent him a text yesterday. I said ‘Welcome to New York, Zach, officially.’”

If that’s still not enough for you, Steve Serby of the New York Post wrote an entire article of how “The Jets now belong to Zach Wilson.”

All that’s left to do it to cross the T’s and dot the I’s.

Could Mark Pope leave BYU?

There’s been a lot of commotion happening within the men’s basketball roster over the last couple of weeks, but could there be an even bigger change?

I don’t know, but it’s certainly possible.

On Wednesday, Arizona parted ways with Sean Miller after 12 seasons. It comes as no shock, especially because of the scandal his staff created a few years ago. While assistant coach Jack Murphy is serving as interim coach, Arizona athletic director Dave Heeke will be looking to find a replacement.

Whether or not Pope goes after the job opening, or if Arizona comes after him, his resume does plenty of talking to put him in the mix. After four successful seasons at Utah Valley, Pope took over at BYU after long-time coach Dave Rose retired. Pope won 24 games last year and 20 games this season, as well as got the BYU program back in the NCAA Tournament.

It’ll be interesting to see what Pope chooses to do, but, should he chose to leave, it could affect Matt Haarms and Alex Barcello’s decision on whether to come back for another year or not.

More thoughts

• Who watched Monday’s national championship game? That was not the game I was expecting, but it was exactly the game we needed. After a year of so much uncertainty and constant changes, and after not having a NCAA Tournament last year, I loved how just about every single bracket was busted almost immediately — and the surprises continued all the way to the end. It would have been nice for Gonzaga to have won to bring the title back to the West Coast Conference, but I can’t be mad at what happened.

• We now know why BYU’s Paisley Harding didn’t have as good a game as expected in the heartbreaking, second-round loss to Arizona. The senior had broken her hand during the Cougars’ first-round upset of Rutgers. Harding, who shared what happened on her Instagram stories, underwent surgery and is recovering.

Other voices

Here’s a list compiled by The Arizona Republic on potential replacements for Sean Miller, which includes Pope and two other WCC coaches.

• 247Sports had some words for the NFL — don’t say Brady Christensen isn’t athletic.

ESPN put together a video to show how Wilson is the most creative playmaking quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Normita’s Spanish Lesson of the Week

sorprendente

surprising

El juego del campeonato fue sorprendente.

The championship game was surprising.