Legend hires Jake Heaps, Russell Wilson’s personal QB coach, as head football coach

Legend’s turned to a renowned quarterback guru to lead its football program as the Titans announced Jake Heaps as their next head coach on Wednesday night.

Heaps, well-known to Colorado football fans as Russell Wilson’s personal quarterback coach, played in college football at BYU, Kansas and Miami. He also had brief stints in the NFL with the Jets and Seahawks organizations, and spent time in the Canadian Football League.

“For myself and our (search) committee, he came across as a transformational leader,” Legend athletic director Dan Simington said. “… From the football side, his work (as a trainer) and his experience as an athlete at the highest levels, his depth of offensive knowledge and his ability to develop kids and athletes at the highest levels separated him. He talked about how he could pare that down to get the most out of our kids.”

Heaps replaces Monte Thelen, who stepped down after leading the Titans to their first appearance in the Class 5A championship last fall. Legend played juggernaut Cherry Creek close in that game, ultimately losing 13-10 at Canvas Stadium.

Legend will be Heaps’ first high school head coaching job. It’s still to be determined if Heaps, who trains other quarterbacks in addition to Wilson and is also the head coach for the Elite 11 quarterback camp series and competition, will also serve as the Titans’ offensive coordinator.

“You deserve it!” Russell Wilson tweeted of the hire. “For the 10 years I’ve known you & worked with you, you’ve always been one of the best! Keep being you!”

Another significant new face for the Legend program in 2025 will be DJ Bordeaux, a top quarterback recruit who has more than two dozen Division I offers, according to 247Sports.com. Bordeaux played his freshman year at ThunderRidge before transferring to Georgia, where he played at two different schools. Bordeaux was at Alpharetta (Alpharetta, Ga.) as a sophomore before playing at Douglas County (Douglasville, Ga.) this past fall.

The Titans had a run-heavy offense in recent years, especially in 2024 when Legend was highlighted by star running back and Wyoming pledge Jaden Lawrence. With Heaps at the helm and Bordeaux as QB, the Titans might be airing it out much more in 2025.

“If we have the talent, you could possibly see a little more passing and utilization of weapons across the field,” Simington said.

Bordeaux was recently approved by a vote at a league meeting to play at Legend this fall via a hardship waiver. He has participated in Elite 11 camps, but Simington said Heaps has yet to meet the quarterback.

“My understanding is Jake has never encountered DJ at that level — Jake’s role at those camps was a higher level than DJ’s ever experienced when he’s attended those,” Simington said. “Jake was not aware of DJ when we started this process.”

With Heaps hired, Simington believes the Titans can again be a state title contender in 2025.

“If Jake can model some of the same things Monte did, then yeah, I think they had a chance to compete (for a championship),” Simington said.

Heaps could not be reached for comment by The Post on Wednesday, but issued a statement through the school.

“We will compete everyday to meet the Legend standard and push our program to new heights,” Heaps wrote.

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