When BYU lost quarterback Jake Retzlaff to transfer in July, it threw a championship-level roster into chaos. Retzlaff wasn’t an exceptional player, but he was a pivotal one. During a breakout 11-win campaign, he had multiple game-winning plays and even supported the run game when the running back room dealt with injuries.
With Retzlaff gone, finding a serious playmaker to lead the offense seemed like a tall order. It pushed BYU down to No. 9 in the Preseason 247Sports Big 12 poll and collapsed its conference championship odds to +2000, according to DraftKings.
True freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier won the starting quarterback job this week, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. He will be the first true freshman to ever start Week 1 for BYU. While handing the keys to a first-time passer is a risk, coach Kalani Sitake made the perfect choice to push the Cougars back into Big 12 contention.
Bachmeier was a late addition to the roster after he and his brother Tiger, a wide receiver, transferred from Stanford after the firing of coach Troy Taylor. Bear was a spring enrollee with the Cardinal after turning down overtures from Alabama, Oregon and many other of the best programs in the country.
BYU had two incumbent quarterbacks on the roster in Treyson Bourguet and McCae Hillstead. Both played major snaps at Group of Five programs, but neither appeared in a game during the 2024 season. Hillstead showed some playmaking ability at Utah State the year prior, but neither presents many physical mismatches against Power Four competition.
With his 6-foot-2, 225-pound frame, Bachmeier boasts the strength and physicality to be an enforcer at the college level. But really, it’s his attitude that makes him special. Growing up in a family of major college football players, Bear played both linebacker and running back. When he switched to quarterback, he kept the No. 47.
“I don’t know, I like the number,” Bachmeier told KSL Sports. “It kind of brings back to your primitive nature when you’re playing.”
Message received. Bachmeier is a hitter.
But while the physical frame dwarfs upperclassmen Bourguet and Hillstead, his passing development has been the surprise of camp. He completed more than 65% of his passes in high school, but Bachmeier has shown off touch and layering that’s rare for a player of his age. He has the talent to get the most out of a receiver room that adds Tiger Bachmeier to the returning Chase Roberts and Jojo Phillips.
Looking across the rest of the roster, BYU is ready to go. Linebackers Jack Kelly and Isaiah Glasker are one of the top duos in the nation and Utah transfer DL Keanu Tanuvasa is a breakout candidate. Running back LJ Martin is back and healthy, while the pass-catching corps should take a step forward. There’s no time to play it safe.
Now let’s be clear, Bachmeier is going to lose BYU some games. Even the most talented quarterbacks are prone to mistakes in their youth. In his first full year as a starter, Retzlaff threw 12 interceptions and had multiple picks in five games. Without experience to fall back on, that’s often the price of playmaking.
So often in the Big 12, playmaking from skill players separates contenders. Last year, running back Cameron Skattebo at Arizona State swung the conference title race. In previous years, Texas receiver Xavier Worthy, Kansas State running back Deuce Vaughn and Baylor running back Abram Smith have done the same for Big 12 title teams. Steadiness is important, but the ability to change the game on a dime separates the championship teams. Bachmeier, more than any other player on the roster, gives BYU that chance.
There’s one other factor that really sets Bachmeier up for great success: The schedule. BYU should be favored handily in each of its first six games until the tests really start in mid-October. That gives Bachmeier plenty of time to build rhythm before Utah comes to town on Oct. 18. Even so, we rated BYU as having the easiest schedule in the Big 12 in 2025 with only two games against preseason AP Top 25 squads.
Sitake has earned trust after posting three 10-win seasons in the past five years. Even with the growing pains that are sure to come, he once again has made the tough call to give the program its best chance to win big. With a stacked roster, it’s time to take a risk.
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