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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…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/byu-starting-freshman-qb-bear-bachmeier-is-a-risk-but-it-comes-with-big-12-championship-upside/
Author : Shehan Jeyarajah
Publish date : 2025-08-20 15:42:00
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