KSL.com’s PROVO Building off a top-25 defense the previous season and led by a returning quarterback, BYU football was predicted to compete for a Big 12 championship in its third conference season.
After a civil action was dropped and an honor-code violation was later reported, Jake Retzlaff left school and transferred to Tulane, shattering a lot of those expectations.
Rather, the Cougars arrived for training camp on Tuesday and will start practices in Provo on Wednesday. The quarterback rivalry between Bear Bachmeier, Treyson Bourguet, and McCae Hillstead will be the main focus.
“A Big 12 championship is what everyone wants,” Hillstead said on the CougConnect podcast. Last year, we were within one game of each other. Everyone seems to be in agreement, and I believe it extends to the quarterback’s room.
The three candidates to head the BYU offense are shown here.
The local
As a former three-year starter at Skyridge High who relocated from his hometown of Springville with his family after ninth grade, Hillstead is no stranger to football in Utah.
Despite recovering from tightrope surgery on his ankle, the 5-foot-10, 190-pound redshirt sophomore started four of eight games as a true freshman at Utah State, throwing for 1,062 yards with 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Before transferring after the 2023 season, he set an Aggies freshman record versus James Madison with 399 passing yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions.
Hillstead has Division I experience, the arm, and the running ability. The drawback? Most cite his size.
It’s odd to be recruited as an undersized quarterback, Hillstead said, adding that BYU and Utah ultimately decided his transfer choice. Even though I am fully capable, it takes guts to approach an undersized child and make an offer. You simply have no idea how things will turn out.
He continued, “I had opportunities early; five games into my sophomore season, I received my first offer to Nevada.” However, it wasn’t actually occurring, and I believe that everyone aspires to play in the Power Five at the top level.
The outsider
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Bourguet is the quarterback who most closely resembles the role. He is a dual-threat quarterback with Division I experience, just like Hillstead.
After playing in 10 games over two seasons at Western Michigan, where he ran for 219 yards and a touchdown and passed for 1,314 yards and six touchdowns with two interceptions, the redshirt junior transferred to BYU.
Originally from Tucson, Arizona, and a former Arizona commit, Bourguet had minimal affiliation with BYU. His family all attended Arizona colleges, and he is not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
However, after missing the entire previous season, Bourguet attributes his success to the culture under head coach Kalani Sitake, which also prevented the third son of Toby and Vanessa Bourguet from transferring again.
As Bourguet stated on the CougConnect podcast, “I had a great time at Western Michigan.” However, I will state that the atmosphere and team culture here are centered upon learning and love, and it is genuinely a family.
He also said, “My younger brother wants to come out and visit just to be around the guys.” They have embraced my family as their own and put their arms around them. Family is really important to me, and BYU has done that with my family.
The freshman
The true freshman from Murrieta, California, Bachmeier is new to the BYU quarterback room, but he might have the most potential.
The 6-foot-2, 225-pound signal caller was rated as the 11th best quarterback in the nation by ESPN and a four-star prospect by On3 and Rivals.
Bachmeier, who threw for 6,810 yards and 50 touchdowns in high school, transferred when coach Troy Taylor was fired after an internal inquiry into the program. Bachmeier had enrolled early at Stanford and participated in spring practices.
After that, he transferred to BYU with his older brother, Tiger Bachmeier, a wide receiver who earned a computer science degree in two and a half years from Stanford.
Bachmeier, who will wear number 47 at BYU in remembrance of his beginnings as a running back and middle linebacker, said, “I was fortunate to have multiple offers coming out of high school, but playing with my brother, who was at Stanford, was a big thing.” I simply believed that playing with Tiger and Stanford’s academic reputation were more important than many other considerations.
The second time, I only wanted to find a stable situation—with the coaches in particular—but also have the ability to plan and execute plays. BYU is, in my opinion, the best place to accomplish it.
