Mapping the Future of BYU Quarterbacks

BYU has a talented pipeline of quarterbacks

BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier warms up for BYU's game against WVU | BYU Photo

At this time last year, BYU had three scholarship quarterbacks on the roster: Jake Retzlaff, McCae Hillstead, and Treyson Bourguet. In a matter of two months, BYU got commitments from Bear Bachmeier and Ryder Lyons. Those commitments changed the trajectory of the quarterback position at BYU.

In this era of college football, it's almost impossible to look too far ahead when it comes to the quarterback position. Roster construction is now done on a year-by-year basis. Most quarterbacks hit the transfer portal at least once. At BYU, however, Kalani Sitake has managed to retain his roster better than most programs. With that in mind, we'll take a look at the future of the quarterback position in Provo.

The Current Roster

The quarterback situation in 2026 is straight forward. As of this writing, BYU will only have three scholarship quarterbacks on the roster for the 2026 season: Bear Bachmeier, Treyson Bourguet, and Enoch Watson. Bachmeier will be the starter and Watson and Bourguet will compete for the backup job.

Bachmeier still has three years of eligibility remaining. He led the Cougars to 12 wins as a true freshman. He has the potential to be one of the best quarterbacks in the Big 12 for years to come.

The race for the backup quarterback job will be one to monitor during the offseason. Will BYU go with the more experienced quarterback in Treyson Bourguet as the backup to Bourguet? Or can true freshman Enoch Watson beat Bourguet out? BYU was high on Watson's ability coming out of high school. The Cougars were the first one to offer him a scholarship.

Future Additions at Quarterback

BYU has multiple quarterbacks that have signed or committed to the program that will be on the roster for the 2027 season.

The most notable addition is four-star quarterback Ryder Lyons. Lyons had offers from practically every school in the country. He signed with the Cougars and will join the program in January of 2027 after his mission. In an ideal scenario, Lyons would sit one year behind Bear Bachmeier before taking over the starting job.

By 2027, 2025 signee Nolan Keeney will be also home from his mission. Keeney could stay at quarterback or try his hand at another position.

Targets

There are multiple players on BYU's radar at quarterback, including Ryder Lyons' high school teammate Brody Rudnicki. Rudnicki holds multiple P4 offers despite spending most of his career as Lyons' backup.

Four-star quarterback Sione Kaho is also a BYU target.

In the 2028 class, BYU has targeted Preston Beck. Preston is the son of former BYU great quarterback John Beck.