Ranking the 16 BYU Quarterbacks of the Kalani Sitake Era

This time last year, the BYU qarterback room was up-ended when Jake Retzlaff was named in a civil lawsuit. By July, Retlzaff was gone and the Cougars turned to true freshman Bear Bachmeier at quarterback.

Bachmeier was the 14th quarterback to play for BYU in the Kalani Sitake era. Bachmeier's backups - Treyson Bourguet and McCae Hillstead - became the 15th and 16th quarterbacks to take snaps in the Kalani Sitake era. In this article, we will rank all 16 quarterbacks of the Kalani Sitake era.

16. Koy Detmer Jr.

Koy Detmer Jr. was primarily a backup at BYU. He did appear in one game in 2017 at Utah State. In that game, Detmer was 7/20 with 91 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. That was his last appearance for the Cougars.

15. Jacob Conover

When Jacob Conover signed with BYU, he was viewed as the future of the quarterback position in Provo. Conover didn't live up to his four-star rating at BYU, and he eventually transferred a few times before landing at Utah State and serving as a backup. Conover was just 5/11 for 45 yards in two seasons at BYU. Outside of garbage time, his only appearance was in 2021 against Utah State. Conover replaced an injured Baylor Romney in that game.

14. Treyson Bourguet

BYU quarterback Treyson Bourguet at BYU Spring camp | BYU Photo

We view Treyson Bourguet as the favorite to be the backup to Bear Bachmeier in 2026. Bourguet has only attempted two passes at BYU and completed one of them for 8 yards. While his on-field impact has been minimal, he has been a positive influence in the locker room and he could be important for the Cougars in 2026.

13. McCae Hillstead

BYU quarterback McCae Hillstead at BYU Fall Camp | BYU Photo

McCae Hillstead could be much higher on this list had he beat out Bear Bachmeier in 2025. The 2025 quarterback battle was narrowed down to Bachmeier and Hillstead before Bachmeier was named the starter. Hillstead transferred out of the program after the 2025 season and was recently named the starter at Utah State.

12. Beau Hodge

Beau Hodge spent his time as a backup at BYU. Hodge made an appearance in 2015 against ECU when Tanner Mangum left the game with an injury. He didn't play again until 2017 when he replaced an injured Mangum again. In 2017, Hodge was 19 for 39 (49%) for 257 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions.

11. Joe Critchlow

Joe Critchlow started a handful of games for BYU in 2017. The 2017 season is one that BYU fans want to forget - and for good reason. The Cougars suffered one of the worst losses in program history against UMass. Critchlow was the quarterback in that game. He was 21/45 for 257 yards. He had 1 touchdown in 4 interceptions.

He also provided one of the lone bright spots of the 2017 season: a road win at UNLV. Between the 2017 and 2019 seasons, Critchlow had 715 yards while completing 57% of his passes.

10. Gerry Bohanon

Gerry Bohanon spent one season at BYU and he only appeared in a few games. He was 3/4 passes for 27 yards. His lone incompletion was an interception against Colorado in the 2024 Alamo Bowl. He added 30 rushing yards as well. Bohannon's production was limited, but he did show well in 2024 Fall Camp. He came incredibly close to beating out Jake Retzlaff.

9. Sol-Jay Maiava-Peters

Sol-Jay Maiava-Peters earned the nickname "Bowl-Jay" for his standout performance in the 2022 new Mexico Bowl against SMU. Sol-Jay had only 47 passing yards in that game, but he moved the BYU offense with his legs. He had 96 yards on 14 carries.

8. Tanner Mangum

The Tanner Mangum of the Kalani Sitake era is 8th on our list. His 2015 breakout season came in Bronco Mendenhall's final season at BYU and, therefore, does not qualify for our purposes. From 2016-2018, Mangum struggled to recreate his production from the 2015 season.

After throwing for nearly 3,400 yards as a freshman, Mangum threw for 2,885 yards from 2016-2018. His TD/Int ratio during that time was 16:14.

7. Kedon Slovis

Kedon Slovis BYU — Oct 21, 2023; Provo, Utah, USA; Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Kedon Slovis (10) passes the ball against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the first quarter at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Kedon Slovis didn't have a strong run game around him in his lone season at BYU, and as a result, the offense really struggled. Slovis did what he could to carry the BYU offense. Slovis had a few standout performances despite the struggles of the BYU offense as a whole. Slovis finished 2023 153/266 for 1,716 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions.

6. Baylor Romney

Baylor Romney ended his BYU career early to start his corporate career. If not for his early retirement, Romney would have started for the Cougars in 2023. Romney spent his career as a backup, but he was effective whenever he was given the chance. He could go down as one of the best true backup quarterbacks in program history.

Romney finished his BYU career 134/200 for 1,787 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. Romney was undefeated as a starter at BYU which included BYU's upset win over Boise State in 2018. The Broncos were otherwise undefeated during the 2018 regular season.

5. Taysom Hill

The Taysom Hill on this list is the 2016 version of Taysom Hill. Hill carried a BYU offense that dropped off a cliff after he left. Statistically speaking, Hill didn't jump off the page. However, he did help BYU get to 9 wins in his final year at BYU.

Hill finished the 2016 season with 2,323 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He also added 603 rushing yards.

4. Jake Retzlaff

BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff against Utah | BYU Photo

Jake Retzlaff was one of the more volatile quarterbacks on this list. He struggled to put two strong halves together and he made some harmful mistakes. However, he also led some brilliant comebacks and had BYU on the verge of a Big 12 title appearance.

Retzlaff finished the 2024 season with 2,947 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He also added 417 rushing yards and 6 rushing touchdowns.

3. Bear Bachmeier

BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier scores a touchdown against TCU | BYU Photo

It didn't take Bear Bachmeier long to climb the list of quarterbacks in the Kalani Sitake era. Bachmeier led the Cougars to 12 wins and a Big 12 title appearance as a true freshman. Bachmeier managed to avoid too many costly mistakes outside of the Texas Tech games.

Bachmeier finished his true freshman season with 3,033 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. He also had 527 yards and a quarterback record 11 touchdowns on the ground.

Bachmeier has the opportunity to be the best quarterback of the Sitake era.

2. Jaren Hall

Jaren Hall had the best two-year run of any BYU quarterback on this list.

In terms of touchdown to turnover ratio, Hall is up there with the best in BYU history. He finished his BYU career with 62 total touchdowns to just 11 interceptions. Hall quarterbacked a 2021 BYU team that was narrowly on the outside looking in at a NY6 bowl game.

You could make the case that Jaren Hall is the best quarterback of the Sitake era.

1. Zach Wilson

Zach Wilson BYU — Oct 16, 2020; Houston, Texas, USA; Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Zach Wilson (1) runs with the ball during the third quarter against the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Zach Wilson became the BYU starter as the program was at one of its two lowest points of the Sitake era. Wilson turned the program around almost instantly. He had a few breakout performances as a true freshman in 2018, including a gutsy performance in a near upset over Utah and a perfect 18/18 showing in the bowl game.

Then in 2020, Zach Wilson set the single-season record for completion percentage, completing 74% of his passes. Wilson had a TD/Int ratio of 33:3 through the air that season and he added another 10 touchdowns on the ground.

Wilson was the face of the BYU football program as the Cougars went from irrelavant in 2018 to making a splash on the national scene in 2020.

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