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Where Will BYU Football Turn at Quarterback if Jake Retzlaff Can't Play?

Casey Lundquist|
BYU quarterback McCae Hillstead during Spring practice
BYU quarterback McCae Hillstead during Spring practice | BYU Photo

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BYU Cougars

On Wednesday, a civil lawsuit was filed against starting BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff accusing him of sexual assault.

The purpose of this article is not to debate whether Jake Retzlaff will be available to play or not, or whether he should be allowed to play or not. That will be determined over the course of the next few months. Instead, the purpose of this article will be to look at the BYU quarterback room and determine BYU's options if Retzlaff can't go.

Three Options at Quarterback

Behind Retzlaff, there are three quarterbacks that BYU could turn to: McCae Hillstead, Treyson Bourguet, and Bear Bachmeier. Should this situation turn into a quarterback battle in Fall camp, it will be fascinating to see how it plays out.

On one hand, you have two players in McCae Hillstead and Treyson Bourguet that are entering their second season with the program. They have knowledge of the playbook, but they have never taken first-team reps. When there was a quarterback battle during Fall camp of 2024, the first-team reps were evenly split between Jake Retzlaff and Gerry Bohanon. Hillstead and Bourguet split reps with the third-team offense.

During Spring camp a few months ago, Jake Retzlaff took all the first-string reps. Hillstead and Bourguet were battling for the backup quarterback job at the time, but Spring camp ended without the backup quarterback battle being decided. Both Hillstead and Bourguet would compete for the starting job if Retzlaff is unavailable.

After Spring camp, BYU added Stanford transfer and true freshman Bear Bachmeier. Bachmeier, a former four-star recruit, spent just a few weeks at Stanford. Shortly after signing with Stanford over competing offers from Georgia, Notre Dame, Alabama, Miami, Michigan, and Oregon among others, Stanford head coach Troy Taylor was fired.

That prompted Bachmeier to enter the transfer portal. Bachmeier was recruited by BYU out of high school, and he signed with the Cougars as the potential quarterback of the future after Retzlaff exhausted his eligibility.

The Case for McCae Hillstead

Utah State transfer quarterback McCae Hillstead committed to BYU in the Spring of 2024. After entering the transfer portal, Hillstead was recruited by schools in the Big Ten, SEC, and he was also recruited by Utah. He has talent and he flashed that during his true freshman season at Utah State.

Hillstead was thrust into action in the third game of his true freshman season at Utah State in 2023. In that game against Air Force, Utah State's offense was struggling before Hillstead came in for his first real college football action. The Aggies' offense came to life once Hillstead entered the game. In limited action, he threw for 202 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. He was making anticipatory throws and quick decisions - two things that typically take time to develop.

After that game, Hillstead was named the starting quarterback for the following week against James Madison. The Aggies got off to a horrible start in that game against JMU, trailing 24-0 at the end of the first quarter. Hillstead and the offense came roaring back. The Aggies came all the way back from 24 down to tie the game at 38 in the fourth quarter. Hillstead ended the game with 399 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions.

Once the game was tied at 38, the wheels fell off for the Utah State offense and the Aggies lost 45-38. Despite the loss, Hillstead looked like the quarterback of the future for the Aggies. The next week, Hillstead left the game against UConn with a concussion.

After that injury, Hillstead didn't look like the quarterback that he was in September. He was sidelined for three weeks, then he was in and out of the lineup once he came back and the results were lackluster. He finished his true freshman seaon with 1,062 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions.

Hillstead certainly flashed potential as a true freshman. He made some big-time throws and he injected some life in an otherwise bad Utah State offense. He also struggled with some turnovers, something that's expected from a true freshman in his first game action.

In Spring camp, Hillstead flashed the potential that he showed as a true freshman. On one occasion, he pulled the ball on a read option and beat the BYU defense to the sideline. Hillstead showed off his track speed on the 50+ yard touchdown run. He also made big plays with his arm throughout camp. That has been a theme for Hillstead in the two camps we've seen him: explosive plays. Hillstead is capable of making explosive plays, but he has also forced a few throws and turned the ball over.

We predicted Hillstead to win the backup quarterback job in Fall camp. If the starting job becomes availalble, Hillstead would probably be the favorite to win the quarterback competition.

The Case for Bear Bachmeier

Bear Bachmeier will be the least experienced quarterback in the competition, but he will have the highest ceiling. Bachmeier is all of 6'2 and 225 pounds.

Bear is a true dual-threat quarterback. He is a talented runner and he has a really strong arm. There's a reason he was a coveted recruit coming out of high school. He has the talent to be an ideal fit in Aaron Roderick's offense. He fits the mold of dual-threat quarterbacks that have had a lot of success in Aaron Roderick's offense like Jaren Hall, Jake Retzlaff, and Zach Wilson.

Bachmeier could step in right away and help the BYU offense as a runner. However, he will be brand new to college football and BYU's playbook. Historically, that's not a recipte for success. Bachmeier is intelligent and if anyone has the mental capacity to learn a system quickly, it's him. But his inexperience might be too much to overcome in just one month of Fall camp.

Perhaps there could be a scenario where Bachmeier doesn't start right away, but BYU could turn to him midseason. That's what Aaron Roderick did with Zach Wilson in 2018.

The ideal situation for Bachmeier would have been a full year of development under Jake Retzlaff.

The Case for Treyson Bourguet

A Western Michigan transfer, Treyson Bourguet has starting experience. Bourguet joined the program in January of 2024. At Western Michigan, Bourguet threw for over 1,300 yards over two seasons. He is entering his redshirt junior season.

Bourguet has intriguing arm talent and he showed that during Spring camp. You can see his ability in this clip from Spring camp.

Of the three quarterbacks, Bourguet is the least mobile. He's certainly not a statue in the pocket, but he isn't a gifted runner like Bear Bachmeier and he isn't as fast as McCae Hillstead. In a season where BYU will need to run the football, Bourguet might limit the BYU offense in that regard. It was for that reason that we projected Hillstead to win the backup job after Spring camp.

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Casey Lundquist
CASEY LUNDQUIST

Casey Lundquist is the publisher and lead editor of Cougs Daily. He has covered BYU athletics for the last four years. During that time, he has published over 2,000 stories that have reached more than three million people.

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