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BYU Offers Under-the-Radar JUCO Quarterback John Sanders

The Cougars continue to pursue quarterback depth for the 2026 season
Casey Lundquist|
BYU Offensive Coordinator Aaron Roderick
BYU Offensive Coordinator Aaron Roderick | BYU Photo

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BYU Cougars

Over the weekend, BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick extended an offer to JUCO quarterback John Sanders. Sanders, a JUCO quarterback from Antelope Valley College, was on an official visit in Provo over the weekend.

After the visit, Sanders received the offer from BYU.

Sanders is a freshman qualifier, meaning he would be eligible to enroll and join the program in time for Fall Camp. Sanders is listed at 6'0 and 190 pounds. While slightly undersized for a quarterback prospect, he excels in the playmaking department. Sanders is comfortable using his legs and throwing on the run, and he can pick up yards on the ground as well. He was recently clocked running a 4.6 forty.

As a freshman, Sanders led his team to an 11-1 record that included a bowl win. He was named the MVP of the bowl game. He finished his freshman season with 2,083 yards in 9 games played. He tallied 19 total touchdowns and 9 interceptions.

He didn't sign with a school during the winter recruiting window, so BYU brought him in for a visit. Sanders picked up an offer Robert Morris after the 2025 season. Instead, he remained in the JUCO ranks and participated in spring practices at Antelope Valley. In the spring, he showed off his ability to make big-time throws.

If you have followed BYU's quarterback recruiting since the end of last season, this offer makes a lot of sense. BYU went into Spring Camp with just three scholarship quarterbacks: Bear Bachmeier, Treyson Bourguet, and Enoch Watson.

BYU pursued a handful of quarterbacks during the transfer portal window, trying to add a fourth scholarship quarterback. At one point, the Cougars were connected to Michigan transfer quarterback Jadyn Davis. In Spring, BYU added walk-on quarterback Owen Geilman to the roster.

Adding Sanders would give BYU the fourth scholarship quarterback they have been looking for. Besides providing depth, he also possesses potential upside that BYU could develop without needing him to contribute right away. As long as Bear Bachmeier is healthy, he will be BYU's starting quarterback. Behind Bachmeier, the pecking order is yet to be established. BYU declined to name a backup quarterback after Spring Camp. Treyson Bourguet and Enoch Watson will battle it out for the backup job in the fall.

In the new era of the transfer portal, it's important to explore every avenue of roster building. BYU has had success recruiting the JUCO ranks for quarterbacks - that's where they identified and signed Jake Retzlaff. Retzlaff, of course, was the starting quarterback for the 2024 season. The Cougars are hoping to add another JUCO quarterback to the 2026 roster.

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Casey Lundquist
CASEY LUNDQUIST

Casey Lundquist is the publisher and lead editor of BYU On SI. He has covered BYU athletics since 2020. During that time, he has published over 3,500 stories that have reached millions of readers.

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