Jacob Bower, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound freshman from Meridian, Idaho, who was BYU's third-string quarterback last season, said Sunday he is transferring to Bakersfield College in California.

The former prep All-American was recruited by former coach Gary Crowton and signed with BYU in 2004 before going on a two-year LDS Church mission to Wisconsin. He has already moved in with his brother in a nearby town and will begin classes at the junior college today.

"BYU wanted me to switch to linebacker, and I just didn't want to do that," he said. "I just want to play quarterback. That's the reason I went to BYU - to play quarterback."

Also Sunday, freshman defensive back Michael Moore has decided to leave the football. Moore, a native of Moreno Valley, Calif., redshirted the 2006 season.

Bower said he talked to Crowton, former BYU offensive coordinator Norm Chow and others before making the decision.

"I am going to try to get my [associates degree] by next January and then try to get recruited by a Division I school," he said, while not completely ruling out returning to BYU.

Friday, BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said Arizona State transfer Max Hall was the leader to replace John Beck as BYU's starting quarterback and that Bower had been asked to switch positions.

Bower said he had "no hard feelings" with Mendenhall. He believes he was never given the opportunity to compete for the starting job by quarterbacks coach Brandon Doman.

"I came back [from the mission] to a whole new coaching staff and I didn't feel a connection from the very beginning," said Bower, who has not taken a snap in a real game since November 2003. "Me and Doman, we just didn't mold [well] with each other, and from the start Max received more reps than me. I'm the third-string quarterback, but a guy behind me [on the depth chart] is running the scout team and all that. It was obvious they were more interested in him."

Doman could not be reached for comment Sunday evening.

drew@sltrib.com