Provo • At first glance, there was nothing special about the play late in BYU’s first practice.
The quarterback surveyed the field and found a streaking Chase Roberts across the middle. As the line caved in, the QB pulled the trigger and delivered a ball just within Roberts’ reach for a completion that shouldn’t have garnered much attention.
But just the fact that Bear Bachmeier was sharing the field with the Cougars’ top wideout was enough to turn some heads in Provo — and potentially around the Big 12 — on Wednesday.
Head coach Kalani Sitake promised a truly open quarterback competition to replace former starter Jake Retzlaff. And if the first day of training camp was any indication, he means it.
Bachmeier, the heralded freshman, was getting first-team reps alongside veterans McCae Hillstead and Treyson Bourguet as camp opened.
“They split up the reps pretty equally,” Bachmeier said. “It’s a competition, and so he has got to divvy up and make that decision with an equal amount of reps. The goal is to compete. I feel like today went well.”
That’s enough to send reverberations around a fan base desperate to see their young prospect get on the field.
Bachmeier, standing at 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, is easily the most intriguing player this fall in Provo. He might be the most talented quarterback in the room. His ability to run and throw gives the Cougars the high-end playmaking ability that attracted teams like Georgia, Notre Dame and Alabama to offer him out of high school.
But he’s also just a freshman who never practiced at BYU until Wednesday. It prompts the question: Would BYU truly let him get a crack at the starting job even if he might not know the entire playbook?
For now, it looks like the Cougars are.
“Obviously there’s a lot of complexity to the offense and getting acclimated to the terminology,” Bachmeier said. “I find ways to simplify the game. So you can just play when you’re out there.”
The reason there is a window for Bachmeier to win the job, though, is the two other options aren’t sure bets this time around.
Last year, Retzlaff and Gerry Bohanon went through a quarterback battle. But unlike 2024, nobody in BYU’s quarterback room has any Big 12 experience. Hillstead last played at Utah State in 2023. Treyson Bourguet started at Western Michigan.
They’ve been in offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick’s system for a year, but struggled to truly separate from each other in spring camp. The knowledge is there, but is the talent enough?
“I just want to continue to show that I’m worthy to play at this level in the Big 12,” Bourguet said, clearly aware of the doubts his play will translate at the Power Four level. “It’s one of the best conferences in the country. And I want to just continue to show that I’m ready for this.”
With Hillstead, his height is a question. He was productive at Utah State as a freshman, but is listed at 5-foot-10. Prognosticators have questioned whether that will work in a power conference.
“I think obviously there’s things that I’ve figured out here and the way I see the offense,” Hillstead said. “It doesn’t slow me down, because obviously I can’t just automatically grow. Being confident in my ability, which I am, and just going out there trying to win.”
For now, Sitake is letting all three players have a chance.
“We want to get it sorted out as soon as we can. But you can’t really put a deadline to it,” Sitake said. “It’s not like we need to have this much done in day one, day two, day three. I’d just like to see them go with the flow of the offense. Put them in tough situations where they have to make decisions.”
But the player everyone is watching is Bachmeier.
Can he really leap over two veterans to the job?
He certainly believes so.
“Any time you go to a school, or any environment, you want to play. You want to compete,” Bachmeier said. “Obviously circumstances really opened up an opportunity. So you’ve got to get it.”
The pathway is there. Sitake and the Cougars are waiting to see if he takes it.