Table tennis battles, Settlers of Catan board-game sessions and Clash Royale competitions have been on Bear Bachmeier’s list of activities the past few weeks.
The freshman quarterback is building chemistry with his teammates after earning the starting position for BYU football last week. Bachmeier will lead the Cougars onto the field on Saturday for their first game of the 2025 season against Portland State at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Bachmeier, 19, is BYU’s first true freshman quarterback to open the season as the program’s starter. After beating out veterans Treyson Bourguet and McCae Hillstead in fall camp, he’s ready for his debut.
“You always want to be confident in yourself and your ability,” Bachmeier said. “The expectation is to win a championship. I think the individual expectation is we want to complete the ball, we want to put the ball in our playmakers’ hands and we want to go score touchdowns. But the end goal is to win a championship.”
Head coach Kalani Sitake’s decision to go with Bachmeier was not the original plan. Jake Retzlaff was set to start his senior year, but left the program in July to avoid a seven-game Honor Code suspension.
(Jaren Wilkey | BYU) Cougars quarterback Bear Bachmeier throws a pass during fall camp in Provo, Aug. 2, 2025.
The Cougars had to call an audible and came up with Bachmeier, who transferred to BYU from Stanford in early May.
“I think he will be ready. Looking at his demeanor and his intelligence and the things that he’s picking up – he is amped up and he’s ready to play,” Sitake said of Bachmeier. “I just expect him to do what he does and nothing more. I don’t need him to do anything extra. Just be Bear Bachmeier and we’ll be fine.”
Change at the quarterback position is nothing new for senior wide receiver Chase Roberts — he has had a new starter every year as a Cougar. Roberts said Bachmeier got the playbook down “so quickly,” which gives the team confidence.
“He’s a stud. He’s been making a lot of plays. There’s a reason why we named him the starting quarterback this year. He’s got that fire, he’s got that energy,” Roberts said. “We love Bear, we’re excited for him, and you’ll be able to see his playmaking ability in a week.”
Bachmeier credited assistant quarterbacks coach Matt Mitchell for helping him memorize the entire playbook in under two months. He said the two met almost every day, and Bachmeier put in extra hours away from the field to feel prepared for the responsibility.
The team as a whole has come together to support Bachmeier and his counterparts leading up to Saturday’s season opener, too.
( Jaren Wilkey |BYU) Quarterback Bear Bachmeier practices on Aug. 16, 2025, in Provo. The freshman has been named the Cougars starting quarterback for the 2025 football season.
“I think I’ve seen the team rally around the whole entire quarterback room,” Sitake said. “When we were going into camp, knowing that there was a quarterback competition, that’s what I’ve seen from the beginning. The team has been rallying around each other and around the quarterback room from the beginning, from when Jake left.”
Senior linebacker Jack Kelly got a taste of what opponents can expect from the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Bachmeier while playing against the first-team offense in camp.
“It was challenging. He makes great reads, throws a good ball. He’s a dual-threat, so he can run when the pocket collapses and things like that,” Kelly said. “It was a challenge, but it’s good for us to learn from that, and it was good for him to be able to do those things against our defense as well.”
The Cougars finished 13th in the country last season with an 11-2 record. Expectations of a winning season remain, now in the hands of Bachmeier.
“It is an incredible honor to represent such a profound university,” Bachmeier said. “Being on the football team, it is an incredible honor.”