Cougars starting quarterback competition is filled with players of all different sizes
As we’ve seen in college football over the years, it doesn’t matter the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog. For BYU quarterback McCae Hiilstead, he could be on the brink of showing the Big 12 just how much fight he has leading the Cougars.
According to his former school, Utah State, McCae Hiilstead stands at 5’10, which is the same height that BYU has him listed as on the team website. But, judging by the pictures and videos we’ve seen over the last few years, it seems pretty obvious that both schools were doing him a favor.
Some onlookers at BYU practice have mentioned that McCae definitely looks smaller than what both schools had him listed as. His competitors, Treyson Bourget and Bear Bachmeter are both listed at 6’2 and 6’3 respectively.
But guess what? None of that mattered, especially when BYU picked him up out of the transfer portal in 2024, with him now competing for the starting quarterback job in Provo, Utah this season.
At Utah State, the redshirt freshman broke the single-game passing record in 2023, with 399 yards and four touchdowns, adding to the lore of this undersized quarterback that has caught the attention of BYU reporters.
Jake Retzlaff’s Transfer Provides Hillstead Chance To Start For BYU
Hillstead is entering his second season at BYU, after sitting behind Jake Retzlaff last year. Now, with Retzlaff transferring to Tulane in the wake of a seven-game suspension for violating the Cougars honor code that stemmed from a dropped lawsuit, McCae Hillstead is turning heads at practice.
“I think when it comes down to it, stay ready soon enough to get ready is my thing,” Hillstead mentioned about the competition. “So even last season when I wasn’t going to see the field really, Gary was the backup, you prep like you’re the starter regardless.
“So, I know what I’m doing, so now it’s really just second-nature when I get out there.”
When asked how he combats not being the tallest quarterback on the field, his answer was pretty simple. He’s adapted, and it’s not as if he’s going to grow six-inches at his age.
“Yea, it’s how I’ve been my whole life, so I think obviously there’s things that I figured out,” McCae Hillstead noted about his height. ” I see it the way I see it, it doesn’t slow me down. Because obviously, I can’t grow automatically, I can’t choose that, and it’s out of my control. I think really just figuring out the game like I have up to this point, all throughout high school, Utah State and now here. Being confident in my ability, which I am, and just going out there and trying to win.”
Yep, that sounds like a guy who has heard all the noise throughout his playing days, and really doesn’t let it get to them, as he’s proven on the field.
“I don’t think when I’m out there, that’s where I’m at,” Hillstead noted about mastering the playbook. “I can get guys where they need to be going, so I think full-mastery really (doesn’t matter)”
Yea, I’m starting to get some Johnny Manziel and Zach Wilson vibes from this talented playmaker from Utah.
Right now, all eyes are on Hillstead, with an opportunity to show the world once again that it’s not about size, until Big 12 conference play begins and a 6’5 defensive lineman is barreling towards him.
This ought to be fun.
