If the 13 minutes of BYU’s first practice of 2025 preseason training camp that media members were able to watch on Wednesday are any indication, it is going to be a legitimate three-man derby for the starting quarterback position in Provo the next few weeks.
In other words, true freshman Bear Bachmeier was right in there in the mix with returning players Treyson Bourguet and McCae Hillstead, getting just as many reps as those two guys who have far more experience and knowledge of the playbook and system. In fact, in the short media-viewing portion of practice outside the Student Athlete Building, Bachmeier got more reps with the first team than projected early leader Hillstead.
The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder who spent spring ball at Stanford before transferring to BYU threw some nice passes to some familiar faces and stars — running back LJ Martin, receivers Chase Roberts and JoJo Phillips. He also connected with backup tight end Will Zundel.
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“I think everybody got (in the) rotation,” said head coach Kalani Sitake. “You guys only saw part of it. But yeah, we did a lot of team stuff (11 on 11, without pads) today and everybody got to rotate with the first (offensive) line.”
With projected starting guard Weylin Lapuaho not participating during the media viewing portion, the starting offensive line was Isaiah Jatta at left tackle, Sonny Makasini at left guard, Bruce Mitchell at center, Austin Leausa at right guard and Andrew Gentry at right tackle.
“Can’t try to be anybody else other than yourself. So you just put it all on tape, be your best self and try to go get it.”
— BYU QB McCae Hillstead
But everybody was there to see the quarterbacks lining up to replace Jake Retzlaff, who has landed at Tulane as a walk-on after leaving BYU officially a couple of weeks ago in the face of a seven-game suspension for violating the school’s honor code.
“Yeah, it is awesome (that Retzlaff found a place to play),” Sitake said, speaking publicly for the first time since Retzlaff announced last week via social media that he was joining the Green Wave. “I am happy for him. Obviously, you guys know that I love Retzlaff and appreciate all that he has done for us. We will be cheering for him and wishing him the best. We love him.”
How serious is BYU about giving Bachmeier, a four-star recruit out of Murrieta, California, a chance to win the starting job? All three QBs were made available to speak to the media after practice Wednesday, with Hillstead, Bourguet and the newcomer all talking eloquently about the competition.
The Deseret News will have more on what all three QBs had to say later this week. The bottom line was probably summed up the best by Hillstead, who said he’s confident the player who can deliver the best chance for the team to win will get the nod.
“Can’t try to be anybody else other than yourself,” Hillstead said. “So you just put it all on tape, be your best self and try to go get it.”
Bourguet was the first QB to get reps during the media viewing portion and opened with a beautiful downfield strike over the middle to Phillips. Unfortunately, he also overthrew Tiger Bachmeier by a considerable margin and was picked off by safety Raider Damuni.
Hillstead mainly handed off, but did make some strong throws to the sidelines. Sitake said that the fourth QB in the room, freshman Emerson Geilman out of Bountiful High, also got some reps earlier in the practice.
“Obviously, we had a quarterback competition last year (Retzlaff vs. Gerry Bohanon). So, luckily, the staff has been through quarterback competitions many times before,” Sitake said. “So the goal is to try to get these guys in situations where we can play football and see how they can function.
“I thought they did a great job today. We will watch the film and look at everything. There’s going to be a lot of eyeballs on the quarterback position first. But I thought overall, this team competed really well today.”
Sitake said there’s no current “pecking order” on the QB depth chart, and no timeline to name a starter, other than “as soon as we can.” He hasn’t decided yet whether he will allow quarterbacks to go “live” during camp — which means they would take off the green jerseys and get hit or tackled during scrimmages.
He said all three can throw the ball well; decision-making and the ability to avoid turnovers and handle pressure will be big keys.
BYU roster news, notes and number changes
BYU distributed the 2025 fall camp roster on Wednesday, which includes a fairly high number of number changes, several position changes, and two notable absentees.
Guys projected to be on or near the two-deep coming out of spring who are not on the roster are linebacker Petey Tuipulotu and defensive tackle Luke To’omalatai.
Former running back Hinckley Ropati is looking into getting a waiver for an additional year, but is not currently on the roster.
Former defensive tackle Sani Tuala is now listed as a defensive end, former safety Preston Rex is a running back and former receiver Jarinn Kalama is now listed as a safety.
New numbers: receiver Cody Hagen is now 5, defensive end Logan Lutui is now 7, safety Faletau Satuala is now 11, linebacker Miles Hall is now 21, linebacker Tyler Payne is now 42 and running back Lucky Finau is now 41.
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