Freshman Bear Bachmeier to start at QB for BYU
"He settled it on the field. He gives us the best chance to win right now," Sitake said.
He will become the first true freshman in program history to start Week 1 when the Cougars open against Portland State on Aug. 30, ESPN reported.
Bachmeier will wear the unusual QB number of 47, which he showed off in a social media video while dressed as a bear.
It's a quick turn for BYU, which saw starter Jake Retzlaff withdraw from school on July 11 amid news BYU intended to suspend him for seven games over a violation of the school's honor code.
Retzlaff now is at Tulane.
Bachmeier initially committed to Stanford and spent the spring in Palo Alto, but he entered the transfer portal in May and headed to BYU. Transferring with him from Stanford was his older brother, Tiger.
Tiger caught 46 passes for 476 yards and two touchdowns over two seasons at Stanford.
The Bachmeier name could sound familiar. Oldest brother Hank concluded his six-year career as a college quarterback in 2024 with Wake Forest after previously playing for Boise State and Louisiana Tech.
Bear was a four-star recruit, as ranked by the 247Sports composite, in the Class of 2025. Tiger was a three-star in the 2023 class. The brothers are from Murrieta, Calif.
Bachmeier bested transfers Treyson Bourguet, a redshirt junior from Western Michigan, and redshirt sophomore McCae Hillstead from Utah State, to win the starting job.
The Cougars finished 11-2 in 2024 in his second season in the Big 12.
--Field Level Media
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Bear Bachmeier to become first BYU true freshman to start a season at quarterback
PROVO, Utah (AP) — Bear Bachmeier will be the first true freshman to start a season at quarterback in BYU history. Bachmeier emerged from a three-way competition to replace Jake Retzlaff and the team announced he will be the starter Aug. 30 against Portland State in a quirky social media post on Tuesday. 'What's up Cougar Nation, this is QB1 Bear Bachmeier," Bachmeier said in an X video post of an AI bear wearing his No. 47 jersey while walking through the woods. "Excited to get this season going." BYU had an unexpected quarterback competition this fall after Retzlaff opted to transfer to Tulane rather than face a potential seven-game suspension from the school. Retzlaff had a sexual assault lawsuit against him dismissed, but acknowledged having consensual sex in his defense, a violation of the school's honor code asking students to abstain from premarital sex. That left the Cougars with a competition between Bachmeier, McCae Hillstead and Treyson Bourguet. McCae previously played at Utah State and Bourguet at Western Michigan, but Bachmeier impressed head coach Kalani Sitake and his staff enough to beat out the two more experienced quarterbacks. A four-star recruit out of Murrieta Valley High School in Murrieta, California, Bachmeier initially committed to Stanford and was with the Cardinal in the spring before opting to transfer to BYU. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: and
Washington Post
2 hours ago
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Bear Bachmeier to become first BYU true freshman to start a season at quarterback
PROVO, Utah — Bear Bachmeier will be the first true freshman to start a season at quarterback in BYU history. Bachmeier emerged from a three-way competition to replace Jake Retzlaff and the team announced he will be the starter Aug. 30 against Portland State in a quirky social media post on Tuesday.
Associated Press
2 hours ago
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Bear Bachmeier to become first BYU true freshman to start a season at quarterback
PROVO, Utah (AP) — Bear Bachmeier will be the first true freshman to start a season at quarterback in BYU history. Bachmeier emerged from a three-way competition to replace Jake Retzlaff and the team announced he will be the starter Aug. 30 against Portland State in a quirky social media post on Tuesday. 'What's up Cougar Nation, this is QB1 Bear Bachmeier,' Bachmeier said in an X video post of an AI bear wearing his No. 47 jersey while walking through the woods. 'Excited to get this season going.' BYU had an unexpected quarterback competition this fall after Retzlaff opted to transfer to Tulane rather than face a potential seven-game suspension from the school. Retzlaff had a sexual assault lawsuit against him dismissed, but acknowledged having consensual sex in his defense, a violation of the school's honor code asking students to abstain from premarital sex. That left the Cougars with a competition between Bachmeier, McCae Hillstead and Treyson Bourguet. McCae previously played at Utah State and Bourguet at Western Michigan, but Bachmeier impressed head coach Kalani Sitake and his staff enough to beat out the two more experienced quarterbacks. A four-star recruit out of Murrieta Valley High School in Murrieta, California, Bachmeier initially committed to Stanford and was with the Cardinal in the spring before opting to transfer to BYU. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: and
