Who Will Be BYU's Quarterback in 2025?
With the news of Jake Retzlaff’s intention to transfer, BYU is left in a unique predicament: they enter the season with zero snaps taken by any of the quarterbacks on the roster. How often has that happened? By my count, three times since 1972. Those three seasons are:
1995
BYU had Steve Sarkisian (a transfer from El Camino Junior College), Brian Vye (who would eventually transfer to LSU and then San Jose State), Paul Shoemaker (fresh off a mission), and Chris Bisgaard. Sark would win out and go 21-5 in two seasons as BYU’s starting QB. BYU finished the 1995 season 7-4 and did not go bowling.
2007
Arizona State transfer Max Hall (who had redshirted in 2006) beat out Cade Cooper in the spring and Cooper transferred to Oregon and eventually to Southern Utah. BYU was left with true freshman Jason Munns, who would redshirt and then leave on a mission (and would not take a snap until 2013), Sam Doman (who would eventually transfer to Oregon without taking a snap at BYU), and Brenden Gaskins, a transfer from Glendale College who originally signed with Nevada out of high school. Hall of course would start the next three seasons, going 32-7 as BYU’s starter. For the season, BYU would finish with an 11-2 record, a Top 25 finish, and a Las Vegas Bowl win over UCLA.
2023
BYU entered the 2023 season with Kedon Slovis (a transfer who had started at Pitt and USC prior), Jake Retzlaff (a JC transfer), Cade Fennegan (Boise), Nick Billoups (Utah), Cole Hagen (Yale), and Ryder Burton. Slovis started the season as BYU’s QB, leading the Cougars to a 5-3 start but missed the last four games of the season due to injury. Retzlaff would take over but they Cougars would lose all four games he started, finishing 5-7. Slovis went off to the NFL, Retzlaff was BYU’s starter in 2024, and Billoups, Fennegan, and Burton all eventually transferred.
2025
With Retzlaff transferring out, BYU is left with a trio of transfers to choose from: McCae Hillstead (Utah State), Treyson Bourguet (Western Michigan), and true freshman Bear Bachmeier (Stanford). Hillstead started four games for the Aggies in 2023, passing for 1,062 yards, 11 TD, and 8 INT. He passed for 6,898 yards and 73 TD at Skyridge High while also rushing for 1,791 yards and 35 TD. Bourguet started a handful of games at Western Michigan from 2022-23, passing for 1,314 yards, 6 TD, and 2 INT. He also ran for 219 yards and another TD. Bachmeier spent the spring with the Cardinal before entering the portal after the firing of head coach Troy Taylor. Whoever BYU goes with, they will be taking their first snaps as Cougars.