Coming off an 11-2 season, the Cougars were supposed to be riding high for the next season—stacked, confident, and gunning for a playoff spot in 2025. The Cougars’ starting quarterback, Jake Retzlaff, carried the team on his shoulders last season, posting nearly 3,000 yards, 20 TDs, and enough scrambles to make defenders look like they were stuck in slow motion. Sure, he had some rocky stretches—remember that SMU game with three picks? Ugly. But when the lights got bright, Retzlaff bounced back stronger than ever.

Be it the 348 yards and 3 TDs against Southern Illinois or Wyoming, which got sliced up for nearly 300 more. Retzlaff literally put BYU back on the CFB map. But come May 2025, the walls came crashing down at BYU. A civil lawsuit filed by Jane Doe A.G. accused Retzlaff of assault and strangulation from a 2023 incident in his Provo apartment. The entire college football world froze for a second. For BYU—a school where the honor code is more than just rules—it’s a spiritual blueprint; this was DEFCON 1. Even though the judge dismissed the lawsuit after Jane Doe withdrew the case, the damage was done. BYU still slapped him with a seven-game suspension for violating that honor code. And that left the program in limbo.

Retzlaff, knowing he wasn’t gonna salvage a senior season missing more than half the year, started exploring the portal. The whispers turned into rumors, and now we have a full-blown exit. BYU’s 2024 hero is officially on the move. And his next stop?

On July 1st, veteran BYU insider Dave McCann joined 365 Sports and served us the tea. Host Paul Catalina asked, “Does he really know about where he’s going now, even though he hasn’t been released yet?” Dave kept it real: “He told me he’s gonna be fine, and that his agent’s working some places.” That’s when he dropped the breadcrumbs—“We’ve heard, you know, Northwestern, maybe even Notre Dame.”

Northwestern? Low-key makes sense. They’re in a transition phase and still hungry for a playmaker under center. Notre Dame? Now that’s where it gets spicy. The Fighting Irish are reportedly sold on freshman CJ Carr, but adding a vet like Retzlaff for depth and leadership wouldn’t be a wild move. And since most programs already have their QB rooms locked in, Retzlaff also doesn’t have the luxury of time.

Dave continued: “He wants to play right now and he could call it a redshirt year, right, and go somewhere and spend time to learn the offense for one last blast.” If he doesn’t land a starting gig by August, he might sit 2025 out, redshirt, and then fire off one final campaign in 2026. Either way, his BYU chapter is closed.

The seven-game suspension made it nearly impossible for him to come back. Even with his stats, even with his leadership, it’s hard to ignore the optics in Provo. As McCann said, “Jake may not be the best quarterback—in fact, I’ve been told he’s not the best quarterback in the quarterback room skill-wise. He’s just the only one that went 11–2 last year.” That’s what made the loss sting. That’s what left Kalani Sitake scrambling for a Plan B.

Kalani Sitake’s replacement plan for Jake Retzlaff

So what’s Kalani Sitake cooking up without his QB1? Let’s just say it’s QB roulette up in Provo right now. With fall camp creeping in like an overdue bill, BYU is staring down a three-way standoff: McCae Hillstead, Treyson Bourguet, and Bear Bachmeier. Each one has a case. None of them has locked it up.

Dave McCann kept it real about lack of experience in the BYU QB room: “You look at Treyson Bourguet from Western Michigan, who has some starts there. McCae Hillstead, who you’ve been talking about, has some starts at Utah State. And then Bear Bachmeier—the only college experience he has is, he went through spring drills at Stanford before they fired their coach, and he came up here in May.”

Hillstead transferred in from Utah State and has real game reps. Over 1,000 yards as a freshman. Quick release, good mobility, and insiders say he fits OC Aaron Roderick’s scheme like a glove. Bourguet? He’s the low-key vet. Came from Western Michigan, got some starting experience, and throws the cleanest ball in the room. If Hillstead’s the playmaker, Bourguet’s the surgeon.

Then there’s Bear Bachmeier. This kid might be the real deal. Came from Stanford after spring ball and is turning heads. “I’ve been told by guys working with them that Bachmeier is the real deal, might be the best quarterback in the room, bar none, as far as pocket presence, footing, throwing, reading. He just doesn’t have any experience.” And that’s the kicker. BYU’s seen what happens when Big 12 teams throw freshmen to the wolves. It usually ends ugly.

So what’s the move? If Bachmeier absolutely stunts in fall camp, maybe he gets the nod. But right now, Sitake’s likely leaning toward Hillstead or Bourguet. Both know the playbook. Both know the locker room. “I think Kalani’ll be hesitant—unless he’s heads and shoulders above the other two. So I think, in theory, it’s a Borg-Hillstead [competition]. Hillstead’s smaller and faster. Bourguet is bigger and built to take a few more hits. They can both throw. To BYU’s advantage, they both were on the team last year and ran practices every day. So they’ve each had plenty of time in the playbook.”

Still, none of them is Jake Retzlaff. None of them took this squad 11–2 last year. That’s the weight hanging over this competition. Whoever wins, they’re not just filling a spot—they’re replacing a guy who turned Provo into a playoff whisper. But the Cougars don’t have time to mope. The Big 12 gauntlet is coming fast, and Sitake’s gotta roll with whoever can survive the chaos. Whether it’s McCae, Bourguet, or Bear, somebody better step up—because the Jake Retzlaff era is officially over.