BYU has three musketeers in its QB room. McCae Hillstead, Treyson Bourguet and Bear Bachmeier will remember the battle to replace the departed Retzlaff. Kalani Sitake’s QB1 derby has forced all of them to meet the challenge and be better. A race is generally favorable, until a participant establishes a significant lead over the other two. But this veteran lineman had a lot more to say about one of them.

Although this Offensive Lineman praised everyone in order, Andrew Gentry, the 315-pound transfer from the Wolverines didn’t hold back when the conversation turned to Bear Bachmeier. “I’ve been around some really good quarterbacks, and as a true freshman, I don’t know if I’ve seen somebody quite like Bear with just how advanced he is, how well he knows the offense, how fast he’s picked it up, and just the confidence he has… There’s no stoppage, there’s no hesitation from him. That’s huge for a freshman, because a lot of times that’s the biggest curve, the speed of the game and understanding of the game. Bear has just picked that up right away. And there’s no drop off when he’s in the game with us.” Coming from a veteran, who when healthy did not allow a single QB pressure in 2024, and has seen what high-level QB play looks like, that’s a clear endorsement.

BYU Cougars’ head coach Kalani Sitake knew this 3-way standoff couldn’t last forever. After the weekend, OC Aaron Roderick met with the the head coach and pass game coordinator/receivers coach Fesi Sitake. The decision is to narrow reps to Utah State transfer Hillstead and the true freshman Bachmeier. It’s the kind of call that sets a program’s course before a single snap is played. Do you lean on the comfort of experience or let raw talent have the keys?

Kalani Sitake framed it like a coach who knows the urgency of August. Greg Wrubell tweeted. “BYU head coach Kalani Sitake on paring down the starting QB competition to Bear Bachmeier and McCae Hillstead: ‘What you want to do is get to the point where you’re building the game plan on your starter…having to balance all that out with three (QBs) is really difficult to do, and that’s why we made the move and see how far this competition goes. Once we know and have a good feel about it, and once they’ve established themselves, whoever wins the spot gets it, then away we go.’”

The move makes sense when you look at the reps. Bear Bachmeier, a former four-star with offers from Michigan, Notre Dame, and Stanford, has pushed hard enough that the coaching staff had to acknowledge him. He even took the majority of QB1 snaps after the cutdown. That’s rare air for a freshman, especially one facing a quarterback in Hillstead who has logged meaningful game action. BYU staff also gave backup reps to former Bountiful High star Emerson Geilman, but the lion’s share with the “ones” and “twos” was split between Hillstead and Bachmeier. For a true freshman to earn that seat at the table this quickly says as much about his grasp of the offense as it does about his arm talent.

And while Gentry’s words tilted toward Bachmeier, his loyalty still surfaced. Asked about his old friend, Gentry didn’t hesitate: Trey “knows the offense very well” and is a “super smart player.” That balance of praising the prodigy while respecting the vet mirrors the reality of BYU’s QB room. Hillstead has the experience edge, the steady hand that can keep a game plan humming. Bachmeier brings the upside, the raw ceiling that gets recruiting analysts salivating. Kalani Sitake and Roderick now have to decide whether the opener on Aug. 30 against FCS Portland State demands the surgeon’s scalpel or the gunslinger’s arm.

Why BYU’s whittling down the battle from 3 to 2 was the right call

Reducing BYU’s QB1 derby from three to two wasn’t just a smart move. It was a survival tactic. The Cougars’ offense will only take its biggest step forward when it’s not stuck in a never-ending audition. “As I mentioned Saturday, we can’t keep going equal reps with three guys anymore,” Aaron Roderick said. “Right now, McCae and Bear are getting the majority of the reps with the ones and the twos, and that’s where we’re at for right now.”

And when you stack the résumés, the choice to keep McCae Hillstead in the mix is hardly shocking. The Utah State transfer already has started four of the eight games he played as a true freshman. Back then, the former Skyridge High standout threw for 1,062 yards and 11 TDs against eight interceptions, completing passes at a 59.5% clip.

The breakout came when he became the 8th true freshman to start for the Aggies in school history against JMU, setting a freshman passing record with a 25-of-47 day for 399 yards and four TDs (plus three interceptions). Like Bourguet, Hillstead has been around Provo for two years, rehabbing a lower-leg injury while waiting his turn behind Jake. Plus, Kalani Sitake’s staff has continued to be impressed by the upside of Bachmeier. One of these guys needs to be given the reins and get 90% of the reps. So, the offense can finally cook with real continuity from the line to the backs to the receivers.