Jake Retzlaff’s QB transfer is the new big shakeup in college football. Kalani Sitake, two months before the season begins, is suddenly without a seasoned quarterback. And when that position is suddenly vacated, chaos ensues in the team. Sitake has to find a replacement for Retzlaff as quickly as possible, to help BYU into a possible playoff spot this season. He has options, but they were part of an alternate plan. That will have to be thrown out the window for Sitake, who now has no option but to choose among them and hope his pick can continue the crucial momentum he set last year.

Retzlaff, who was looking at a seven-game suspension for violating BYU’s honor code, has left camp. He helped the Cougars to publish an 11-2 record, and finished No. 13 in the AP standings. BYU desperately needed his contributions this season, which will be the 2 edition of the widened playoff bracket. Sadly, that won’t be the case anymore. Sitake now has three options to replace the QB: McCae Hillstead, Treyson Bourguet, and Bear Bachmeier. All three of them are heavily inexperienced when compared to Retzlaff. But Blaine Fowler, a former QB of the Cougars, revealed the direction in which Sitake might be heading amid this crisis.

Fowler said in a June 30 appearance for BYUtv Sports Nation, “I had a conversation with Kalani at the beginning of the summer about the quarterback position. And, you know, as they go into summer, it’s not like it is in fall camp when you say, ‘Hey, this is our starter.’” He then revealed Sitake’s aspirations for Retzlaff. “Kalani said, ‘My hope for Jake is that he can learn from the mistakes that he made last season, and he can become a better game manager because we really don’t need him to go out and win games,’” Fowler relayed from the HC. Retzlaff made 2,947 yards in 2024 and 20 TDs. But he also has a glaringly high number of interceptions, racking up 14 of them.

“We need him to play within the offense, be really, really smart, get the ball to playmakers in space, and let the defense and the playmakers make plays,” Fowler continued from his conversation with Sitake. He imagines that Sitake will possibly have the same strategy for his 3 replacement options. “I think what Kalani said about Jake is exactly what applies to these three quarterbacks, who will do the best job of being a good game manager, getting the ball to all of these weapons in space, and letting those guys go make plays, and taking care of the football and playing within the offense.”

Kalani Sitake emerged as a strong player in the Big 12 during his 2024 run. He started as the No. 6 team in the CFP rankings during the season, and ultimately finished No. 13 at the end. The Cougars also came extremely close to advancing to the conference championship game. While Jake Retzlaff ran the show as the starting quarterback last season, Hillstead and Bourguet sat back. Bachmeier came in this season from Stanford and has been at Provo for only a month. All three of them are now thrust into the spotlight in the wake of Retzlaff’s departure. Here’s how the competition stacks up.

How Kalani Sitake’s QB1 race looks like

Hillstead, Bourguet, and Bachmeier come with their unique lists of pros and cons. So far in practice, Retzlaff got first-team reps. Hillstead got second, and Bourguet got third. Sitake was leaning on his now-departed QB to continue his designated role. With him gone, the situation in the QB room now has a different perspective. Among them, Hillstead, who transferred from Utah State, has a good chance of winning this QB1 race. He started in 4 of his 8 appearances, and finished with 1,062 yards, 11 TDs, and 8 interceptions. His performance was able to get him All Mountain-West honors.

He will face competition from Bourguet as well. Also, a transfer, the QB has 8 starts in his two years at Western Michigan. He comes with a total of 1,314 yards, 6 TDs, and 2 interceptions. The two have some FBS experience, unlike Bachmeier, who comes with a fresh slate. He is also in the same boat as his other 2 competitors. But the freshman comes with 6,810 yards and 59 TDs from his time at Murrieta Valley High. All three come with different backgrounds, and each of them will affect the Cougars’ offense in their ways if named QB1. Bottom line is, the QB room is now standing on shaky ground, and Sitake needs to find a solution soon.

Jake Retzlaff’s sudden departure will surely change the outlook of Kalani Sitake’s 2025 campaign. Good or bad, Retzlaff was part of the production that helped him get to that finish at the end of the season. His replacement will change the tone of the Cougars’ season this year, which now casts a pall of uncertainty over the program.