What’s one of the hardest wounds to heal in the college football landscape? Losing a quarterback. And who knows it better than Kalani Sitake’s BYU Cougars? July came with a heartbreak for Sitake and Co. Their former quarterback, Jake Retzlaff, swapped wagons from BYU to Tulane. And now it’s obvious for Sitake to feel like they have been struck with a thunder.

After all, Retzlaff played a crucial role in leading the Cougars to an 11-2 season. He also sealed victory in the Alamo Bowl by beating the Colorado Buffaloes. Right now, it’s a quarterback battle within the trio of backup quarterbacks, Treyson Bourguet, McCae Hillstead, and Bear Bachmeier. On one hand, there is confusion; on the other, Sitake is under tremendous pressure to recreate the 11-win overall record by 2024. But what’s the current situation in the QB room? Sitake broke his silence.

Turns out Bourguet is already struck off from the list of competing starters. Cougars insider 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 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.’” But why did Sitake decide to keep Bourguet out of the quarterback race?

He’s the oldest quarterback and started at Western Michigan. But at the same time, he is the least dynamic. Given Sitake has set up a system that rewards quarterbacks who can make plays with their legs, being overly mobile is the only option to excel. But Bourguet is not fit for it. On the other hand, Hillstead’s mobility is likely his best strength at this point. We have seen how Retzlaff, Zach Wilson, and Jaren Hall were all fearless runners who could give defenses an extra man to account for. And what about Sitake’s third option?

Coming to Bachmeier, he is the fan favorite to win the job, simply because the talent is so enticing. Plus, while Sitake must be having double thoughts with Hillstead being listed at 5-foot-10, in Bachmeier’s case, he already gets an edge standing at 6-foot-2. But for that, as a freshman, he needs to acclimate himself to Sitake’s scheme of things. 

“You have to be something special with your mindset coming in out of high school right into college, and then adapting to the offense and understanding it, studying… he has a good feel for the game. I think the more he’s around the team, the more he and McCae practice and play with the guys on the field, the more comfortable they get, and then the more they don’t look like a newcomer,” shared Sitake as reported by Wrubell. Now, what does Cougars’ offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick, say about the quarterback situation?

Aaron Roderick narrows the field for Kalani Sitake’s dilemma 

EA Sports came up with Sitake’s quarterback depth chart. The redshirt sophomore Hillstead is the frontrunner with a 77 overall rating. On the other hand, Bachmeier stood with a 76 overall rating and Bourguet with a 71 overall rating. On the Locked on (BYU) Cougars podcast, host Jake Hatch gave a glimpse of his conversation with Hans Olsen, the prestigious BYU alum who had an important reveal.  

Hatch shared, “He [Olsen] said that he believes that BYU knows who they want to be quarterback one. He said he suspects it’s McCae Hillstead.” While Olsen has been crystal clear about the guy in Sitake’s squad, Roderick subtly hinted at it by taking both Bachmeier and Hillstead’s names. Wrubell shared the OC’s take, “Bear took the majority today, and McCae got some as well. We can’t keep going equal reps with three guys anymore…so each day you’re going to see right now, McCae and Bear getting the majority of the reps with the ones in the twos, and that’s where we’re at right now.”

If not the height, what makes McCae Hillstead lead the pack for Kalani Sitake? He comes off as a perfect package with strong and accurate arms, the ability to spin with the best. But Sitake might benefit from the quarterback’s USP, that’s his feet and extended plays. Hillstead is super fast. He has been a phenom back at Skyridge High School, who led the Falcons to the 2022 6A state championship. Talking about his stats? 6,898 yards and 73 touchdowns, while also running for 1,791 yards and 35 scores. Now, let’s see which way Sitakes passes on the baton.