Bear Bachmeier made a huge splash in his freshman year as quarterback for the BYU Cougars. He played in all 14 games, completing 64.9% of his passes for 3,033 yards with 15 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. The 6’2″ Murrieta Valley High School graduate was also dangerous on the ground, rushing for 527 yards and scoring 11 touchdowns.
Bear Bachmeier Discusses Areas He Needs To Improve This Spring Training
Bachmeier will return next season to the Kalani Sitake-coached team, eager to prove himself. He will have the entire spring training to improve on last year’s weaknesses, aiming to help the team reach the College Football Playoff.
The quarterback was asked about the areas he needs to improve during spring training at a media session on Tuesday and said building chemistry with his new teammates will be his main offseason priority.
Bachmeier said he’ll use spring training to get to know his teammates, improve his presence in the pocket, and better understand the team’s pass protection concepts, which he wasn’t able to do last season.
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“I think as our season got going, I feel like my anticipation within our concepts was progressing,” the Cougars quarterback said. “So just building that chemistry again with the new guys and further building it with the guys that are here, and just the little things like pocket presence and understanding protections better.”
“So just kind of a little bit of everything, and put your mind to it and work at those little things. It’ll pay off in the season,” Bachmeier added.
Bachmeier made the statement weeks after the team learned that star wide receiver Parker Kingston had left due to a felony charge. Head coach Kalani Sitake was asked about how the team has handled Kingston’s departure. He maintained that “the program’s internal foundation remains unshaken.”
Sitake highlighted that the team’s culture is strong and developed by everyone, not just one player. The stability of this culture was tested during the season when the case against Kingston was ongoing until his eventual dismissal from the team.
The Cougars’ 2025 season demonstrated their overall excellence, with a strong offense led by Bachmeier and a defense ranked among the best in the nation. PFSN rated BYU’s Defense Impact at 14th overall and No. 3 in pass efficiency.
Sitake secured nine key transfers to strengthen the stable core of returning starters and highly-rated freshmen. This includes Kyler Kasper, who is seen as the replacement for Kingston. LJ Martin’s return will also boost BYU’s morale, with the head coach expressing optimism that he’s on the right track in recovering from his shoulder injury.
BYU begins the 2026 season against Utah Tech on Sep. 5 at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah, before playing Arizona in a Big 12 Conference game the next week at the same venue.
