The Jake Retzlaff saga at BYU came to an end earlier this month when the quarterback officially left the program and enrolled at Tulane. His departure left a void at quarterback for the Cougars, and now head coach Kalani Sitake and his staff will have three players competing for the starting job during fall camp.
BYU Faces 3-Way Quarterback Battle After Jake Retzlaff’s Departure
Retzlaff was BYU’s starting quarterback during the 2024 season and performed well, leading the Cougars to an 11–2 record while throwing for 2,947 yards and 20 touchdowns. However, his time at BYU came to an end after he was named in a civil lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault.
Although the case was dismissed, Retzlaff admitted to having premarital sex, which violated BYU’s honor code. As a result, he was facing a seven-game suspension from the university and announced his intention to transfer.
BYU QB Jake Retzlaff is planning to transfer from the school, sources confirmed to ESPN on Sunday.
He is facing a suspension after admitting to premarital sex, a violation of BYU’s honor code that surfaced during his response to a civil lawsuit alleging he raped a woman in… pic.twitter.com/IyuXzG0Zhb
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) June 30, 2025
Retzlaff later enrolled at Tulane, leaving BYU with significant uncertainty at the quarterback position heading into the 2025 season.
On3’s Pete Nakos recently released a list highlighting the top quarterback battles to watch during fall camp in college football.
Inside the top quarterback battles of fall camp
Read: https://t.co/tr1xLems14 pic.twitter.com/STrc6Hyma6
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) July 29, 2025
Among the battles listed is BYU, where Nakos says the Cougars have three potential quarterback options heading into the 2025 season with Retzlaff’s departure.
“McCae Hillstead, Treyson Bourguet and Bear Bachmeier will compete for the starting job in fall camp,” Nakos wrote.
Hillstead appears to be the most logical option for the Cougars, as he is the most proven of the group. He transferred from Utah State to BYU before the 2024 season after throwing for 1,062 yards, 11 touchdowns, and eight interceptions for the Aggies in 2023.
Bourguet is also an intriguing option. He also transferred to BYU before the 2024 season after playing in 10 games for Western Michigan across the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He has totaled 1,314 passing yards and six touchdowns throughout his college career.
Bachmeier may have the lowest floor among BYU’s quarterback options, but he also might offer the highest ceiling.
A three-star transfer commit in the 2025 recruiting class, he initially enrolled at Stanford in January before entering the portal in April and choosing the Cougars. He’s a true freshman, but if Sitake believes he gives the team the best chance to win, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him start.
Whoever starts at quarterback for BYU this season likely won’t match what was expected from Retzlaff in his second year as the starter. Still, Sitake must make the right decision between these three options, as the team’s success in 2025 will largely depend on who leads the offense.
