Throughout the open session of practice the trio of sophomore McCae Hillstead, junior Treyson Bourguet and freshman Bear Bachmeier received a relatively equal set of reps with the first team offense. Following practice all three were made available to the media for questioning while what seemed like at least a third of the questions directed at Cougar Coach Kalani Sitake were regarding the quarterback battle.

“There’s competition all the time and we had a quarterback competition last year. So luckily this staff has been through many quarterback competitions before,” Sitake said. “The goal is to get these guys in situations where they can play football and see how they can function, and I think they did a great job today…I thought overall the team performed very well today.”

Perhaps the most notable development was Bachmeier receiving an equal number of reps with the first-team offense, and he generally responded well. It’s often the occasion when true freshmen quarterbacks are overwhelmed when taking live reps during practice sessions, at least initially, but Bachmeier was able to show relatively well, all factors considered.

“The goal is to compete and being in this environment elevates everybody’s game,” Bachmeier told the media following Wednesday’s practice session. “I feel like today went well and I acclimated pretty well, so I just have to keep stacking days.”

Bachmeier is a 6-foot-2, 225 pound dual-threat quarterback who signed with Stanford and participated in the Cardinal’s spring practice session before opting to transfer to BYU.

As for Hillstead, he’s viewed as the favorite in the minds of most fans and even most of the media who covers BYU on a consistent basis. The 5-10, 195 pound Utah State transfer is a legitimate dual-threat option at quarterback who is relishing his opportunity to compete and prove himself during the next month in preparation for the coming 12-game season.

“For me, it’s just playing my game and I think that’s the same for the other guys,” Hillstead said. “Put it all on tape, be your best self and try and go get it.”

Hillstead’s advantage is having been able to spend more than a full year learning and developing in BYU Offensive Coordinator Aaron Roderick’s system on top of receiving game time experience with the Aggies.

“I can get guys where they need to be going…and learning the speed of college football is a big thing,” he said.

Bourguet, meanwhile, brings even more playing experience than Hillstead, having played two full seasons for Western Michigan before transferring to BYU. The 6-foot-2, 210 pounder is considered the best deep ball passer of the bunch, which could give him a noted advantage in delivering chunk yardage plays to BYU’s impressive set of wideouts.

“I want to show that I’m more than capable of doing everything on the field, whether that’s running for 10 yards or throwing for 15 yards…or even taking the easy completion for five yards,” Bourguet said. “Whatever it is, I’m going to get the job done.”

Bourguet has also gained a great deal of comfort within BYU’s system, having joined the program prior to the 2024 season.

“This is the most comfortable I’ve been within a system for my whole career,” Bourguet, who has endured many coaches changes throughout his prep and college careers, said. “…Now I finally have some continuity, I feel super confident, and I have great timing with the receivers. I’m ready to work.”

Practice observations

• One of the more positive developments during Wednesday’s practice was Michigan transfer offensive lineman Andrew Gentry receiving a full set of reps with the first-team offense. The 6-foot-8, 315 pound junior sat out spring recovering from a lisfranc injury, but appears to have fully recovered and manned the right tackle position with the first-team offense throughout the open session of practice. Isaiah Jatta (6-6, 315 Sr.) saw all the first-team reps playing at left tackle.
• Sophomore receiver JoJo Phillips (6-5, 205) was perhaps the open session offensive MVP, catching several passes including a strike from Bourguet across the middle that would have gone for a touchdown if not blown dead.
• The most notable defensive highlight was provided by junior Raider Damuni (6-1, 205), who jumped a route thrown across the middle by Bourguet and intercepted it while the defense celebrated earnestly