With Jake Retzlaff set to transfer out of the BYU football program, who will effectively replace him as the starter for the 2025 football season becomes the major storyline with the team set to begin fall practices in about a month.

Retzlaff leaves a tremendous void as the assumed starter that won’t be easy to replace. The 6-foot-1, 205 pound signal-caller not only started every game last season, but took most of the practice reps this past spring with Cougar coaches unaware that he’d leave the program in the offseason.

So what was the battle for Retzlaff’s backup sport simply shifts to the battle for the starting quarterback job, essentially, with three quarterbacks set to compete for the most visible position on the gridiron.

The good news for BYU is that two of the candidates, McCae Hillstead and Treyson Bourguet, have both been with the football program for more than a year and came to Provo with collegiate playing experience. For Hillstead, that experience came playing for Utah State before opting to transfer to BYU after the 2023 season with Bourguet having played two seasons for Western Michigan before transferring to Provo the same year.

“Both of those guys can play,” assessed BYU Offensive Coordinator Aaron Roderick during this past year’s spring practice session. “They’ve both proven they can play in (division one) games…both of them have played enough that we know that they can go in and win for us.”

The other candidate is former 4-star prospect Bear Bachmeier, who transferred to BYU from Stanford shortly after completing his first practice session for the Cardinal. Bachmeier is a true freshman and graduated early from Murrieta Valley High School in California early in order to participate in Stanford’s spring practice session before opting to transfer to BYU in the offseason with his brother, receiver Tiger Bachmeier.

So Roderick has his work cut out for him, to say the least, in making undoubtedly the biggest decision surrounding the football team this coming season.

So which quarterback is favored and how to they match up with one another? A lot of those questions will unfold in earnest during the month of August, although there is some framework regarding each of the three.

McCae Hillstead

Hillstead is a 5-foot-10, 195 pound redshirt sophomore who started three season for Skyridge High School and led that team to a state championship in 2022. Hillstead was known as a true dual-threat quarterback in high school, often showcasing elite escapability in the backfield with an ability to run for a lot of yards when breaking the pocket. He finished his career with the Falcons with 6,898 yards passing an 74 touchdowns against just 24 interceptions while adding another 1,791 yards rushing and 35 touchdowns.

Hillstead signed with Utah State out of high school and played eight games for the Aggies throwing for 1,062 yards and 11 touchdowns against eight interceptions.

Hillstead’s advantage in the quarterback battle is his true dual-threat capability, which Roderick favors to run his system effectively. Hillstead clocked a 10.9 100 meter run in high school, which is an elite time for anyone playing the quarterback position.

Treyson Bourguet

Bourguet is a redshirt junior transfer from Western Michigan who played high school football in Tucson, Arizona where he compiled a 28-5 record as a starting quarterback while being name the Southern Arizona Player of the Year in 2022. The 6-foot-2, 205 pound signal-caller played in 10 games for Western Michigan over his two-year stint there, throwing for 1,314 yards and six touchdowns while adding 219 yards and another touchdown rushing.

Although not as elusive as Hillstead, Bourguet does have good escapability and the ability to beat a defense with his legs. He also possesses a strong arm and was noted for his deep-ball accuracy as a recruit and throughout his playing career at Western Michigan.

Bear Bachmeier

Bachmeier is unquestionably the more highly-recruited prospect of the three, having fielded offers from most top programs from around the country, including Georgia, Alabama, Michigan among many others.

“Bachmeier is an exciting dual-threat quarterback who can beat a defense with his arm or his legs,” assessed 247 Sports Network national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins. “At 6-2, 225 pounds, he’s built like a tank and can take off and run for big yards and does a nice job escaping initial pressure and extending plays. He can also beat you from the pocket and is a very competent thrower. He has a strong arm, quick release and can throw form different arm angles. He’s comfortable throwing rolling out to either direction, is a tough kid and a fierce competitor.”

While Bachmeier could well be considered the more talented of the three, his condensed time within the BYU football program works to his disadvantage. College systems aren’t easy to adjust to and Bachmeier’s arrival in Provo over the summer without the completion of a single Cougar practice session will present a lot of ground for him to cover from now until the start of the 2025 football season.