Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

Just about any team without an incumbent starting quarterback (or clear successor) will deal with a barrage of questions about the position until an official announcement is made — and sometimes after that as well.

BYU, naturally, is no exception.

When the Cougars wrapped up spring ball at the end of March, BYU head coach Kalani Sitake and offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick were bombarded by QB-related questions. Many had been asked frequently during spring camp and the answers were basically the same.

No, neither junior Jake Retzlaff nor senior Gerry Bohanon had emerged as QB1.

Yes, the Cougars want to get the spot nailed down sooner rather than later but they also won’t rush into a decision.

Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

“They’re actually more similar than they are different,” Roderick said. “They’re both athletic. They both can make the throws that we need them to make in this offense. And they’re both really smart. Of course, Gary has a little more experience overall, Jake has the advantage of knowing our offense a little better than Gary does. So it’s been a really, really good battle.”

Roderick lauded Retzlaff’s success at taking care of the football and avoiding turnovers, something that is always a high priority for an offense.

“Jake had zero interceptions the whole spring,” Roderick said “I that’s the first time I’ve ever had a quarterback go 15 practices without throwing an interception. We’ve not been talking about, like with a pitcher who has a no-hitter going. He made it through without a pick. That was a big deal because last year he had some critical turnovers. The goal of spring was to eliminate those and he did a good job of that.”

Bohanon, on the other hand, is working hard to get up to speed on the details that are key for a signal-caller to have the offensive calls and plays run smoothly.

“In Gerry’s case, the most important thing is just getting more comfortable with the language of our offense,” Roderick said. “He’s working to get to the point where he doesn’t have to think about what the words mean. He can just go play.”

Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

BYU senior tight end Keanu Hill said both players stepped up to the challenge in spring and that was a good thing for the Cougar offense.

“Those two are both competitive,” Hill said. “They make crazy throws. Even though Gerry (Bohanon) just came in spring, he showed us that he can develop. He still has things he could work on but he’s sure coming in being very competitive.”

Sitake didn’t have any concerns about the players becoming divided because they support one of the QB candidates over the other.

“I think the key is seeing the type of character you have in both quarterbacks who are competing and the way they handle it,” Sitake said. “You could see that they’re working together. They talk often and they’re good friends. They are setting the example and the rest of the team has seen it. We have best friends fighting for starting spots, so that’s OK.”

Roderick explained that the criteria for someone to win the job is pretty straightforward.

Courtesy BYU Photo

“It’s going to be the guy who takes best care of the ball and moves the team,” Roderick said. “It’s those two things combined. You can take care of the ball if you’re really conservative and don’t ever do anything with it. We want that balance of being able to still be aggressive and move the team but also take care of the football.”

Sitake said that he has seen plenty of positives from both Retzlaff and Bohanon (as well as some of the other quarterbacks) but neither has done enough to win the job yet.

“I think someone has just got to take it,” Sitake said.

BYU quarterback Cole Hagen throws a pass during football practice at the indoor practice facility in Provo on Monday, March 4, 2024.

BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff throws a pass during practice at the indoor practice facility in Provo on Saturday, March 30, 2024.

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