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BYU players celebrate with the Cougar fans after the Big 12 game against UCF at FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU players run onto the field before the Big 12 game against UCF at FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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Daily Herald sports reporters Darnell Dickson and Brandon C. Gurney use their sports expertise to riff on the hot BYU sports topics of the moment.

1. Gun to your head (held by, say, Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark for some reason), who are your top five Big 12 football teams going into the 2025 season?

DICKSON: Hey, Brett, don’t be so angry and put the gun away. We (the media) never liked doing the preseason poll, anyway. Especially last year when we (and everyone else) got everything pretty much all wrong. Hey, I picked Kansas State to win the thing and they finished tied for eighth. The Big 12 is a fun conference to follow because any one of about eight or nine teams probably have a shot at winning the regular-season title. If I had to go with five teams right now, I’d say Texas Tech, TCU, Baylor, BYU and Arizona State. What, no Utah? I have my reasons, 47 of them. That’s how many new players have joined the program (along with a new offensive coordinator and a new quarterback) since January. We all know how turning over half your roster worked for BYU back in 2023, don’t we?

GURNEY: Providing a top five for this incredibly competitive conference is a fool’s errand, but I’m more than happy to play the fool here. I don’t believe in Arizona State and I’m skeptical that the Sun Devils can repeat the breakthrough provided last year, or even finish within the top five of the conference. Am I crazy? Probably, but I think there’s at least five other teams that could easily overtake the Sun Devils this season.

Anyway, my top five are Baylor, Texas Tech, TCU, Iowa State and Kansas State in no particular order. I’m predicting a rise from the Texas schools, which unfortunately puts me in line with Darnell here, but Darnell is one smart cookie (sometimes). I’d love to include BYU, really, but I think the loss of Jake Retzlaff is going to prove more debilitating than I think most fans realize. I do think BYU will prove competitive, and should be in most games due to what looks to be a formidable defense, but I can’t pick the Cougars to land within the top five.

2. Same gun to your head, who will be the starting quarterback when BYU opens the season against Portland State on Aug. 28?

GURNEY: Why so violent with the questioning, Darnell? I feel that Treyson Bourguet isn’t receiving the consideration he should warrant when considering his resume. Hillstead has a year’s playing experience? Good for him, and it should prove beneficial. But Bourguet has two years playing experience with Western Michigan, is a better passer than Hillstead and operates Aaron Roderick’s offense more effectively, from what I’ve been told by sources.

Bear Bachmeier is the intriguing variable here, and if he had practiced with BYU this spring, then I’d be more given to tab him as a legitimate contender. I just think that window is too compressed for Bachmeier to make up ground against either Bourguet or Hillstead during just one month of team practice sessions, all factors considered. I do buy that Bachmeier does have the talent and upside to become BYU’s best option at quarterback by the end of the 2025 season, however.

DICKSON: Right now I’m leaning toward McCae Hillstead, but that’s probably just because I watched him play for three seasons at Skyridge. He was an exciting player and very explosive. He’s not just a runner, either. He can sling it and with a strong offensive line (unlike the leaky one he had at Utah State last season) he could do some special things. I’m not discounting Treyson Bourguet or Bear Bachmeier, though. The difference between those three guys at the end of fall camp is likely to be pretty small. I don’t envy offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick in making that decision. I think the numbers in fall camp will be pretty even and Roderick will just have to go with his gut.

3. Does BYU have a better chance of getting a 1,000-yard receiver (last time Dax Milne with 1,188 in 2020) or a 1,000-yard rusher (Tyler Allgeier with 1,606 in 2021) this season?

DICKSON: There’s a couple of reasons why neither is that likely. One is the BYU offense likes spreading things around and rotating a lot of players into the game. Plus, with a new starting quarterback in the fold, the offense will likely start slowly in 2025. If the Cougars throw the ball eight to 10 times a game to Chase Roberts, he could go for 1,000-plus yards. Or if they decide to give LJ Martin 20 carries a game, he could approach 1,000 yards rushing. I’d say Martin is more likely to crack the 1,000-yard barrier than Roberts is, but I’d honestly be surprised if either happens this season.

GURNEY: Roberts would be the easy answer if Retzlaff was still with the team, although I’m still going with the same answer even with the massive questions at the quarterback position. Roberts was only 146 yards shy of the 1,000 mark last season and should be afforded even more targets this season. Without Darrius Lassiter or Keelan Marion around, Roberts’ targets should increase, even though I am high on the potential of Parker Kingston, JoJo Phillips and others. I’m just very high on Roberts’ ability and I do think the offense will be more centered around his abilities than it was last season.

I also really like LJ Martin’s ability, but injuries remain a question mark with him. He’s been unable to complete an entire season at BYU through his first two seasons, and until he does, I’m very hesitant in predicting him to run for over 1,000 yards.

4. Give one really good reason why BYU’s football recruiting has taken off like a rocket this summer.

GURNEY: I believe it’s all about credibility with regards to recruiting and BYU has established a lot of it in recent years. Winning big games in big ways can go a long way in establishing credibility and I believe the Cougars’ 36-14 romp over Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes in last season’s Alamo Bowl proved substantial with how BYU is viewed as a program. The course of the game showcased a BYU team that can dominate the course of play against what was widely considered one of the better teams in the country at the time. You marry on-the-field credibility with all the the other factors BYU has to offer, and it makes sense that it is making the recruiting strides we’ve seen in recent months.

DICKSON: Just one reason? That’s tough because BYU’s stellar recruiting is a combination of many factors. If I have to choose just one (and I do, because I asked the question), I’d say the credit goes to Kalani Sitake. His approach to recruiting is pretty simple: If it’s the right fit, they’ll come. And if it’s not the right fit today, they could end up changing their mind later. It’s worked pretty well. Yeah, more money to recruit has helped and joining the Big 12 was a big deal. But Sitake’s ability to build relationships with recruits is second-to-none. In the long run, that creates momentum and that’s what we’re seeing this summer.

5. What grade do you give new BYU Director of Athletics Brian Santiago during his first two months on the job?

DICKSON: Santiago has been a pretty good interview over the past two months, saying mostly the right things and not making a lot of waves. I think because of his personality a lot of BYU fans felt like he may cross a line or two in a passing moment. But so far, so good on that front. He hasn’t made any major decisions so far (although he was very active in hiring Lee Cummard as the new women’s basketball coach) and those will come later. His predecessor, Tom Holmoe, made some pretty good hires early in his career (Dave Rose and Bronco Mendenhall, for instance) and built a very strong athletic department. I’d give Santiago a solid B+ so far but there are big moments ahead for him.

GURNEY: I can’t point to a thing Santiago has done that would receive a negative mark, so I’m going with an A. I felt he was extremely impressive in his introductory press conference and he’s been very open and engaging since. What I’ve seen from Santiago is a very competent individual who has been groomed for the job he currently holds for many years. I know that he was a controversial choice when being named to head BYU’s athletic department, but feel he’s done much to quiet his critics since. Yes, he’s still enjoying a grace period, and as Darnell mentioned, he hasn’t had to undertake any serious decisions yet, but I can just grade the guy on what he has had on his plate thus far.