There is no cause for pause (paws?) when it comes to Bear Bachmeier. BYU's sophomore quarterback won the starting job a season ago after joining the team during spring practice, and has never looked back, leading Kalani Sitake's program to its first Big 12 Championship game appearance and a 12-2 record as a freshman.
He won Pop-Tarts Bowl MVP honors and joined his head coach in taking a mighty chomp out of the greatest edible trophy in all of sports.
The patience and deliberate nature of his playstyle suggest that his skill set is matured well beyond his years. With the goofiest quarterback number in the nation (you don't see 47 standing under center very often these days), but the lower body strength to back up his fullback digits, Bear quickly became a fan-favorite in Provo as he filled the shoes of Jake Retzlaff and delivered an all-time great season for the BYU football program.
And the experts at CBS seem sold that Bachmeier is ready to repeat that success in his sophomore year. Per their preseason quarterback ranking, BYU's sophomore slinger is the 24th-best QB in college football, and the fourth-ranked Big 12 signal-caller behind Arizona senior Noah Fifita, Tech's Brendan Soresby (who transferred from Cincy this season), and OK State's Drew Mestemaker, who's making the jump from the high-powered offense of North Texas to a Cowboys team hoping to make a jump of their own in 2026.
"Bachmeier wasn't perfect," CBS recounted the BYU QB's freshman campaign. "But 3,033 yards passing with 15 touchdowns and 11 scores on the ground was more than enough to push the Cougars to a conference championship appearance. His only two losses in 14 starts came against CFP-bound Texas Tech."
The numbers never quite popped with Bear in BYU's run-heavy offense built upon the shoulders of workhorse running back LJ Martin and supplemented by Bachmeier's legs and, when necessary, the second-amendment right to Bear's arms.
Bachmeier is a capable passer and doesn't give the ball away -- just seven interceptions as a freshman -- but the Cougars' run game was dominant. So long as Bachmeier limits his own mistakes, the offensive engine purrs. CBS and BYU fans alike expect that engine to run without a hitch with the return of Martin, the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.
24th in the nation may not be glamourous in the grand scheme of college football, but for another swing at the Big 12 Conference championship, it's all Kalani Sitake's team will need from the sophomore Bachmeier.
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