Bear Bachmeier was a revelation and a god-send for BYU football last season, finding relief for the sudden departure of Jake Retzlaff in the form of a true freshman quarterback who joined the team after Spring Practice due to a late transfer out of Stanford.
Bachmeier filled the quarterback role with incredible grace, pushing the Cougars to an 11-1 record in the regular season (one more than Retzlaff lifted to team to in the previous season), losing only to top-four Texas Tech on the road, who would later beat the Cougars again to reach the College Football Playoff.
The first week-one true freshman to start at quarterback in the history of BYU football, Bachmeier validated his coaching staff's faith in his talents by being the steady hand under center all year long. Tough, gritty, bulky, all while boasting a great arm and a quick processor between his ears, Bachmeier only projects to improve with more time to experiment, build chemistry, and learn Aaron Roderick's offense.
In CBS Sports' ranking of sophomore quarterbacks, Bear's name was comfortably right at the top. No surprises here. He was listed ahead of Cal's Jaron Keawe-Sagapolutele, Michigan's Bryce Underwood, Maryland's Malik Washington, and Pitt's Mason Heintschel.
"Bachmeier was a revelation in 2025, leading BYUÂ to a 12-2 season after entering as a three-star true freshman. The dual-threat dynamo is only a sophomore, but he's on track to become a legend at a program that has seen its share of great quarterbacks."
Despite this ranking, the best news for BYU football isn't the likelihood of improvement from year to year for Bachmeier -- though that certainly is a positive -- it's the fact that the Cougars' success won't fall primarily on his shoulders, with Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and Kalani Sitake's workhorse out of the backfield, LJ Martin, returning for his senior season in Provo.
Bachmeier was able to defer to Martin a ton last season, and Aaron Roderick supported his young quarterback with a run-heavy offensive style that rarely forced Bachmeier to make difficult decisions. Behind potential All-American Bruce Mitchell and what may be one of the nation's best offensive lines, Bachmeier can play more of a game-manager role.
This label is no slight to Bachmeier's ability -- he's every bit as talented of a quarterback as a playoff team requires.
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