Don't forget the reason why BYU's sophomore quarterback, Bear Bachmeier, wears the number 47 at his position. Once he crosses the line of scrimmage, he is a fullback, and defenders will feel his shoulder pads the following morning.
Bachmeier was lauded for his dual-threat ability last season, when he led the Cougars to a 12-2 year as the full-time starting quarterback -- the first week-one true freshman to take the reins in program history. That's despite joining the team after spring practice.
Now with a full offseason under his belt and the world at his fingertips, it's exciting to imagine what Bachmeier could look like with another year of experience. Tei Nacua gave a bit of insight into this during a recent interview with CougConnect.
"The kid is elite," Nacua broke a smile. "Not too sure how well the fans know. He's slimmed down some. Watching Bear tone into this nicer, more fit body is kind of getting scary. I've already seen what you did eating Wingstop the night before the game and stuff like that. Now we've got two LJ's (Martin) in the backfield. They better be a little worried now. He hurdled a guy last year, so props to the kid."
"We got two LJ Martins in the backfield now..."
— CougConnect (@CougConnect) June 27, 2026
Tei Nacua on Bear Bachmeier's offseason transformation
WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW ON YOUTUBE pic.twitter.com/hXAO5R20Yy
Bachmeier entered the year as an unknown last season. He's fully on the radar today, listed as one of the nation's best quarterbacks on countless lists, and currently notched as the top sophomore in the nation according to CBS Sports.
The spotlight is on BYU football as they take another swing at the Big 12 Conference Championship and the defending champs, Texas Tech, are wavering following the Brendan Sorsby debacle. The door is wide open, and Bachmeier holds the key to their success.
He's clearly taking that responsibility seriously by slimming down and streamlining his frame more to that of the prototypical quarterback physique. Leading the charge for a team returning so much talent, Bachmeier puts BYU football in a great position to succeed alongside returning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, LJ Martin.
Add us as a preferred source on Google