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With the addition of Bear and Tiger Bachmeier and San Diego State cornerback Tayvion Beasley, head football coach Kalani Sitake showed he is not finished tapping into the transfer portal this spring.
A few big recruits are expected to announce where they are going this summer, and at the top of the list is Folsom High quarterback Ryder Lyons, a five-star prospect and considered the No. 2 quarterback in the class of 2026.
Question of the week
What should folks make of BYU bringing in Stanford transfer portal QB Bear Bachmeier?
Jay Drew: I was in Italy, about ready to return to the states, when I heard the news that BYU had added another quarterback to its 2025 roster — former Stanford signal-caller Bear Bachmeier. I will have to admit that I was a bit surprised because the Cougars already have a starter in Jake Retzlaff and two capable backups in Treyson Bourguet and McCae Hillstead.
Also, roster limits may, or may not, be coming, depending on what happens with the House Settlement. If existing players are “grandfathered in,” all that gnashing of teeth over roster cuts may be for naught.
After reading up on Bachmeier a bit more, I can see why Kalani Sitake, Aaron Roderick and company pulled the trigger. Bachmeier is good, has some decent experience, and will be a nice little insurance policy in case Retzlaff gets injured and neither Bourguet nor Hillstead are ready for Power Four football.
Bachmeier, a former four-star prospect, according to 247 Sports, is certainly ready. And as Roderick has said several times the past few years, a program cannot have enough quality quarterbacks. Sitake has said he wants to turn BYU into the quarterback factory again. This guy is a step in that direction — Retzlaff has a bit of a ceiling. This guy doesn’t.
Bachmeier is also quite sturdy, at 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds. He could be just what BYU needs when Retzlaff moves on, and could fill the gap nicely if BYU gets Ryder Lyons, the five-star QB from Folsom, California, who will likely decide this summer and then serve a church mission before enrolling at whichever school he eventually chooses.
Dick Harmon: Bringing in Bear Bachmeier is a chance for BYU to make more of a QB recruit than the program ever could with highly touted predecessors Ben Olson and Jake Heaps. Gary Crowton got Olson and Brandon Doman had Heaps. This is Aaron Roderick’s chance to put some shine on a star recruit.
Bear is a better athlete than both Olson and Heaps. I like what I’ve seen out of Hillstead and Bourguet. They are very good athletes with strong arms. Hillstead has sprinter speed. Compared with Hillstead, what Bourguet lacks in speed he owns in height.
Having said that, the addition of Bachmeier is intriguing. He could be a safety net if Jake Retzlaff is injured or if Hillstead or Bourguet struggle. Bear could be a placeholder if BYU signs Ryder Lyons. Lyons would be the crown jewel of what is looking to be an impressive 2026 recruiting class — if he commits this summer over USC and Oregon. Lyons is going on a two-year mission.
Bachmeier is a four-star recruit out of Murrieta, California, who threw for 6,810 yards and 59 touchdowns and rushed for 1724 yards and 33 touchdowns in high school. ESPN had him ranked as the No. 11 QB in his class. Those are lofty numbers.
What’s impressive is that Bear had offers from just about everybody out of high school, including BYU, but Stanford won. He could have gone to Georgia, Alabama, Notre Dame or Oregon. Athletic, smart and wanted, that’s this kid. That BYU got Bachmeier in a second try and signed his older brother, Tiger, an experienced Stanford wide receiver, speaks volumes about BYU’s current recruiting pitch and NIL program.
Cougar tales
BYU recruit Bott Mulitalo earned MVP honors at an Under Armour camp in Salt Lake City over the weekend. The big Lone Peak High lineman had an impressive appearance. BYU added a portal transfer cornerback from San Diego State Tayvion Beasley on Monday. Another top-rated high school recruit, Meridian High (Idaho) offensive lineman Jax Tanner announced his final five trips and BYU will be his final visit of the summer in late June.
From the archives
From X-verse
- Closer look at Egor Demin’s NBA workout (@CoreyTulaba)
- Former All-American breaks 25k record (@BYU_News)
Extra points
- Chase Roberts gives injury update (Deseret News)
- Will BYU have two of the best players in NCAA? (Deseret News)
- Tanner Wall’s life could be a movie (Deseret News)
Fanalysts
Comments from Deseret News readers:
We have so many talented wings who will be vying for the third starting wing spot alongside AJ and Richie, and adding sniper-like depth when the starters need a break. Mrus is certainly one of them along with Davis (who I’m guessing will be the third starter), Baker, Diomande, Boskovic (who I’m guessing will also get time at the five spot since we didn’t pick up another big), Kozlowski and Mboup.
— CougFaninTexas
Great to have all these shooters on the team. What we NEED are people who play defense. Case in point: this transfer had his best shooting against the Cougs, as did any number of other opponents.
— Wer
Up next
- May 12-14 | Men’s golf | NCAA regional | @ Reno, Nevada
- May 15-18 | Women’s tennis | NCAA championships | @ Waco, Texas
- May 15-17 | Track and field | Big 12 championships | @ Lawrence, Kansas
- May 15 |6 p.m. | Baseball | Texas Tech | @ Provo
- May 16 | 6 p.m. | Baseball | Texas Tech | @ Provo
- May 17 | 1 p.m. | Baseball | Texas Tech | @ Provo