“Three months to Boulder” feels like the title of a vintage war movie starring Charles Bronson and his Dirty Dozen. But this is no Hollywood screen play. For BYU, the Cougars have three months to get a new quarterback ready to fight in one of college football’s most electrifying battle grounds — Folsom Field.
With the biggest story of the offseason shifting gears from Jake Retzlaff’s legal battles to BYU’s new quarterback, time is of the essence. As Retzlaff heads into the transfer portal, whoever his replacement is has 13 Saturdays before the Cougars open Big 12 play at Colorado (Sept. 27).
That gives him July, which is typically a month of downtime and relaxation before the team reports to camp on July 29, fall practice in August and three nonconference games to learn the script and get his act together.
Is it enough time? Former BYU quarterback Riley Nelson says “Absolutely!”
“Based on how the team played last year, it is clear that the program is built to win with defense and special teams,” said Nelson, who started 19 games at BYU (2009-12) and threw for 4,032 yards and 35 touchdowns. He also rushed for 858 yards and six touchdowns.
“For a quarterback to be ready in these circumstances, he needs to be able to orchestrate the offense, limit negative plays and outcomes, and lead the offensive unit psychologically and emotionally,” he explained. “Three months is enough time to do those things effectively.”
Western Michigan transfer Treyson Bourguet, Utah State transfer McCae Hillstead, who both arrived at BYU last year, will duke it out with four-star high school prospect Bear Bachmeier for the starting job. Bourguet is bigger (6-foot-2, 210 pounds), Hillstead is faster (5-10, 190 pounds) and Bachmeier may be better than both, but he is fresh out of high school.
“All the QBs have been working hard all offseason and all the reps that Treyson and McCae got in the spring are now really important heading into camp,” said former Cougar quarterback John Beck. “For all three of them, Bear included, every day is meaningful.”
BYU’s practice time may be limited, but the first four weeks of the season couldn’t be more accommodating for a new quarterback. Suddenly, facing an FCS program like Portland State in LaVell Edwards Stadium on Aug. 30 is perfect placement. A second home game against Stanford, Sept. 6, will provide a tougher test, but it will also be under the protection of BYU’s home field.
An early bye on Sept. 14, which, when it was announced, seemed way too early to be a benefit, is now looking pretty good.
The road trip to East Carolina (Sept. 21) will be the primer for the Alamo Bowl rematch against Colorado in Boulder the following week on ESPN. Road games are risky. They can bring a team together or break them apart, especially with an inexperienced leader.
As a junior college transfer, Retzlaff made his BYU debut on the road at West Virginia in 2023 after Kedon Slovis suffered a season-ending elbow injury. The Mountaineers rocked him 37-7. A week later, in his home debut, Iowa State beat the Cougars 45-13. Retzlaff finished the season 0-4 as a starter.
However, last season, with some experience under his belt, and the Big 12’s No. 1-rated defense, Retzlaff navigated BYU to an 11-2 record and a 36-14 victory in the Alamo Bowl. His 10 victories against Power Four schools are the most in program history. The idea of having Retzlaff back as a senior fueled some lofty projections — even College Football Playoff picks, by the national media. Without him, the pundits might leave BYU out of the preseason top 25.
Both Bourguet (Western Michigan) and Hillstead (Utah State) have Division I experience from their previous stops. Each have thrown for over 1,000 yards and combined for 17 touchdown passes. Bachmeier’s only college experience was participating in spring drills at Stanford before he transferred to BYU in May, but the teenager is in the mix.
“(Bear) played a ton of ball in high school and he was competing for the starting job (at Stanford), so he’s had about as much prep as you can ask,” Beck said. “If he plays, BYU should be solid around him. What is tough is having a young, inexperienced quarterback with young and inexperienced guys around him. Whoever plays this year, the team around him is a good one. That helps a lot.”
The new quarterback will inherit a defense that allowed 19.6 points per game and tied Texas for the most interceptions with 21. He will also have a kicker (Will Ferrin) who made his last 16 field goals and a punt returner (Parker Kingston) who returned two kicks for touchdowns and is attracting preseason All-America attention.
“If the team were dependent on winning shootouts and averaging 40 points per game, I would be a lot more worried about the time constraint,” Nelson said. “But this program finished 11-2 in 2024, and the quarterback play ranked in the middle to bottom half of the conference in most statistical categories. Three months should be enough time to replace that level of play and hopefully build on and improve it as the season goes on.”
In addition to defense and special teams, BYU’s offensive line is big and deep, running back LJ Martin is healthy and senior receiver Chase Roberts anchors a group of pass catchers that receivers coach Fesi Sitake is thrilled about.
If there was ever a time for a young quarterback to inherit a Power Four team this might be it; however, lack of experience makes it a risky venture. Retzlaff’s departure gives BYU no choice but to make it work.
“The staff is going to need to not only decide on a starter but also to make sure they get him enough reps with the guys he will be playing with on Saturdays,” said Beck, who threw for 11,021 yards and 79 touchdowns for the Cougars (2003-06). Beck trains quarterbacks at 3DQB in Huntington Beach, California. Bourguet, Hillstead and Bachmeier have each received his tutelage this summer.
Despite being picked near the bottom of the Big 12 last year, BYU and Colorado tied Arizona State and Iowa State for first place. The Cougars and Buffaloes capped the season in San Antonio, and fittingly, they will open Big 12 play in 2025 against each other.
The departures of Colorado stars Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter to the NFL figured to give BYU the edge in the rematch; however, with Retzlaff gone and a quarterback battle set to dominate fall camp, all bets are off.
“I think with the coaching staff that BYU has they can get a guy ready in three months, but that quarterback will have to get the majority, if not all the reps leading up to that game (Aug. 30),” said Max Hall, the winningest quarterback in program history (32). Hall threw for 11,365 yards and 94 touchdowns over three seasons (2007-09). “He will need to put in extra time studying film and creating chemistry with his teammates in order to perform at the level they need him to.”
Bourguet, Hillstead and Bachmeier are on the clock. Showtime is coming and they have “Three months to Boulder” to learn their parts of the script.
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com