BYU has never opened a season with a true freshman starting quarterback.
Until now.
When Bear Bachmeier takes his first snap against Portland State on Aug. 30, he will make history as the first-ever Week 1 true freshman starting QB for the Cougars.
While they didn’t begin the season as QB1 like Bachmeier will, seven other players have previously started at quarterback for BYU as true freshmen, experiencing all sorts of highs and lows in the process. Here are their stories.
Drew Miller (1997)
With the two quarterbacks ahead of him on BYU’s depth chart both injured, Drew Miller was called upon to start for the Cougars in a road matchup against UTEP.
The contest ended up being quite historic — for even more than just marking the first time BYU started a true freshman at QB.
The Cougars fell 14-3, failing to score a touchdown for the first time in 138 games. The last time BYU had been held touchdown-less before then was 1986.
Miller completed 17 of 32 passes for 226 yards but threw three interceptions, including one that was returned for a UTEP touchdown.
It would be Miller’s only start as a Cougar. He backed up Kevin Feterik in 1998 before transferring out of Provo and landing at Montana, where he was a first-team Division I-AA All-American in 1999 and 2000 and racked up 6,449 yards and 47 touchdowns for the Grizzlies.
Despite the loss in his lone start and never getting much other playing time at BYU, Miller still has nothing but love for the Cougars.
“I played for some legendary coaches at ‘Quarterback U.’ I’m super proud of my experience I had there,” Miller told the Deseret News in 2018. “I made great friends. I wouldn’t do it any different. The experience I had there was incredible. It prepared me for Montana. It was all good. It certainly wasn’t perfect. It didn’t go the way that I wanted it to. But it was a great experience.
“... It all worked out for the best. I’ve always said that I have no hard feelings and I don’t. I root for those guys down there at BYU. A lot of them on that staff are my former teammates. I root for them every week when they’re playing. I still feel proud to have played there. It’s fun to think back on it. Great times, great memories. Wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
John Beck (2003)
Before John Beck became one of the most successful and beloved quarterbacks in BYU history, he experienced the lowest of lows as a freshman.
Beck started four games for the Cougars in 2003, posting a 1-3 record with five touchdowns, five interceptions and a 50.3% completion rate. Aside from a four-point loss to Stanford, Beck’s other defeats came in 24-10 fashion against Air Force and in the form of a 58-13 pounding from Colorado State — with all three losses coming at home.
“There are going to be situations where your confidence in your performance is going to take hits. That’s just the way that it goes,” Beck told the Deseret News in 2018 regarding the freshman starting experience.
“I remember jogging off the field against Colorado State. The stadium is booing us (in Provo). It wasn’t what I expected. I didn’t expect to be booed playing college football. I’m not preparing like somebody that deserves to be booed. I was giving it all that I got. But when plays aren’t being made and you’re getting your butt kicked, you’re going to get booed.”
Beck did enjoy one major flash as a freshman: a 44-36 road victory over rival San Diego State, where he threw for two touchdowns and ran for another score.
That performance against the Aztecs foretold what was to come for Beck. He served as BYU’s primary starter for the next three seasons, helping rebuild the Cougars from their 4-8 finish in 2003 to an 11-2 Mountain West championship campaign in 2006.
As a senior, Beck was the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, a second-team All-American selection and second-round NFL draft pick by the Miami Dolphins. His most notable feat, however, was his “Beck to Harline” touchdown pass to defeat Utah, which lives on as one of the most iconic moments in BYU history.
Beck went on to spend six seasons in the NFL. He currently ranks third in career passing yards (11,021) and fourth in touchdowns (79) all time at BYU.
Jake Heaps (2010)
Jake Heaps arrived in Provo in 2010 as one of the most heralded recruits in program history.
The early returns on Heaps were encouraging, as he took over as BYU’s starter four weeks into his college career and eventually led the Cougars to win five of their final six games, including the New Mexico Bowl over UTEP.
As a freshman, Heaps threw for 2,316 yards with 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Expectations for the Washington native were sky high as a sophomore, but things soon came crashing back down to Earth.
Much has been said and written regarding the Jake Heaps era at BYU. To make a very long story short, it just didn’t work out.
He was benched midway through the 2011 campaign in favor of Riley Nelson — who immediately sparked a dramatic rally to defeat Utah State — effectively ending Heaps’ time as a Cougar. He announced his intention to transfer at the end of the season, landing at both Kansas and Miami to finish his collegiate career before spending a few years on NFL practice squads.
Since hanging up his cleats, Heaps has transitioned into both sports talk radio and coaching, having served as Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson’s personal QB guru while training younger passers as well. Earlier this year, Heaps was named as the head coach for Legend High School in Parker, Colorado.
“The biggest thing is, people want to say that you live life with regret. To me, there are learning lessons. Regret is not giving forth your best effort, looking in the mirror and knowing I didn’t give my best,” Heaps told the Deseret News in 2018. “There are things I could have done better as a football player — decisions that I made that I could have done better. I could have done things that could have made things different. There are a lot of external factors that shaped my BYU career as well.
“I’ve gone through this whole journey trying to learn and grow,” Heaps continued. “I’m a big believer in that God has a plan. This definitely wasn’t part of my plan. I wanted to have a great career at BYU and go to the NFL. Those were all of the things I envisioned for myself. All I know is that I’ve gone through three great universities. I’ve learned so much, I’ve met so many people. There’s so many cool stories along the way that have impacted my wife and I. It’s been a journey that I’ve learned from and continued to grow from. Now I’m able to share those experiences with those kids I train and work with. I’m just trying to impact the next generation.”
Taysom Hill (2012)
Surprisingly enough, Bear Bachmeier isn’t the first former Stanford commit to play quarterback at BYU as a true freshman.
That honor belongs to Taysom Hill, who decommitted from the Cardinal during his mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, switched his college pledge to Provo and took over as the Cougars’ starter five games into the 2012 campaign.
Following a handful of relief appearances early in the year, Hill made his first start against Hawaii, where he passed for 112 yards and two touchdowns while also running 15 times for 141 yards and another score.
The next week against Utah State, however, Hill suffered the first of his four career season-ending injuries at BYU.
In six total appearances as a freshman, he accounted for eight touchdowns along with 759 combined passing and rushing yards.
Hill ultimately played 37 games during his career with the Cougars, where he passed for 6,929 yards, ran for another 2,815 and scored 75 total touchdowns.
He’s now entering his ninth season with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints, having become a household name across the league for his unique “Swiss Army knife” skillset.
Tanner Mangum (2015)
It’s hard to think of a more exciting way to start a career than how Tanner Mangum did.
Cougar fans all know the story by now — three months after returning from his church mission, Mangum was thrust into action to replace an injured Hill, where he threw an improbable Hail Mary pass for a game-winning touchdown at Nebraska.
Then, a week later, he threw another one to beat Boise State.
Mangum went on to start the remainder of the season, throwing for 3,377 yards and 23 touchdowns against 10 interceptions as BYU finished with a 9-4 record.
He then served as Hill’s backup in 2016 — though he came off the bench again to defeat Josh Allen-led Wyoming in the Poinsettia Bowl that year — and reclaimed the starting job again in 2017, only for injuries and ineffectiveness to plague his performance.
As a senior in 2018, Mangum opened the year as BYU’s starter and helped lead the Cougars to a 3-1 start, including earning a road upset over No. 6 Wisconsin. Consecutive blowout losses to Washington and Utah State then resulted in Mangum being benched in favor of a new true freshman talent in Zach Wilson — but more on him later.
In 36 games at BYU, Mangum threw for 6,262 yards with 42 total touchdowns. Despite the unceremonious ending to his career, its thrilling beginning will never be forgotten in Provo.
Joe Critchlow (2017)
Joe Critchlow began his freshman campaign as the fourth quarterback on BYU’s depth chart.
He ended the year as the Cougars’ starter.
“Big Critch” replaced an injured Mangum and Beau Hoge under center for the final three weeks of BYU’s nightmare 2017 season, leading the Cougars to a pair of victories — which doubled the team’s previous win total — while throwing for 642 yards and three touchdowns.
His first start at UNLV was the best outing of his career, completing 14 of 22 passes with a touchdown in a 31-21 win.
The next week, however, Critchlow threw four interceptions in BYU’s now-infamous 16-10 home loss against UMass. He rebounded in the season finale at Hawaii, throwing for 166 yards and a TD to help produce a 30-20 victory.
The Tennessee native would only appear in two more games for the Cougars over the next two years, ultimately leaving the program following the 2019 campaign.
Zach Wilson (2018)
When Mangum won the starting quarterback job as a senior in 2018, Zach Wilson had given him a real run for his money in fall camp.
Once BYU’s offense hit a snag midway through the season, the Cougars turned to the former Corner Canyon High star to hopefully provide a spark and get more points on the board.
Wilson succeeded.
In his first career start, he accounted for four total touchdowns in a 49-23 drubbing of Hawaii and would never look back, as BYU’s offense averaged more than 32 points per game over their final seven contests to culminate in a Famous Idaho Potato Bowl victory where Wilson finished a perfect 18 for 18 in passing attempts.
Wilson ended his freshman year with 1,578 passing yards and 12 touchdowns, appearing poised to be the Cougars’ QB of the future.
In 2019, Wilson took a step back, partially due to injuries, but he exploded during the 2020 COVID-19 campaign to the tune of 3,692 passing yards and 44 total touchdowns, leading BYU to an 11-1 finish and being selected No. 2 overall in the NFL draft.
Wilson is now entering his fifth season in the NFL, having signed with the Miami Dolphins in the offseason to serve as the team’s backup quarterback.