Following his 12-2 freshman debut, BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier is on pace to win a stunning 48 games by the end of his senior season. Pulling it off will be nothing short of herculean and if he did it, Bachmeier would annihilate Max Hall’s program record 32 wins which he achieved in three seasons (2007-2009).
“Am I worried (about Bear breaking my record)? No. I’m not worried,” laughed Hall on the “Y’s Guys” livestream show this week. “If he does, great! I hope he does. I think that would be great for BYU.”
Hall went 11-2 as a redshirt sophomore in 2007 and he followed it up with 10-3 and 11-2 seasons — giving him more BYU wins than anybody, including the likes of Gary Sheide, Gifford Nielsen, Marc Wilson, Jim McMahon, Steve Young, Robbie Bosco, Ty Detmer and Steve Sarkisian.
“Has it been kind of nice having that record and being known as the winningest quarterback? Absolutely,” Hall said. “If Bear were to break that I would be ecstatic for him. I think he has a long road ahead. I think he has a lot of big games that he needs to win.”
Hall’s signature win was against No. 3 Oklahoma to open his senior season in 2009. As a sophomore, Bachmeier will get a shot to make a name for himself against playoff contender Notre Dame in Provo and possibly another crack at Big 12 defending champion Texas Tech — if both teams reach the Big 12 championship game.
“The challenge is now teams have film on him,” Hall said. “Defenses nowadays are getting so complex and creative in what they do, and they are going to find any little weakness and try to exploit it. He needs to do a self-scout. He needs to watch himself on film and see what he needs to improve and get better at and what is he adding to his game this year? What is he bringing that is different (from) last year?”
Bachmeier surprised everybody in 2025, including BYU. The summer enrollee won the starting job during fall camp and went on to throw for over 3,000 yards, rush for over 500 and score 26 total touchdowns while earning Big 12 honors as the Offensive Freshman of the Year.
Like Hall, Bachmeier’s days of sneaking up on anybody ended after making so much noise during his BYU debut.
Tackling expectations
Hall’s 11-2 debut season in 2007 — and Mountain West Conference sophomore record 3,848 passing yards — turned a lot of heads.
“You come out 11-2 and you set the bar. That is now the expectation and, quite honestly, it’s like, ‘We should get there again and go above it,’” Hall said. “My junior year, coming out we had a really good team, probably talent-wise the best team I played on in those three years. We ended up going 10-3. It just didn’t work out the way we thought it would.”
Bachmeier capped his dozen-win freshman season with a win over No. 22 Georgia Tech in the Pop Tarts Bowl and a No. 11 national ranking in the final AP Top 25. The Cougars are among the favorites to contend for the 2026 Big 12 title and will likely begin the season ranked in the top 15.
“Honestly, we are all expecting it to be at least the same or better. That is the expectation at BYU. It’s an expectation of greatness. We want to go win a championship. That’s what it’s all about,” Hall said. “He’s got a lot of pressure, but knowing Bear, I think he can handle it. I think he’s ready for it.”
Poise and power
There are two specific things working in Bachmeier’s favor for a repeat performance — brains and brawn. A physical prowess exudes from the guy lining up next to him in the back field, LJ Martin, and Bachmeier’s poise-under-fire gives him a mental edge.
“I felt like Bear was always the same guy no matter what – whether he threw a touchdown pass or an interception, he was the same guy,” Hall said. “That consistency is what makes him a great quarterback and (it) allowed him to have the year that he had. Can (his poise) stay the same, but (play) at a higher level now? That’s gonna be the key.”
Hall threw 94 touchdown passes, with many of them going to NFL prospects Austin Collie and Dennis Pitta. But his difference-maker was running back Harvey Unga, who remains No. 2 on BYU’s all-time rushing list.
“Harvey was invaluable. Having a solid run game is what allowed things to open up for me as far as the pass game goes,” Hall said. “It opened up Dennis’ routes, Austin’s routes and everybody else that I played with is because we were balanced.”
Much like Hall and Unga, while Bachmeier was doing his thing last season, Martin charged up the charts to lead the Big 12 in rushing and earn accolades as the conference Offensive Player of the Year.
For Bachmeier to repeat his phenomenal year, Martin may have to do the same – which means they both need to stay on the field. Martin played his last five games with a shoulder injury that was surgically repaired in the offseason. Apart from an ankle sprain in the Big 12 championship game, Bachmeier held up pretty good.
“BYU was very lucky that he stayed healthy, because he had some freshman moments where he relied on his feet and he was able to do that, but those hits wear on you after a while,” Hall said. “He’s got to learn how to use his arm more, instead of relying on his feet so he doesn’t take those hits.”
Waiting in the wings
It will be on freshman returned missionary Enoch Watson and the others in the quarterback room to be ready should Bachmeier sustain any misfortune. Watson played for Hall at ALA-Queen Creek in Arizona.
“I don’t think people understand how good this kid is yet and I’m not just saying that because I coached him,” Hall said of Watson.
“I have coached a lot of quarterbacks over the years. I’ve been around them and watched them and sat in meeting rooms with them, some of the best quarterbacks to play the game, and I think Enoch Watson has something about him that makes him special.”
Watson is 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds. He threw for 2,581 yards and 29 touchdowns while running for 356 yards and eight more touchdowns during his senior year at ALA.
“He’s got the size. He’s way more athletic than people give him credit for. His arm talent is insane. He’s got an NFL arm right now. He can throw off balance, he can throw on the run and (from) the pocket,” Hall said.
“I do not think it’s going to be long before Enoch emerges, and people really understand what we have with him. I think he has a chance, somewhere here in the future, of being a very successful quarterback at BYU. I hope that he has an opportunity and when he gets it, I think he’s going to crush it.”
Happy homecoming
Hall will coach the quarterbacks this fall at Mountain View High School in Mesa, Arizona — the launching pad for both he and former BYU star John Beck during their prep careers.
Hall will have a familiar face in the quarterback’s room — his son, Rex, who will be a sophomore.
“He has the talent to be better than me,” Hall said. “As a dad, there is only one person in the world you want to be better than yourself and that is your son. We’re rooting for him and we’ll see how things shake out but he is a dang good football player.”
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.
Max Hall’s top-5 quarterbacks
- Tom Brady: “He is the GOAT. The Super Bowls he’s won, the games that he’s won, the fact that he played so well for so long and took care of his body. Everything he encompasses, he is the ultimate definition of a professional. If I had to choose a guy, if I had my life on the line, who am I putting in at QB, it’s Tom Brady.”
- Bret Favre: “I grew up watching him. I loved his style of play, his grittiness. I tried to base my game off (him) in just competing and battling. He was a great leader.”
- Aaron Rodgers: “I love watching him play. I love his stories and he’s one of the best talents to ever to play quarterback.”
- Peyton Manning: “He is obviously one of the best quarterbacks to play the game, one of smartest quarterbacks, and (he) won a lot of games.”
- Drew Brees: “I played one game against Drew, and I beat him in my first start for the Arizona Cardinals. I’ll be honest, the Cardinal defense played really good that year. I think the defense scored 14 points in that game, but we got it done. We got the win.”