BYU Football has not officially announced who will be the starting quarterback when the Cougars take the field on August 31st against Southern Illinois. Everyone from the Offensive Coordinator Aaron Roderick to Head Coach Kalani Sitake has adamantly stated that the starting quarterback has not been decided between Baylor/USF transfer Gerry Bohanon and Jake Retzlaff, who started four games last season.
Despite what has been said, BYU Football released a graphic that may or may not have intentionally announced who is the frontrunner to take the first snaps later this month.
Both BYU Quarterbacks Have Their Pros and Cons
BYU Football is known for being one of the best quarterback-producing teams in the country. Whether you go back historically to names like Jim McMahon, Steve Young, and Ty Detmer or look more recently at players like Jaren Hall and Zach Wilson, the Cougars have produced great quarterbacks.
This year, there are a lot of questions.
Jake Retzlaff showed flashes last season, nearly leading the Cougars to wins over Oklahoma State and Oklahoma, two of the top four teams in the Big 12. He also reportedly didn’t throw a single interception during Spring Camp, one of the biggest issues he dealt with last year.
However, Retzlaff also went 0-4 as a starter last year and made crucial mistakes that cost the Cougars, particularly against Oklahoma. He’s also undersized and doesn’t fit the typical BYU quarterback in the Aaron Roderick system.
Gerry Bohanon brings experience and success. While at Baylor, he led the Bears to a Big 12 Title and a Sugar Bowl victory. He also appears healthy for the first time since he led Baylor to that special season.
Conversely, it has been a long time since Bohanon played well. At least around the fanbase, there is also a sense that Bohanon will be another version of Kedon Slovis. Slovis came to BYU last year trying to resurrect his career after early success at USC, struggles that got him benched in LA, and then more struggles at Pitt. Fans fear the same may happen with Bohanon. Another issue is that Bohanon has only been playing the BYU offense for a few months, which can lead to mistakes that could be very costly.
BYU Releases (Accidentally?) Graphic Announcing Starting Quarterback
South Florida Bulls At Cincinnati Bearcats 572
Everyone knows that coaches never are as open and honest to reporters as they are behind closed doors. Kalani Sitake and Aaron Roderick may say that they don’t think a clear leader exists between two quarterbacks. Still, one would imagine that they have a good idea of the starter by watching the film and considering the playbook.
Still, many believed there wouldn’t be any announcement until the offense ran onto the field for the first time against Southern Illinois. That was until BYU Football released a graphic on X showing the candidates for “Comeback Player of the Year.”
The graphic features two players, running back Hinckley Ropati and Gerry Bohanon.
https://x.com/BYUfootball/status/1821196034305093916
It would be odd to nominate a player who is the backup for the award, particularly at the backup position. This position rarely gets to play unless there is an injury or blowout. Essentially, this graphic is all but announcing that Bohanon will be the starter.
So was it an accident?
