BYU Football is entering an unprecedented time in which not only does it not have a clear starting quarterback, but it also doesn’t have a single promising quarterback on the roster. This isn’t to say that there won’t be a quarterback who figures things out and leads the Cougars to a bowl game, just that at the current moment, there isn’t a single guy who is projected to be able to lead BYU to six or more wins.
With no clear leader, there is starting to be debate on who BYU start. Some players have a better claim to play than others. All of these scenarios will be presented as if the QB battle continues to be close leading up to the season.
BYU Plays to Win Now, Worry About the Future Later
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With the transfer portal, a backup player is not guaranteed to stick around if they aren’t named the starter immediately. In this case, BYU should go with whoever wins the quarterback battle, even by the smallest margin.
In this case, Gerry Bohanon would be named the starter, even if it means potentially (and likely) losing players who are very close to him in talent and still have multiple years of eligibility left. This strategy would likely be used if the coaching staff feels like they are playing for their jobs, and just getting to 2025 still on staff will be a win for them.
The risk here is that if the team doesn’t win, the coaching staff may still be let go, and other players will transfer, leaving BYU without anything for the future.
Likely QB: Gerry Bohanon or Jake Retzlaff
Play for the Future, Worry Less About the Present
If the competition is close but the coaches decide to invest more in the future, they should start someone other than Gerry Bohanon. There are many options, including last year’s starter Jake Retzlaff or one of the transfers, McCae Hillstead or Treyson Bourguet.
All three of these players have plenty of eligibility left, and if they pan out, they could be effective starters for the next few years. There may be some more growing pains with using one of these three, as none of them have the P4 experience that Bohanon has, but again, if it works, it could lead to short—and long-term success.
Likely QB: Jake Retzlaff, McCae Hillstead or Treyson Bourguet
Go With a Wildcard and See What Happens
BYU knows, for the most part, what they will get from Gerry Bohanon and, to an extent, Jake Retzlaff. Both players have multiple starts in the Big 12, and even with progression and practice, their ceiling is still theirs. Is it possible that BYU will go with a wildcard or a player who has never played at that P4 level? Even Bourguet has a lot of films on him with two years of starting experience.
I don’t think this would happen for the starter, but is it possible that a player like Noah Lugo fills the backup role? If things don’t go well, maybe it will become obvious that Retzlaff, Bohanon, and others are fit to compete at the Big 12 level. Maybe it will then be time to turn things over to the true freshman, at least for a few games, to see the potential.
I don’t think this is out of the realm of possibility because BYU probably does not want to enter the portal for a third straight year to look for a quarterback.
Likely QB: Noah Lugo or McCae Hillstead
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