BYU's QB, who will start this fall

Football
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BYU QB Battle Narrows to 2 After Jake Retzlaff Exit

This guy, Ameek Abdullah Jamal, is just blowin in the wind. I don’t believe for a moment that it is a 2 man race between Hillstead and Bourguet. I have been saying all along that if Bear gets 1st string reps in fall camp and plays in the Portland St game, he will be the starter. If he stumbles, Hillstead is there to run the show. For me, Bourguet is the odd man out for one main reason:
Bourguet is a pocket passer, not a dual threat. Our whole offense is built on mobile QBs. Bear fits that 100%.

Now this guy, Matt Baiamonte does know his stuff:

"Matt Baiamonte hopped on the KSL Sports podcast on July 15 and kept it one hundred. “I don’t think the gap is all that big,” low-key referencing Retzlaff’s departure. “When you look at the production from last year—it’s sub-3,000 yards. It was only 20 TDs. There were 12 interceptions. The completion percentage was below 60%. That’s something that can be replicated by any of the three remaining quarterbacks on the roster.” He’s got a point.

For all the love Retzlaff got, the numbers weren’t exactly Heisman-esque. 20 tuddies and 12 picks isn’t cutting it for an elite QB badge anywhere. What did get BYU to 11 wins wasn’t air raid magic—it was their defense. In 2024, the Cougars were downright nasty on that side of the ball: No. 1 in points allowed (19.3), No. 1 in total defense (309 YPG), and No. 1 in turnovers forced (29). If anything, that defense was the playoff dream.

Matt didn’t sugarcoat the whole truth. “It’s a loss—I’m not trying to say it’s not—but I also don’t feel like you’re… you know, it’s not like you lost Arch Manning or, you know, one of the Heisman hopefuls,” he said, adding that any of the three remaining QBs can match Retzlaff’s 2024 production. And he might be right. This isn’t a panic situation for Kalani Sitake—it’s a reshuffle."

Me:
ESPN and every poll out there has dismissed BYU (as usual) We finished #15, mostly because of our insane Defense. The team is BETTER in every way with exception to QB and DBs…Retzlaff was every average, any of our QBs can replicate those offensive numbers but what we are missing is his experience and that is a big hole to fill.

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I’m trying (not very hard) to find something to pick at - nope, nothing. Not going to dog on Retzlaff. He filled the role sufficiently without having top level talent. Retzlaff was what he was. Maybe 60-70th best quarterback in college football. Maybe could have snuck up to 40 imho.
What will be an adjustment that could be a problem is the intangible of having the reps with the receivers.
My question to you Fish, what is the process and timing to replicate that so it gets close? Can they work out every day? And it’s working with possibly 3 qBs instead of 1. I suspect these young athletes can make that up relatively quickly. I’m thinking that by the start of conference play that that intangible is 90 - 95% matched.
And I hope that Bear performs well enough early that - given his huge upside vs the other two - he will get the nod.
For the same reason I was pushing for Bohanon last year, BYU has a chance (especially with our defense) to pull off the near unthinkable and win the Nat. Championship. You got to go big and take more risk because it’s a once in a 10 year opportunity. I just don’t think - pretty sure -the other two have the skills to be a Championsip QB. Bear could have that. Take the chance! Go all in!!

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And BTW, can’t Cougarfan get rid of these clearly hacked posts about cocaine and what ever. I’m afraid to get on the site and read and post because it might infect my phone or something.
Even if that’s impossible and there’s “no risk” it looks bad and amateurish and unprofessional.
Comeon Cougarfan!

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Fall camp starts July 28th. That is the starting line for who plays this fall.

If Bear is ready, he will play. we have several games early to find that out. Hillstead is ready if he can’t win the start.

I flagged most of them but nobody at cougarfan seems to be home.