Breaking Down the Chances for Each BYU Quarterback to Win the Starting Job

The quarterback battle will be the top storyline of BYU's Fall camp

Nov 4, 2023; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Jake Retzlaff (12) warms up prior to their game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. / Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

When BYU kicks off Fall camp this week, the quarterback battle will be the top storyline. The competition for the starting spot is expected to be the most contested battle at BYU since 2010 when Riley Nielson and Jake Heaps were co-starters in the season opener.

The Cougars return only one scholarship quarterback form last season: junior Jake Retzlaff. In total, BYU will have five scholarship quarterbacks on the roster with varying chances to win the starting job. Today, we're doing a deep dive of the quarterback competition and ranking the quarterbacks with the best chances to win the job (scholarship quarterbacks only).

Jake Retzlaff - Junior

JUCO transfer Jake Retzlaff started the last four games of the 2023 season for BYU. In those four games, Retzlaff had the opportunity to position himself as the quarterback of the future. Instead, BYU went 0-4 and Retzlaff struggled to take care of the football. Now, questions surround the quarterback position for the 2024 season and the Cougars brought in multiple transfers as a result. Even with the new quarterbacks in the room, Retzlaff has a great chance to be the guy in 2024. 

On the first day of Spring camp, BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said it was a two-way battle between Retzlaff and Bohanon. On the last day of Spring camp, all the momentum to win the starting job was in favor of Jake Retzlaff. Retzlaff went the entire Spring camp without throwing an interception and he had more mastery of the playbook.

Taking care of the football was a major problem for Retzlaff in 2023. If he can clean up the turnovers, his chances to win the job will go up substantially.

Retzlaff's mobility got him on the field in 2023. Going into 2024, all of BYU's quarterbacks can move the chains with their legs. To win the quarterback competition, he will have to improve as a thrower. There were some legitimate accuracy issues with Retzlaff. He completed just 50.4% of his passes in four starts. There were multiple misfires that stalled BYU drives and forced BYU into predictable play-calling on second and long. He throws the ball from multiple arm angles and while that's fun to talk about, does it impact his accuracy? Roderick's offense needs a quarterback that can consistently make accurate throws near the boundary. In four games, Retzlaff was not accurate enough.

It's important to remember, however, that Retzlaff was making his first career starts. If he improves his accuracy and taps into the skillset that allowed him to throw for over 7,000 yards at the JUCO level, he could win the job and be the quarterback of the future. He has two years of eligibility remaining

BYU On SI chances to win the starting job: 50%

Gerry Bohanon - Senior

Sep 24, 2022; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; South Florida Bulls quarterback Gerry Bohanon (11) looks to pass against the Louisville Cardinals during the second quarter at Cardinal Stadium. Louisville defeated South Florida 41-3. / Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

Former Baylor and USF quarterback Gerry Bohanon is the most experienced quarterback on the roster. There are two major question marks surrounding Bohanon going into camp:

1. Is his shoulder fully healthy? He missed the entire 2023 season due to a shoulder injury he suffered in 2022.
2. Can he shake the rust and return to form? Two full years away from football is challenging to overcome.

Bohanon, who will be a seventh-year senior in 2024, has thrown for over 3,400 yards and and 26 touchdowns during his career. He has also run for over 1,000 yards in his career. Most notably, he has experience in an offense similar to BYU's offense. He ran the same offense as the starting quarterback for Baylor in 2021 under Jeff Grimes. 2021 was his best season as a college football quarterback.

If Bohanon is the best version of himself, he can win the job. If he's a shell of his former self, someone else in the room will win the job. Bohanon is the only one-year guy in the room. To be named the starter, he will have to prove that he clearly gives BYU the best chance to win games. If it's close, it would make sense to go with one of the players with multiple years left.

BYU On SI chances to win the starting job: 39%

McCae Hillstead - Sophomore

Sep 15, 2023; Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; Utah State Aggies quarterback McCae Hillstead (10) is sacked by Air Force Falcons defensive back Trey Williams (0) in the third quarter at Falcon Stadium. / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Utah State transfer quarterback McCae Hillstead committed to BYU after Spring camp. Hillstead, who prepped down the road from BYU at Skyridge High School, joins a crowded BYU quarterback room that includes Jake Retzlaff and Gerry Bohanon battling for the starting quarterback spot. After entering the transfer portal, Hillstead was recruited by schools in the Big Ten, SEC, and he was also recruited by Utah. He has talent and he flashed that during his true freshman season at Utah State.

During his true freshman season, Hillstead played lights out in two September games before suffering an injury that derailed the rest of his freshman campaign. He put enough on tape to draw interest from the Big Ten, the SEC, and the Big 12 once he entered the transfer portal.

The addition of Hillstead caught many BYU fans off guard. BYU already had too many scholarship quarterbacks on the roster. The Cougars didn't need another backup or another third-string quarterback. Maybe that sheds some light on Roderick's evaluation of McCae Hillstead. Maybe Roderick views Hillstead as a candidate to compete for playing time right away.

Think about this decision from Hillstead's perspective. He entered the portal and drew interest from a long list of schools. Would he go to BYU if he wasn't given at least an opportunity to compete for the starting job? Perhaps - maybe BYU was his dream school all along. But at the end of the day, football players want to play football. Hillstead probably doesn't end up at BYU if he didn't believe he at least had an opportunity to win the job.

Hillstead is a good player when healthy. He's good enough to push Jake Retzlaff and he's good enough to beat out Gerry Bohanon for the backup job. He learned the Utah State offense quickly, so there's reason to believe he could pickup BYU's offense quickly.

Still, we think this will be a two-man race unless Hillstead gets off to a fantastic start in camp.

BYU On SI chances to win the starting job: 9%

Treyson Bourguet - Sophomore

Sep 16, 2023; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; A general view of Kinnick Stadium as Western Michigan Broncos quarterback Treyson Bourguet (2) prepares to throw a pass during the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes. / Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Western Michigan transfer Treyson Bourguet committed to the Cougars back in January as a PWO. When Cade Fennegan moved on from football, it opened up a scholarship for Bourguet.

Bourguet was not given the opportunity to compete for the starting job back in Spring, as Aaron Roderick announced it was a two-man race on the first day. Bourguet, who has three years of eligibility remaining, started eight games for Western Michigan over the last two seasons. As a true freshman in 2022, Bourguet started four games in the back half of the season. In four starts, he threw for 601 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He also ran for 154 yards and a score. Since he only played in four games, Bourguet preserved his redshirt.

As a redshirt freshman in 2023, Bourguet started four games and appeared in two more games. He threw for 713 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception. His best game came against Ball State where he threw for 328 yards, 3 touchdowns an no interceptions in a 42-24 win.

Bourguet has a dynamic personality and he will quickly win over his teammates, but we don't think he'll be named the starter coming out of camp. Should an injury or two occur during the season, however, he could see the field. 

BYU On SI chances to win the starting job: 2%

Noah Lugo - Freshman

It's incredibly challenging for a true freshman to be named the starting quarterback in week one. It's rarely happened in BYU history. Noah Lugo, a Texas native, brings a lot to the table. Lugo could be the best athlete in the room and he could impact the game right away with his legs, but he will need at least a year or two to develop. He's certainly a name to remember during camp, however. Lugo's development will be critical for the future years of the program.

BYU On SI chances to win the starting job: 0%