The BYU Quarterback Battle Won't be Decided Until Fall

BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick announced that the battle for starting quarterback won't be decided until Fall Camp

Nov 25, 2023; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; BYU's Jake Retzlaff (12) scrambles during the first half / Sarah Phipps-USA TODAY Sports

On Saturday, the BYU football program wrapped up Spring Camp. Throughout camp, all eyes have been on the quarterback battle between Jake Retzlaff and Gerry Bohanon. That battle won't be decided until the Fall, offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick announced on Saturday.

"[The quarterback battle] will go into the Fall," Roderick said on Saturday. "It's is going well. It's only 15 practices and we'll get about double that in Fall Camp, so we're still working our way through it. Both of those guys did a lot of good things this Spring."

"They're actually more similar than they are different," Roderick said when asked about the differences between the two quarterbacks. "They're both athletic. They both can make the throws that we need them to make in this offense and they're both really smart. Of course, Gerry has a little more experience overall. Jake has the advantage of knowing our offense a little better than Gerry does. It's been a really good battle.

Perhaps most notably, Roderick said that Jake Retzlaff went the entire duration of Spring Camp without throwing an interception. "Jake had zero interceptions this Spring. I think that's the first time I've had a quarterback go 15 practices without throwing an interception. We've been not talking about it, it's like having a no-hitter you know what I mean, but he made it through practice 15 today without a pick. That was a big deal because last year he had some critical turnovers so the goal of Spring was to eliminate those and he did a good job of that."

When Retzlaff was playing well for BYU last year, the offense was able to move the chains and put points on the board. What held BYU back in his four starts, as Roderick noted, were critical turnovers. None more costly than the pick-six against Oklahoma that was the difference in the game. For Retzlaff to win the job, he will have to continue to prove that he can protect the football.

For Gerry Bohanon, Roderick wants him to get more comfortable with BYU's offense. "In Gerry's case, it's just getting more comfortable with the language of our offense," Roderick said when asked about where he wants Bohanon to improve. "Getting to the point where you don't have to think about what the words mean. You just go play."

The quarterback battle will be the top storyline of Fall camp. BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said they hope to decide on the starting quarterback as soon as possible. "The sooner the better," Sitake said. "Someone's gotta take it. You can see the positives from both of those guys."

Roderick said the guy that wins the job will be the guy who best protects the ball and moves the ball downfield. "The guy that takes best care of the ball and moves the team the best [will win the quarterback battle]. It's those two things combined. You can take care of the ball if you're really conservative and not ever do anything with it, so that balance of still being able to be aggressive and and move the team, but also take care of the football."

With Spring Camp in the rearview mirror, BYU won't have another practice until Fall camp.