The Future of the BYU Quarterback Room is Taking Shape

Casey Lundquist | Jun 7, 2024

Sep 15, 2023; Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; Utah State Aggies quarterback McCae Hillstead (10) passes in the second quarter against the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

On Thursday, Oregon native and three-star quarterback Nolan Keeney committed to BYU over competing offers from Houston, Boise State, Utah State, and Colorado State among others. With Keeney in the fold, the future of the BYU quarterback room is beginning to take shape.

In the current era of college football with NIL and the transfer portal, rosters are more fluid than ever. Regardless of the inevitable roster changes that are bound to happen in the future, BYU must have plans and contingencies for those plans at the most important position: quarterback. Today, we're taking a closer look at the future of the quarterback position at BYU as it stands today, and which quarterbacks are most likely candidates to emerge as starters in the future. Not everyone on the list will stay at BYU for their entire college career, and that's ok, but BYU needs to find a reliable starter or two from this group.

There are a handful of walk-ons that could factor in down the road, but it's always an uphill battle for a walk-on to beat out a scholarship player. For the purposes of this article, we'll focus on scholarship players.

The Start of the Jake Retzlaff Era?

BYU's quarterback situation in 2024 has been well documented. There's no shortage of players on the roster, but there is not a clear-cut starter going into the Summer. In the opinion of this author, Jake Retzlaff is currently the favorite to win the starting job for BYU. If Retzlaff wins the job and plays well enough to keep the job, he could be the starter for BYU not only in 2024, but 2025 as well.

Certainly, those are two big "ifs", but Retzlaff playing well enough to keep the job is probably the best-case scenario for BYU. Turnover at the quarterback position can't become a pattern if BYU wants to sustain success in the Big 12. Retzlaff's ceiling is very high but his floor proved to be very low in 2024. If he can clean up the catastrophic mistakes, he does enough good things to be a productive player.

If Retzlaff does not win the job, either Gerry Bohanon could step in as a one-year solution, or the McCae Hillstead could be underway in Provo.

McCae Hillstead Could Be Next in Line

McCae Hillstead transferred to BYU following a successful true freshman season up at Utah State. Hillstead has three years of eligibility and one redshirt season available. That means if Retzlaff is the starter for the next two years, Hillstead could take over the job with two years of eligibility remaining. That would give him time to get comfortable in the offense and serve as a capable backup in the meatime.

If Retzlaff struggles, the Hillstead era could start as early as this season for BYU. Of all the young quarterbacks in the room, Hillstead is probably best positioned to become the starter in the future.

Can Noah Lugo Become the Guy?

Noah Lugo signed with BYU as part of the 2024 signing class. Lugo, a Texas native, is a true dual-threat quarterback that will need a year or two to get acclimated to the college game. If he can develop into a starting-caliber quarterback, then he could compete against McCae Hillstead for the starting job once Retzlaff moves on from the program. Depending on injuries and transfers, he could also hear his name called earlier than 2026.

Lugo's mobility makes his ceiling very high. He has true home-run potential as a rusher. If he can develop enough as a passer over the next year or two, Lugo could become not only a starter, but a game-changer at BYU.

Nolan Keeney is Talented Enough to Become the Starter

Nolan Keeney has the talent to become the starter for BYU. He has ideal size at 6'4 and 215 pounds. In a junior season that was limited by injury, he threw for 2,460 yards and 28 touchdowns while completing 73% of his passes. He averaged an impressive 19.7 yards per attempt. He wouldn't be classified as a true dual-threat quarterback by any means, but defenses do have to account for his running ability. He ran for 500 yards on the ground as a junior.

Since Keeney is a member of the church, his mission plans could impact when he enrolls at BYU. If he decides to enroll at BYU right away, he could be in a position to compete for the starting job after year one when Jake Retzlaff graduates (again, assuming Jake Retzlaff wins and holds on to the starting job). If he opts to serve a mission, it would be a handful of years before he could make an impact.

Enoch Watson Returns Home in 2026

Another 2024 signee, quarterback Enoch Watson will return home from his mission in 2026. Watson could become the starter after Hillstead or Lugo if either of them win the job, but based on the timing of his return, it's most likely that he will be a backup during his first few years in Provo.