Where the BYU Quarterback Competition Stands Going Into the Last Week of Fall Camp

The starting quarterback spot is still up for grabs heading in to the last week of camp

BYU quarterbacks Jake Retzlaff and Gerry Bohanon / BYU Photo

PROVO, UT - On Saturday, the BYU football program wrapped up the third week of Fall camp with a scrimmage at Lavell Edwards Stadium. With only a few days left in Fall camp, the Cougars still haven't named a starting quarterback. Today, we're discussing the quarterback battle and where stands as we approach the end of Fall camp.

A Competitive Battle

First things first. This battle has been very competitive. Gerry Bohanon has looked like the better quarterback on some days and Jake Retzlaff has looked like the guy on others. Based on what we've seen during media availability, there isn't one quarterback that has been materially better than the other. This isn't a situation where BYU is declining to name a starter to gain a competitive advantage. It's a legitimate competition that has gone back and forth.

During the second week of camp, Gerry Bohanon was awesome. He was making plays with both his arms and his legs, and he looked like the quarterback that led Baylor to the Big 12 championship in 2021. Not only did he show off his running ability, but he proved that his shoulder is healthy - something that was a major quesiton mark when he signed with BYU. Retzlaff wasn't bad that week, but Bohanon was better.

Then fast forward to week three and Jake Retzlaff had two great days during the media portion of practice. It was also noteworthy that Retzlaff was running with the first-team offense. Gerry Bohanon was effective during week three as well, but he wasn't moving the ball as well as Jake Retzlaff.

The back-and-forth nature of this quarterback battle comes with pros and cons. On the bright side, whichever quarterback wins the job will have earned it. Coming out of Spring ball, it was pretty clear that Gerry Bohanon's shoulder was not fully healthy yet. The worst-case scenario would have been Jake Retzlaff winning the job simply because Bohanon wasn't healthy. That's no longer a concern. If Retzlaff wins the job, it's because he beat out Bohanon fair and square.

I'm not breaking any news when I say the downside to an extended quarterback competition is the division of reps. There are only so many reps that the first-team offense gets together before week one. Since Gerry Bohanon and Jake Retzlaff have split those reps pretty evenly, there hasn't been as much of an opportunity for one quarterback to really get in a rhythm with the first-string offense.

That's the baseline of this article: it's been competitive enough that there isn't an overwhelmingly obvious choice. There are arguments for and against each quarterback since there hasn't been a clear separation between the two. Let's dive into a few of those arguments.

The Running Element is Difficult to Measure

Evaluating a running quarterback in a camp setting is challenging. Both of these quarterbacks can make plays with their legs, but Bohanon is a bigger threat as a runner. Since the quarterbacks are not live, Gerry Bohanon's full rushing arsenal is not on display. His is 6'3 and 225 pounds after all, so "tagging" him down is not a fair representation of how many yards he would gain in a real game. There have been multiple occasions where Bohanon was marked down many yards before he would have been tackled.

One of our writers did a deep dive on Bohanon's rushing ability in his college career. In short, he has been elite. Here's an excerpt from that article:

24.5% of Bohanon’s rush attempts in 2022 went for 10 yards or more. For reference, Jaren Hall’s 10+ rush rate was 16% in 2022, while Taysom Hill had a 24.3% 10+ yard rush rate in 2014. Perhaps his most impressive quality, though, is what happens when the pocket starts collapsing. Bohanon has been sacked just 12 times in his career on 472 career drop backs. Bohanon has been able to avoid sacks on over 90% of his career pressures faced, compared to Jaren Hall’s 85.1% and Zach Wilson’s 77.7%.

In the opinion of this author, Bohanon's rushing ability could be the x-factor in all of this. Retzlaff is a good runner. Bohanon is a great runner. It's something to keep in mind since the competition has been so close.

Tie Goes to the...Underclassman?

It made sense to bring in Kedon Slovis for the 2023 season. He was an experienced quarterback with NFL potential. For a program trying to get adjusted to life in a power conference, it made sense. However, getting a one-year quarterback needs to be the exception and not the rule at BYU. BYU can't get in the mode of going all in one-year quarterbacks year after year. That is the fastest way to long-term mediocre offense.

If BYU goes 6-6 with Bohanon, that's fine. It accomplishes the goal of getting back to the postseason, but it does little for the future of the program. BYU can't sell its proverbial soul every season for the sake of reaching bowl eligibility. The goal needs to be a Big 12 championship, not bowl eligibility.

With that in mind, if BYU goes 6-6 with Jake Retzlaff in 2024, it is better than going 6-6 with Gerry Bohanon. A bowl game led by Jake Retzlaff would give BYU the chance to continue building for the 2025 season.

If the quarterback competition is too close to call, the tie should go to Jake Retzlaff, at least on paper. Starting Retzlaff and sticking with Retzlaff would break the dangerous trend of one-year quarterbacks at BYU. However, there are three things that could get in the way of that argument:

1. Aaron Roderick needs to win now
2. You can't make a decision that goes against the locker room consensus
3. Where is McCae Hillstead in all of this?

Aaron Roderick only cares about 2024 right now. If the offense isn't better in 2024 than it was in 2023, he will likely be looking for a new job after the season.

Aaron Roderick has made it clear that he won't pick a quarterback that hasn't already been chosen by the locker room. "We're getting there but I'm not in a hurry," BYU offensive coordiantor Aaron Roderick said on Monday. "We're going to just keep playing for a little bit...my experience with these things is usually the decision gets made on the field. It gets to a point where everyone on the team knows. Then when we say who the starter is everyone says 'yeah duh'. That's what we're looking for. We're not quite there. It's a good battle. We'll keep going for a while. There's no rush."

McCae Hillstead has had moments of brilliance during camp, but he's also made his fair share of mistakes. If McCae Hillstead has looked good enough to be the quarterback of the future at BYU, then that could allow BYU to go with Bohanon and still build towards the future at quarterback.

Let's Compare Resumes

Gerry Bohanon has seen it all. He is entering his seventh year of college football and he was the starter for Big 12 champion Baylor in 2021. When Bohanon talks about winning in the Big 12, he speaks with authority. There's an aura about Bohanon that is hard to quantify on one hand, but hard to deny when you're around him on the other. Bohanon's experience could go a long way once BYU experiences some adversity.

Retzlaff, as most BYU fans can recall, has started just four games at the FBS level. While there were some competitive games last November, he was ultimately 0-4 as a starter. Retzlaff is a good leader in his own right and is well liked by his teammates, but there's no sugar coating the resume evaluation: Bohanon's resume is much better.

If Aaron Roderick is going to go with the guy that is chosen by the locker room, it feels like the locker room would lean towards the leader that has been there and done that. That's not based on anything I've heard, just a gut instinct. Bohanon carries himself with a confidence that rubs off on his teammates.

It's Decision Time

BYU kicks off the 2024 season in 13 days against Southern Illinois. Whether it is announced publicly or not, BYU needs to decide on a starting quarterback for 2024. Deciding on a quarterback now would give the starter two full weeks to prepare as the starter. The decision has dragged on long enough - it's time to get this sorted.

Prediction

I think the offense has a higher ceiling with Jake Retzlaff. He can do things with his arm that Bohanon can't, and he is mobile enough to offer the quarterback run component as well. However, the floor is also lower. Retzlaff is more prone to misfires and that will likely get more obvious when he is under pressure. Those growing pains would be worth it if Retzlaff continues to improve and show that he can lead BYU to a bowl game in 2024 and 8-9 wins in 2025. However, I think the win-now mentality could get in the way of that thinking.

Gerry Bohanon is limited in some ways in terms of what he can do with his arm, but he's made enough throws to believe that he can be effective and get chunk yardage through the air. If Bohanon is the starter, he is going to have some game-breaking runs. He has shown it throughout camp and it will happen in games too. He is a physical specimen that is hard to keep off the field. BYU fans will enjoy watching Bohanon break off long runs.

Ultimately, I think the running ability and leadership of Bohanon wins out. I think he will be the day-one starter for BYU. If the offense stalls, I don't think Roderick will hesitate to give Retzlaff an opportunity.

At the end of the day, it's very likely that BYU will need both quarterbacks in 2024. Over the last 10 years, BYU has started at least two quarterbacks 9 out of 10 times.