BYU sophomore Bear Bachmeier may not be part of the elite quarterback chatter for 2026, but he is drawing plenty of attention inside the Big 12.
ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg recently gathered feedback from “coaches, coordinators and several general managers across college football” for a look at the sport’s top returning quarterbacks, and Bachmeier came up as one of the more intriguing names in the group of 43. Rittenberg said he wanted “a range of perspectives, not only about established players but up-and-coming ones in key roles,” and described the class as a “memorable collection.”
The strongest praise came from BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick, who sounded confident about how far Bachmeier has already come.
“I don’t want to put too much on him or overstate it, but he’s like a veteran player now. He knows what we’re doing as well as any player we’ve coached, he’s only in the second year. He’s a really smart guy, very competitive, very smart.
“We need him to be great. We would like to run him a little less this year and throw it a little more,” Roderick continued. “It’s no secret, our opponents probably know that too, but he’s a very good passer, and I think he’s up to the task.”
That sentiment was echoed by multiple anonymous Big 12 voices who see a quarterback still trending upward. One coach compared him to “Charlie Hustle, a grinder,” while a Big 12 defensive coordinator pointed to the way his passing improved as the season went on.
“He got better as a thrower as the year went on. He can run the crap out of it, but he’s actually a lot better thrower than people give him credit for.”
Not everyone is expecting a giant leap, though. One Big 12 coach said Bachmeier will likely look much the same as he did last season.
“He’ll be the same type of player as he was last year,” a Big 12 coach said. “What you saw last year, though, worked.
His style - hard to sack, don’t take negatives - is a formula to win a lot of football games. His style of play wins games.”
There is some concern around BYU’s receiving group, but at least one coach believes Bachmeier has enough around him to keep moving forward.
“The guys that he’s throwing to, what’s the relationship they have there? They’ve got some good young skill talent for sure. He is really smart.”
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