Big 12 Media Day brought plenty of football chatter, but one topic rose above the rest for reasons no conference wants to revisit: the anti-Mormon chants that surfaced at several games last season.
Those chants showed up at Colorado, Cincinnati and Oklahoma State, and the Big 12 already handed down penalties to both Colorado and Oklahoma State. The issue, though, is still hanging around. Commissioner Brett Yormark made it clear the league plans to come down hard on it moving forward.
“I can tell you (and) I speak on behalf of my role as commissioner, as well as my 16 institutions (that) we have a zero tolerance for that kind of behavior on a go-forward basis. Zero tolerance,” Yormark said in his opening press conference. “We have a meeting set up with the presidents, which make up our board, and our athletic directors in August to address that situation and that topic very intentionally to make sure we are better next year.”
BYU’s presence at media day also brought back one of the most memorable plays from last season: Bear Bachmeier’s late touchdown run against Utah. With the Cougars holding a 17-14 lead late in the fourth quarter, the freshman quarterback turned what looked like a draw into a 22-yard score, slipping through contact and getting help from teammates to reach the end zone.
Bachmeier told ESPN’s Louis Riddick that the play didn’t unfold the way it was supposed to.
“Honestly, they actually got to a look where I should have (and) I should have passed the ball,” Bachmeier admitted. “But I figured I’d just kind of take it and, I don’t know, I feel like when I have the ball in my hands, I just want to go score. I saw some green grass, made some guys miss got some help from the guys to get in.”
That help included offensive lineman Weylin Lapuaho, who helped push Bachmeier into the end zone on a play Cougar fans won’t forget anytime soon.
Kalani Sitake also addressed the growing conversation around a possible 24-team College Football Playoff. He said he isn’t out campaigning for any expansion, but he did acknowledge that a larger field would make sense.
“I don’t make all the decisions when it comes down to how many teams get into the playoffs, I’m not in the business of campaigning for that either,” Sitake said. “We just have to go to our job and play our best and see what happens.
I understand how difficult it can be for a committee to select teams (and) there are going to be teams that are left on the outside. My approach is to stay humble and hungry and work hard and find ways to be better.
I’m not going to campaign for that but I can say if you ask me the system and how many teams you want to be available, 24 makes the most sense where everybody can feel comfortable being in a playoff. The FCS has been doing it for a while and other divisions of football have been doing it but I’m not the decision maker on that stuff.
All I can deal with is what we have right now and focus on that and be positive and optimistic about it.”
Sitake also talked about the staff changes on BYU’s defense after Jay Hill left for Michigan. He said he had a strong sense early on that Kelly Poppinga would be the right fit to step into the vacancy.
“I knew he was going to be special long ago, even before he came on the staff,” Sitake said. “The reputation that he created for himself as a coach and in recruiting as an assistant has been really impressive.
Guys like Fred Warner, Sione Takitaki and Harvi Langi were singing the praises of Kelly Poppinga. Especially Fred.
Fred really loved him, so I took note of it.”
Poppinga coached Warner from 2014-2015 before later joining Bronco Mendenhall’s staff at Virginia, and Sitake pointed to that endorsement from Warner as a meaningful one.
He also praised Gary Andersen, who remains part of the defensive staff and, in Sitake’s view, has been a major asset since arriving in 2024.
“His impact has been so good for our program. He knows the front really well.
He’s been a coordinator, a defensive line coach and a head coach so there’s been some really cool lessons that he’s learned and I get to benefit from,” Sitake said. “It was really fortunate for me to keep him here because everyone wanted him, including Michigan and other places.
For him to want to be here, with these young men and me is a huge honor. I am definitely one to admit that I don’t have all the answers for myself but I have some really good people around me.”
In Other News...
Bear And Tiger Bachmeier Are Giving BYU Fans A New Reason To Cheer
Bear Bachmeier and Tiger Bachmeier have already given BYU fans plenty to talk about on the field, but on Monday night they are set to show a different side of themselves. The quarterback and receiver will team up with their uncle Don as the Music Bachs for a free concert at the American Fork Amphitheater, part of the Harrington Center for the Arts Concert in the Park series, with a mix of rock and country songs on the bill.
For the Bachmeier family, it is a chance to bring a hobby that has mostly stayed private into a public setting. The brothers have performed before at retirement homes, but this will be their first live show in front of a general audience, which adds a little extra curiosity to a summer event that already has a built-in BYU connection. [Read more 🡒]
Big 12 Suddenly Has A Texas Tech Problem BYU Fans Will Notice
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark and Texas Tech administrators have been trying to put the Brendan Sorsby mess behind them, meeting in Fort Worth in an effort to smooth over a dispute that has lingered through the offseason. The episode has already left a mark around the league, with Texas Tech feeling like it was left to absorb the fallout after the conference collectively decided the quarterback would not be allowed to play, and the whole situation has only added to the sense that this is more than a routine eligibility matter.
For BYU fans, the part worth watching is how much this has widened the gap between Texas Tech and the rest of the Big 12. The Red Raiders have gotten public backing from some coaches, including Kalani Sitake, and the tension has spilled into the open in ways the conference would rather avoid. Even with the meeting meant to calm things down, the underlying question remains whether Texas Tech and the league are really on the same page yet. [Read more 🡒]