BYU walks into Big 12 media days on Tuesday in a spot it hasn’t occupied before: with more certainty than doubt.
Six veteran Cougars will be in Frisco for the event - Bear Bachmeier, LJ Martin, Bruce Mitchell, Evan Johnson, Isaiah Glasker, and Keanu Tanuvasa - and the backdrop is a program that has spent the last three seasons answering big questions one year at a time.
The first year in the league, in 2023, came with the obvious test. Could BYU handle a power conference schedule?
The answer was no. The Cougars finished 5-7 and took heavy losses against West Virginia, TCU, and Texas.
That rough debut created a new set of doubts heading into 2024. BYU was coming off its first missed bowl since 2017, and the quarterback situation only added to the noise.
Jake Retzlaff, who had gone winless as a starter in November of 2023, was in a battle with transfer Gerry Bohannon for the starting job. BYU also chose to keep most of a roster that had already fallen short the year before.
That gamble paid off in a big way.
The Cougars opened 2024 with a 9-0 start that few could have predicted, surged all the way to No. 6 in the College Football Playoff rankings, and then ran into Kansas. The late-season fade exposed some depth issues, but BYU still finished with a blowout win over Colorado in the Alamo Bowl.
That set up a 2025 season loaded with expectations. BYU was seen as one of the Big 12 favorites, at least until May, when Retzlaff was named in a civil lawsuit alleging sexual assault.
Even at 2025 media days, the situation around Retzlaff was unresolved. The lawsuit was later withdrawn after media days, and Retzlaff transferred to Tulane rather than sit through a seven-game suspension.
That left BYU with real uncertainty at the sport’s most important position. Players at media days were asked about all three quarterbacks in the mix: Bear Bachmeier, Treyson Bourguet, and McCae Hillstead.
Bachmeier eventually took control and delivered in a tough spot. He had transferred from Stanford to BYU in May, originally expected to spend a year behind Retzlaff before competing for the job in 2026. Instead, Retzlaff’s departure pushed Bachmeier into the starting role right away, and he responded by leading BYU to 12 wins and starting all 14 games.
Now the picture looks very different.
BYU heads into 2026 with a returning starting quarterback for the first time since 2022. It also brings back LJ Martin, the reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, and the defense sits in the top 10 in returning production.
That’s why the Cougars are being mentioned as one of the two favorites to win the Big 12. The biggest question now isn’t who BYU is. It’s whether the Cougars can handle the weight that comes with being expected to win it all.
The last two seasons, BYU has handled its questions with wins. The next one starts now.
In Other News...
Big 12 Respect For BYU Just Reached Another Level
BYUs rise in the Big 12 is showing up before the season even kicks off. In the leagues preseason media vote, the Cougars landed six players on the All-Big 12 team, a sign that last years breakthrough run has carried real weight with voters around the conference. The group includes offensive lineman Bruce Mitchell and four defensive players, giving BYU a broad footprint on both sides of the ball as it heads into another pivotal year.
LJ Martin is the headliner after a season in which he piled up 1,305 rushing yards during BYUs 12-2 campaign and Big 12 championship game run, even though his year ended with an injury before the bowl game. The rest of the preseason recognition also puts BYU in some notable company, alongside honorees such as Utah returner Mana Carvalho and Texas Tech defensive lineman A.J. Holmes, but the bigger takeaway is clear enough: the Cougars are no longer being treated like a feel-good surprise. [Read more 🡒]
LJ Martin Leads Another Major Sign Of BYUs Big 12 Respect
The Big 12s 2026 preseason awards gave BYU another clear sign of how the league views the Cougars heading into the new season. Running back LJ Martin was named the conferences Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, and he was joined by five teammates on the Preseason All-Big 12 Team, a haul that trails only Texas Tech and underscores how much respect BYU has earned in media voting.
For a program still building its standing in the league, that kind of recognition matters because it suggests the Cougars are being discussed not just as a feel-good story, but as one of the teams expected to shape the race. The selections also point to a roster with talent spread across both sides of the ball, and they leave BYU in a familiar spot entering camp: with outside expectations rising, and with the real test still ahead. [Read more 🡒]