No. 11 BYU walks into Saturday’s matchup with Colorado State knowing the Rams’ offense has a real trigger man in Hauss Hejny - and knowing the Cougars once tried to bring him to Provo.
Colorado State’s attack has been rolling behind the redshirt sophomore quarterback, who is averaging more than 330 yards of total offense through two games and has piled up 10 touchdowns against just one interception. The Rams rank 21st in scoring offense and 12th in total offense, and Hejny has been the engine behind that surge. He can turn a play into something bigger in a hurry, which makes him the kind of quarterback BYU has to account for on every snap.
The twist, though, is that BYU has seen this movie from the recruiting side before. Hejny was once a target for the Cougars as they searched for a quarterback who could eventually take over after Jake Retzlaff’s graduation.
Hejny had four years of eligibility left and, on paper, fit what BYU wanted to do. The Cougars made their push.
That was during a period when Hejny was still a four-star recruit in the 2024 class and later found himself in the portal after one season at TCU, where he was behind veteran quarterback Josh Hoover. He then committed to Oklahoma State, won the starting job, and had that opportunity cut short when he suffered a season-ending injury in the first quarter of his first start. After the 2025 season, Oklahoma State’s coaching staff was fired and Hejny entered the portal again.
BYU’s interest in Hejny lined up with a quarterback search that was still unfolding. At the time, Bear Bachmeier had just signed with Stanford, and there was no reason to think he would become available a few months later after Stanford head coach Troy Taylor was unexpectedly fired. BYU only had one quarterback opening to fill in that transfer cycle, which meant a Hejny commitment would have closed the door on Bachmeier.
That’s the part of the story that makes this week’s matchup so interesting. If Hejny had picked BYU, the Cougars likely wouldn’t have had room for Bachmeier when he entered the portal after Spring Camp at Stanford. Instead, BYU landed Bachmeier and put him in the starting role as a true freshman, while Hejny ended up at Colorado State.
There’s also a familiar face in the Rams’ quarterback room. Back in January of 2025, Matt Mitchell was BYU’s assistant quarterbacks coach and helped coordinate the Cougars’ outreach to transfer quarterbacks alongside Aaron Roderick. Mitchell then joined Colorado State after the 2025 season as quarterbacks coach, and when Hejny hit the portal for a second time, it was Mitchell who had the chance to connect with him again and help bring him to Fort Collins.
For BYU, that means the staff already knows what Hejny can do. For Colorado State, it means the Rams landed a quarterback who has already made a huge early impact. And for Saturday, it gives the Cougars a problem they once hoped would be theirs to solve.
In Other News...
Texas Tech Just Added More Heat To BYUs Big 12 Race
Texas Tech found a way to survive Houston in Lubbock, edging the Cougars 28-26 in a Big 12 game that carried plenty of late tension and even more weight in the conference standings. The Red Raiders had to rally from an early deficit, and they got enough from key moments involving Kenny Johnson and JKoby Williams to stay alive in a game that looked headed for even more drama down the stretch.
For BYU, the bigger takeaway is what this does to the conference chase. Every Texas Tech win in a tight Big 12 race adds another layer of pressure, and this one came with a controversial finish at the goal line on a two-point attempt that left Houston frustrated and the outcome hanging on a razor-thin call. The Cougars are going to feel that ripple, because results like this keep tightening the path to the top. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Revives A Rivalry That Still Means More Than Fans Admit
BYU and Colorado State are set to meet again in Fort Collins, bringing back a rivalry that has been dormant since 2010 but never really disappeared from the memory of people who lived through it. The matchup carries a different feel now, of course, with both programs having spent years navigating conference changes and the shifting economics of college football, but there is still enough history attached to make this more than a routine nonconference date.
Some of the people closest to BYU have firsthand reasons to appreciate what this game used to mean. Current Cougars coaches played in past meetings, which gives this renewal a little extra texture beyond the usual nostalgia, and it also serves as a reminder of how quickly the sport has changed around old regional series. Even with realignment and financial pressures reshaping schedules everywhere, this one has enough legacy to feel like a small piece of something larger returning to the calendar. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Faces Its First Real Road Test With Early Momentum At Stake
BYU heads into Saturday evenings trip to Fort Collins with a little early-season buzz and a first meaningful chance to find out how real it is. The Cougars will face Colorado State at Canvas Stadium in their third game of the year, and the matchup brings together two 2-0 teams in the 70th meeting between the programs, with BYU holding the edge in the series.
Its the kind of road environment that can tell a lot more than the first two weeks usually do, especially for a team trying to build momentum before the schedule gets heavier. Fans who want to follow along will find the game on CBS, with BYUtv also carrying pregame and postgame coverage around a night that could say plenty about where this BYU team stands. [Read more 🡒]