BYU Football Closes Spring Camp Without Starting QB Decision
Mar 30, 2024, 5:28 PM | Updated: 5:36 pm
BYU football quarterback Jake Retzlaff had zero interceptions during spring practices. (Courtesy of BYU Photo)
(Courtesy of BYU Photo)
PROVO, Utah – The battle to be the starting quarterback for BYU football in 2024 will continue into fall camp.
That’s different from a year ago when offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick told the media on the final day of spring that former signal-caller Kedon Slovis would be the starting QB.
#BYU spring football 2024 ✅ pic.twitter.com/IzXe0kYGbN
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) March 30, 2024
This year, the battle focuses on Baylor/USF transfer Gerry Bohanon and Jake Retzlaff, who started the final four games of last season.
The decision to wait until fall camp isn’t a surprise.
Aaron Roderick on QB battle: “We’re working our way through it”
“It’s only 15 practices,” said BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick on Saturday after the final spring session. “We’ll get double that in fall camp. So, you know, we’re working our way through it. But I thought both of those guys did a lot of good things this spring.”
During Saturday morning’s media observation inside the Indoor Practice Facility, Gerry Bohanon was the first quarterback, with what appeared to be the first-team offensive line. Jake Retzlaff was with the second-team offensive line.
But that has changed throughout spring.
Both players acknowledged receiving equal first-team reps to give themselves the best chance of winning the job.
Requirements to earn the starting BYU football QB spot
Roderick pointed out his top criteria this fall when deciding who will be the starter when BYU takes on Southern Illinois on August 31.
“The one guy who takes care of the ball and moves the team the best—those two things combined,” Roderick said. “You can take care of the ball if you’re really conservative and don’t ever do anything with it. So we want that balance of being able to still be aggressive and move the team but also take care of the football.”
According to Roderick, Retzlaff had zero interceptions in BYU’s 15 practices.
Aaron Roderick said the QB battle will continue into fall camp.
Roderick noted that Jake Retzlaff had zero INTs in all 15 practices.#BYUFootball pic.twitter.com/NlRtnIG7Ig
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) March 30, 2024
“We throw the ball down the field in this offense,” said Roderick, who enters his fourth year as BYU’s offensive coordinator. “So we were not being conservative or anything like that. We were just playing football.”
Summer plans with a BYU legend
After spring practices, both quarterbacks plan to participate in training sessions at 3DQB in California with former BYU star John Beck. Bohanon connected with Beck in January but couldn’t get many workouts due to Beck’s busy NFL draft workout schedule.
Retzlaff has experience working with Beck previously, as the former BYU star trains on the same field where Retzlaff began his college career at Golden West JC.
“You can see that they’re working together. They talk often and they’re good friends. So I think they’re setting the example for the rest of the team; they’ve seen it. We have best friends fighting for a starting spot.”
BYU’s QBs for 2024 appear to be in the building
When asked by KSL Sports if BYU will consider adding another quarterback in the post-spring transfer portal window that opens on April 15, Roderick simply replied, “No.”
In previous years, Roderick said he would never turn down the opportunity to add a player out of the portal that helps them. But it appears that the signal-callers who will lead BYU this fall in their second year in the Big 12 are already on campus in Provo.
BYU began spring ball with 10 quarterbacks. Two have already departed, Nick Billoups and Micah Fe’a. Both were preferred walk-ons on the roster.
Sitake, who has consistently said that Retzlaff and Bohanon are “neck and neck” in their QB competition, was asked how many quarterbacks he would have in fall camp.
“Attrition is always part of the game. So now, with the portal, that makes it even harder. But it’s what they are allowed to do,” said Sitake. “So we’ve just got to work with the guys that want to be here. We feel good about the guys that are going to be here and feel good about where we’re gonna go from there.”
The quarterback battle between Retzlaff and Bohanon will be BYU’s first fall camp quarterback debate since 2021. In a handful of months, it should provide no shortage of storylines.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
