BYU Football Names True Freshman Bear Bachmeier Starting QB
Aug 19, 2025, 9:27 AM | Updated: 11:30 am
PROVO, Utah – BYU football is going to make history when it opens the 2025 season.
The Cougars, who are the first team outside of the AP Top 25 preseason rankings, will be starting a true freshman at quarterback.
BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick announced that Bear Bachmeier will get the start at quarterback when the Cougars host FCS Portland State on August 30 in Provo.
Sources: BYU is naming true freshman Bear Bachmeier as the team’s starting quarterback, with his debut coming against Portland State on Aug. 30. Bachmeier, who will wear No. 47, will become the first true freshman to start an opener for BYU. pic.twitter.com/ZkgRwjwcqG
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 19, 2025
Bachmeier, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound signal-caller out of Murrieta, California, will become the first true freshman quarterback in BYU football history to start in a season opener.
The former four-star recruit in the class of 2025 will be the eighth true freshman to start in a game at quarterback in BYU’s storied quarterback history. He’s the first since Zach Wilson did it against Hawaii in 2018.
Bachmeier is the third true freshman quarterback to start at quarterback in the Kalani Sitake era (since 2016). He joins Wilson and Joe Critchlow from the 2017 season.
Bachmeier joined the BYU football program along with his older brother, Tiger Bachmeier, in the spring transfer portal window after spending a quarter at Stanford.
Bachmeier was placed in a three-man battle with a pair of quarterbacks who were part of BYU’s roster last season in McCae Hillstead and Treyson Bourguet.
Why does Bear Bachmeier wear the number 47?
The true freshman signal-caller is an intriguing talent with his decorated accomplishments out of Murrieta, California. What’s also interesting is his name and the number he wears at quarterback.
It’s not often you see the number 47 from a QB. Bachmeier explained why he wears the number earlier in fall camp.
“I used to play running back when I was younger … and when I made the transition to quarterback, I just kept the number,” Bachmeier explained, “I don’t know, I like the number and it kind of brings you back to your primitive nature when you’re playing.”
BYU football opens the 2025 season against Portland State
Bear Bachmeier’s first start as BYU’s quarterback will be on Saturday, August 30, against the Portland State Vikings at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. (MDT) on ESPN+ and KSL NewsRadio.
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 athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
