History Of BYU Football True Freshmen Starting At Quarterback
Aug 19, 2025, 8:30 PM
PROVO, Utah – BYU football is making history by turning to Bear Bachmeier as its starting quarterback.
Bachmeier will be the first true freshman quarterback in program history to start in the season-opener. That’s historic. However, he isn’t the only true freshman to start in a game for a program that prides itself on its quarterback history.
How many times has BYU football turned to a true freshman to start at quarterback?
Bear Bachmeier is the eighth true freshman to earn a starting quarterback nod in BYU football history.
1997: Drew Miller
Season Record: 6-5
Drew Miller became the first true freshman quarterback to start in BYU football history. The start resulted in a 14-3 loss at UTEP in El Paso.
Miller left BYU after the 1997 season, transferring to Montana from the Division I-AA/FCS ranks.
2003: John Beck
Season Record: 4-8
Beck was thrown into the starting lineup against Stanford, weeks after suffering a concussion. It was a challenging season for BYU football in 2003, and Beck was not immune to those struggles.
Beck did end up finding his groove as BYU’s starting quarterback for the following three years and went on to lead the Cougars to an 11-2 record in 2006.
2010: Jake Heaps
Season Record: 7-6
Jake Heaps was a heralded recruit who arrived on campus in the winter before his true freshman season. Back then, it wasn’t common for freshmen to do that. Heaps and Riley Nelson were in a heated quarterback battle that carried on into the regular season.
Nelson began the year as the starter before suffering a season-ending injury at Florida State. Heaps’ first start was against Nevada, led by former Wolfpack star Collin Kaepernick at quarterback.
Once Heaps settled in, he helped lead BYU to wins in five of their last six games in the 2010 season.
Heaps played one more season at BYU before transferring to Kansas and then later to Miami as a graduate transfer.
2012: Taysom Hill
Season Record: 8-5
Taysom Hill earned his first career start as BYU’s quarterback against Hawaii in 2012 due to Riley Nelson’s back injury.
Hill led BYU to a 47-0 win over the Rainbow Warriors. Then he led the Cougars to another victory the following week before suffering a season-ending injury.
Hill would go on to be the week one starter for BYU the following four seasons (2013-2016) and is one of the great quarterbacks in program history.
2015: Tanner Mangum
Season Record: 9-4
Tanner Mangum stepped in at quarterback for an injured Taysom Hill in the 2015 season opener against Nebraska in Lincoln. Mangum pulled off a last-second Hail Mary to give BYU a memorable win over the Cornhuskers.
Then the following week in his first career start, he had another late-game Hail Mary in a win over Boise State.
Mangum passed for 3,377 yards in his freshman season. In the following three years, he combined to pass for 2,885 yards.
2017: Joe Critchlow
Season Record: 4-9
Tanner Mangum suffered a season-ending Achilles injury, and Beau Hoge was banged up. That led to Kalani Sitake and former BYU offensive coordinator Ty Detmer turning to Joe Critchlow as a true freshman signal-caller in a road game at UNLV.
Critchlow helped BYU earn a 31-21 victory over the Rebels in Sam Boyd Stadium.
2018: Zach Wilson
Season Record: 7-6
Zach Wilson was named BYU’s starting quarterback going into a matchup against Hawaii at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Wilson was electric, accounting for four touchdowns in the 49-23 victory over the Rainbow Warriors.
As a true freshman, Wilson led BYU to a bowl game victory where he had a perfect 18-for-18 performance for 317 yards through the air.
Wilson would go on to start the next two seasons for BYU before becoming the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.
2025: Bear Bachmeier
Bear Bachmeier is a prospect that BYU coach Kalani Sitake and offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick have been high on for years. They pursued the Murrieta, California prospect out of high school, before ultimately getting him out of the transfer portal after he left Stanford.
Bachmeier beat out McCae Hillstead and Treyson Bourguet to win the starting job entering the 2025 campaign.
He took over months after former starter Jake Retzlaff withdrew from the school and later enrolled at Tulane.
Bachmeier is the first true freshman quarterback to earn a start in the season-opener.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.
Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.
