BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier is officially on the national radar. On3’s Pete Nakos released his list of top transfer portal impact players from Week 9, and sitting at the No. 1 spot was none other than the Cougars’ new QB1.
That kind of recognition isn’t just a shoutout. It’s a statement.
Bachmeier transferred in from Stanford this offseason and wasn’t exactly a household name coming into the year. But after what he’s done this season, he’s more than earned a place in the spotlight. Against an Iowa State team that was still hanging onto whatever was left of their early-season buzz, Bachmeier went off. He threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for another 49 yards and a score. More importantly, he looked comfortable doing it. He looked like a guy in control of the offense, not someone still learning the system.
This performance wasn’t just empty stats either. BYU needed a spark, and Bachmeier delivered one. The Cougars came into this season trying to find their footing after the loss of Jake Retzlaff, and for the first time in a while, it feels like they’ve found something real under center. Whether it’s sustainable or not is still up for debate, but for now, BYU has a quarterback who’s getting national attention for what he’s doing between the lines.
For the Big 12, this matters. BYU continues to prove that it belongs each week, and one way to do that is by producing players who can go toe-to-toe with the rest of the league and come out ahead. Bachmeier just showed he’s capable of doing that. He doesn’t need to be a Heisman candidate or lead the league in passing, but if he continues to play like he did in Week 9, BYU is going to be a brutal matchup down the stretch.
Nakos could’ve picked anyone. There were plenty of portal guys who had big days last weekend. But he picked Bachmeier. That says something about how much the needle moved in one afternoon.
Now it’s on Bachmeier to back it up. One game earns you a headline. String a few more together, and you start to change the conversation around a program.
