2025 fall camp preview: Storylines, position battles and questions for BYU football

The BYU Cougars report for fall camp on Tuesday, with one of the most anticipated quarterback battles in program history looming.

But even outside of the quarterback competition, there are a lot of things to look for during the team's month-long preparation for its third season in the Big 12.

Here is a complete preview for the 2025 BYU football fall camp.

Position battles to watch for:

Quarterback
Four months ago, the thought of BYU having a quarterback competition before the 2025 season would have been laughable. But with the sudden departure of starting quarterback Jake Retzlaff, all eyes will be on the Cougars' quarterback room this week.

McCae Hillstead, Bear Bachmeier and Treyson Bourguet are the three quarterbacks in contention, with Hillstead and Bachmeier being the early favorites.

Photo by BYU Photo

Hillstead transferred to BYU in 2024 after a true freshman season at Utah State where he did not show out, and did not play a single snap last year for the Cougars. Bachmeier transferred to BYU after playing spring ball with Stanford. The true freshman was the No. 11 ranked quarterback in high school last season according to ESPN.

Bachmeier has great size and athleticism and has drawn comparisons to Taysom Hill's stature, but is still a true freshman trying to learn a Big 12 offense in just a few months with the team. Hillstead, while only 5-foot-10, has the advantage of being in the system longer, and at least some college playing experience.

Offensive line
There is talent on BYU's offensive line, but it is a near entirely new group from 2024. Gone are Caleb Etienne, Connor Pay and Brayden Keim, three players that dominated the trenches last season.

This seems to be the potential starting lineup after spring practice, but it's still uncertain what the group will look like come week one:

The wildcard spot will be Southern Utah transfer Kyle Sfaricoc, who allowed no sacks last year for the Thunderbirds.

Andrew Gentry, who transferred to BYU from Michigan, will be a name to watch during fall practice. It's not everyday your team gets a national champion added to the roster.

Defensive line
The defensive line, like its offensive counterpart, is also very new, with two big time transfers in Keanu Tanuvasa (Utah) and Justin Kirkland (Oklahoma State) added to the mix.

The Cougars lost Tyler Batty, Isaiah Bagnah, John Nelson and Blake Mangelson from last year's unit, and the only player with significant BYU experience is Logan Lutui.

The big name to watch for is Tausili Akana, who transferred from Texas. Head coach Kalani Sitake said that Akana was “probably one of the best pass rushers [Sitake's] seen.”

Sophomore Ephraim Asiata and true freshman Hunter Clegg are two other names to watch for on the defensive line this fall camp.

Underrated storylines

Chase Roberts workload/Who is BYU's WR2?
Losing wide receivers Darius Lassiter and Keelan Marion hurt. The trio made one of the most well-balanced WR trios in the Big 12.

Now that those two are gone, Chase Roberts, who is coming off a 52-reception and 854-yard season, might have a much bigger workload. Plus, BYU starting a new quarterback might give all the reason to throw to Roberts as a safety blanket.

Parker Kingston and JoJo Phillips return to the Cougars, but have yet to show that they can be legitimate WR2 options. Both have shown flashes, but need to be more consistent if they want more targets.

Tiger Bachmeier, brother of potential starting quarterback Bear, is somebody that could take hold of the WR2 spot, and relieve some pressure off of Roberts. In his true freshman season at Stanford in 2023, Bachmeier hauled in 36 receptions for 409 yards, the most of any true freshman in the Pac-12. Last season, his production took a major dip, but the potential is there.

One dark horse name to watch is Reggie Frischknecht, a transfer from Snow College. Frischknecht led all JUCO players with 14 touchdown receptions last season, and early signs of him in Provo prove promising.

Tei Nacua, Cody Hagen and Lamason Waller are all players that could receive a bump in playing time as well.

Is the Siale Esera hype real?
Last season, The Cougars had one of the best linebacker trios in college football, with Jack Kelly, Isaiah Glasker and Harrison Taggart leading the way for a historic year by Jay Hill's defense.

Taggart surprisingly transferred to Cal after spring practice, but the Cougars don't seem to be concerned about his departure because of one player: Siale Esera.

BYU coaches are really high on the redshirt sophomore from Timpview High School. So much so, that they gave him big playing time in the Alamo Bowl victory over Colorado. Esera recorded a tackle for loss in the Cougars' win.

ESPN listed Esera as BYU's "X factor" in 2025, after he emerged as a starter during spring ball.

Can BYU's defense replicate its 2024 turnover production?
The Cougar defense forced 29 turnovers in 2024, good for third most in the country. Its 22 interceptions were the most of any FBS team.

But now that the Cougars replace eight defensive starters, will BYU be able to replicate its turnover success again?

The linebacker group should be fine, but there are big question marks in the secondary. The Cougars lost Jakob Robinson and Marque Collins, two elite level cornerbacks, and will now turn to young talent to fill the holes.

Tre Alexander lll, Evan Johnson, Mory Bamba and Jonathan Kabeya are all players that are expected to take majority of the cornerback minutes, with Johnson being the player who has shown the most significant production in his time at the position. The other three have potential, but will need to show it in camp.

Photo by BYU Photo

It is unlikely that BYU's defense will once again be top three nationally in turnovers for the second straight year, but so much of BYU's 2024 success was predicated on the havoc-causing defense.

Maybe it won't be 29 turnovers again, but the Cougars will need to find a way to turn the ball over if it wants to compete for a Big 12 championship.

Fall Camp and week one
Wednesday will be the official first day of practice, and camp will be held for the full month of August.

The Cougars will host the Portland State Vikings on Aug. 30 in a home opener at LaVell Edwards Stadium at 6 p.m. on ESPN+.