There's only two days until BYU kicks off the 2025 season with a home opener against Portland State. The Cougars' will start a true freshman quarterback in game one for the first time in school history, in a season that could go a plethora of different ways.
Three Daily Universe senior sports reporters, Sam Foster, Glen Guerette and Owen Chapman have given their predictions for the upcoming season.
2025 Season Predictions
Who will be BYU's breakout player?
Sam Foster: Cody Hagen, WR
The former Utah High School player of the year and 200M champion, Cody Hagen had as good of a fall camp as you could have. With the departure of Darius Lassiter and Keelan Marion, the wide receiver room is wide open for someone to take the WR2 spot behind Chase Roberts. Hagen will also return some kickoffs for the Cougars, and will have ample opportunity to show off his speed.
Glen Guerette: Raider Damuni, S
Junior strong safety Raider Damuni appears to be making the start in the season opener Saturday for the first time in his career. He finally had an offseason fully healthy, and he took advantage. The 6-foot-1 safety saw more playing time as the 2024 season wore on, including two starts in the final two games. He made a dazzling appearance on a national stage with a sack in the 36-14 Alamo Bowl victory. The Timpview product will look to build off the momentum from that game and his standout offseason. Expect his versatility to be utilized in blitz packages and pass coverage in a secondary that ranked third nationally in opponent pass efficiency rating and tied with Texas for the most interceptions with 22 last season.
Owen Chapman: Cody Hagen, WR
Coming off a freshman season where he didn't see much playing time, Cody Hagen will have an opportunity to make an impact on kick returns and as a rotational receiver. His chemistry with Bear Bachmeier throughout camp was strong as well, so look for Bachmeier to target Hagen when he’s in the game.
Will Bear Bachmeier have a better season than 2024 Jake Retzlaff?
Sam Foster: No
By no means was Jake Retzlaff among the college football quarterback elites, but I will push back on the idea that BYU won “in spite of” him. If it were not for Retzlaff, BYU would have lost the Utah and Oklahoma State game, and would not have been within one score of taking down Arizona State on the road. His numbers didn’t jump off the page, but he was a really good quarterback on a really good team. Bear Bachmeier can be a great quarterback for BYU — eventually —, but there are going to be some cringe-inducing moments this year for the true freshman. There will be growing pains and mistakes that a senior Retzlaff would not have made.
Glen Guerette: No
Based on reports from camp, Bachmeier completes a high percentage of passes which could mean a better completion percentage than Retzlaff. However, raw passing numbers may be below what Retzlaff produced because of BYU’s emphasis to establish the run more. Due to being a true freshman, Bachmeier’s inexperience could lead to higher turnover numbers than the now Tulane quarterback.
Owen Chapman: Yes
Be prepared for growing pains and nerves early on. However, his arm strength and accuracy should serve him well and once he settles in, he and the offense should be very successful. Not only will the stats be better, but the eye test will be better too.
Will BYU have a 1,000 yard rusher or receiver?
Sam Foster: Yes, LJ Martin
This answer is less of what I think will happen, and more of what I think should happen. BYU needs to give junior running back LJ Martin a massive workload this season if they want to have another double-digit win season.The talent is there, but he’ll need some injury luck and a bigger emphasis from offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick on the run game. What better time to pound the rock than with a true freshman at quarterback?
Glen Guerette: Yes, LJ Martin (and almost Chase Roberts)
This is a definite yes. BYU has been trending towards being a run-heavy offense which is headlined by junior running back LJ Martin as the main candidate to reach the 1,000-yard threshold. With the Cougars doing most of their damage on the ground, they will not have a receiver reach 1,000 yards. Standout senior wideout Chase Roberts is projected to get the majority target share which gives him the best shot to reach the four-digit mark, but he may be just short of that due to the offensive approach.
Owen Chapman: No
The only possible 1,000 yard rusher is LJ Martin. Last year he averaged over 5 yards per carry, but was limited to just over 700 yards due to injury. The coaching staff is putting a lot of pressure on Martin, with him being the only running back with real experience, so expect Martin to have some wear and tear in the latter part of the year. I think running him 20-25 times a game could become troublesome with the lack of depth at the position. With that being said, I don’t envision LJ getting to 1000 yards.
Biggest concern for BYU Football
Sam Foster: Can the wide receivers not named Chase Roberts step up?
Chase Roberts is one of the best receivers in the Big 12, but after that, much of the wide receiver room is made up of just potential. Parker Kingston is a great punt returner and a solid option at WR, but only had 13 receptions and less than 200 yards last season. JoJo Phillips is the only other returner with significant experience, but similar to Kingston, only tallied 10 receptions last season. Hagen and Stanford transfer Tiger bachmeier are in the same boat as Kingston and Phillips: good production in fall camp, solid potential, but have yet to put it together in-season for the Cougars. While the coaching staff has confidence in the group, they will need to take a major leap to fill the 59 receptions and 1,049 yards that Lassiter and Marion had last season.
Glen Guerette: Cohesion of the defensive line
This concern is not rooted in the talent level with Utah transfer Kenau Tanuvasa at the forefront. It is rooted in the fact that BYU has zero returning players to the trenches on the defensive side of the ball. Team chemistry is arguably just as important as execution to winning football games, so as long as Tanuvasa can lead the troops and get used to each other when rushing the passer and stopping the run, we can expect the defense to be as formidable as last year, if not, more.
Owen Chapman: Running back depth
LJ Martin being the only back with extended experience could come back to bite byu if he gets banged up at some point in the year. Sione Moa would be the next in line, and while he had moments of greatness — notably the Kansas State game — those moments were limited due to injury last season.
Who will be BYU's most valuable player?
Sam Foster: Isaiah Glasker, LB
It was difficult to not give this award to Isaiah Glasker and Jack Kelly. The two make up the core of one of the best linebacker groups in college football, and both are equally important to the Cougars’ dominating defense. But after reviewing the stats, Glasker has the edge. Last season, Glasker had 70 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, and three interceptions, returning one of those for a touchdown. With the likely offensive struggles due to starting a freshman at quarterback, this defense needs to be just as good as they were in 2024. That starts with Glasker outperforming his already elite sophomore season.
Glen Guerette: Isaiah Glasker, LB
The closest thing the Cougars can get to having a linebacker like Fred Warner again is Isaiah Glasker. Whether or not he will be as impactful and dominant as Warner in all facets of a defense, the eye test tells us he has the tools, speed, and versatility to get to that level. The junior linebacker had 3 picks and led the conference with 15 tackles for loss in 2024. Showing both pass rushing and coverage prowess already, at this rate, the 2024 Alamo Bowl Defensive Player of the Game could be in All-American talks when the season concludes.
Owen Chapman: Bear Bachmeier, QB
A team’s success is not solely reliant upon how a quarterback plays, but it sure is a major part of it. If Bear Bachmeier can find his footing early, this team’s success has plenty of playmakers on both sides of the ball to stack wins. I expect Bachmeier to start slow and explode in the second half of the season. The coaching staff has spoke at length about his ability to process and put the ball where it needs to be placed. Not to mention, his dual threat abilities give an added component to the offense and OC Aaron Roderick should be able to get creative with his QB. Expectations are high for the freshman, and I expect him to fulfill them.
Final record prediction
Sam Foster: 8-4
If you could make a team that was tailor-made to survive losing its starting quarterback after spring practice, it would be BYU. The defense is poised to have another fantastic season, and the record for BYU is one that every Power Four school would love to have. But with that said, so much of this offense is unknown, and betting on a true freshman quarterback is never your first choice. But the combo of the defense and seemingly easy schedule is good enough to keep the Cougars afloat, and potentially compete for a Big 12 title again.
Glen Guerette: 10-2
The Cougars' strength of schedule favors them with ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) ranks them No. 22 nationally, second in Big 12 behind Kansas State, and gives them the highest chance of winning the Big 12 at 16.3%. The difficulty of games compared to last year is a tad lower based on the quality of opponents. BYU has a good chance of going undefeated at home with them losing two of their road games since the quality of opponents appear better on the road.
Owen Chapman: 9-3
All losses come on the road starting with an improving ECU team, then at Iowa State, and at Texas Tech.