alt=Jay DrewReporters have only been able to watch bits and pieces from a couple of BYU’s 14 spring football practices to date.
In those sessions, neither incumbent Jake Retzlaff nor newcomer Gerry Bohanon have seemed to have the upper hand. They are quite different, with Retzlaff having his distinct sidearm passing style and Bohanon being far more willing to tuck the ball and run.
“They are really neck-and-neck. (Retzlaff) is more familiar with the guys who are coaching him, and the scheme. He has been here longer. So he’s definitely a little bit more comfortable. But Gerry is starting to make more improvement. You can see the comfort level he has with the offense.”
— BYU coach Kalani Sitake
Truth be told, there is probably more separation in the four-way battle to be the third-string quarterback, a battle that Western Michigan transfer Treyson Bourguet appears to be leading.
But that’s the race to be QB3, which isn’t exactly a big deal — at least for the time being.
The race to be the starting QB at BYU is always a big deal — even in the spring, some five months before the 2024 season opener against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Neither head coach Kalani Sitake nor offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick have said much recently about the QB derby, but Sitake did tip his hand a little bit before last week’s Alumni Game, when he acknowledged that Retzlaff has a better handle on the offense.
“Jake, he knows the offense way better than what Gerry (does),” Sitake said. “He’s a lot more comfortable with the way that (Roderick) calls it. And (Roderick) coaches that position. He is further ahead, but you can see the ability in both those guys. The competition has been really nice for those guys to get after it.”
Asked whether knowing the offense better has put Retzlaff in the lead, Sitake shook his head and said it does not.
“They are really neck-and-neck. (Retzlaff) is more familiar with the guys who are coaching him, and the scheme. He has been here longer. So he’s definitely a little bit more comfortable. But Gerry is starting to make more improvement. You can see the comfort level he has with the offense.”
Will coaches name a starter after Saturday’s final spring practice, as they did last year when Kedon Slovis got the nod in mid-April? Don’t count on it.
“Right now, I like the competition. From practice one until now, both have gotten much better and have widened the gaps between them and the three spot,” Sitake said. “Now, there is another competition going on with the third spot, too. It is really good stuff happening for us, and not just with the quarterback position.”
Other QBs in the room include redshirt freshman Ryder Burton, redshirt junior Cade Fennegan and true freshman Noah Lugo; redshirt junior Nick Billoups, a walk-on who never really got a chance to show what he could do after transferring from Utah, has entered the transfer portal.
Last week, Roderick provided this update on the competition to be the starter in BYU’s second season in the Big 12:
“They are just battling it out. There have been even reps every day between Gerry and Jake. We are only halfway through, so I don’t think the body of work is enough to make any determinations yet. They have both had some good days. … You gotta let that body of work grow, and then we will evaluate it later.”
Roderick said some of the plays are similar to what Bohanon ran when he was at Baylor (former BYU OC Jeff Grimes was the Bears’ OC when Bohanon and Baylor beat BYU 38-24 in 2021 in Waco), but the terminology is different.
“Gerry is a really smart guy, and he is picking it up fast,” Roderick said. “But there is a lot to it.”
Some fans have wondered via message boards and the like why Roderick had narrowed the starting job to two contestants — Retzlaff and Bohanon — before spring ball even began.
“We just felt like there was a gap between Jake and the next best guy (returning),” he said. “And then Gerry’s experience level, having already been a starting quarterback (who) won a Big 12 championship, just knowing him and knowing his character, we just felt like he was the right guy to come in and compete with Jake.”
Roderick said the other quarterbacks have had their moments, particularly Burton and Bourget.
“There has been some really good progress there,” he said. “I am not saying those other guys will never play.
“We just felt before spring ball there was a bit of a gap there between Jake and the next guy up.”
Sitake said Retzlaff and Bohanon are developing “a cool bond between the two of them” and that quarterback play has been one of the reasons why the offense got the better of the defense in the first padded scrimmage.
