In a rough-and-tumble rivalry matchup against Utah, BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier faced the biggest test of his young college career. His years of training had led to this moment, a physical game on a national stage.With the game tight in the fourth quarter, offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick put the ball — and the outcome — in his quarterback’s hands, calling a quarterback draw through the heart of the Utah defense.For a moment, Bachmeier was back in the long hallway of his childhood home, playing indoor football against his older brothers. Bear was always the smallest, but never afraid to take a hit. Picture frames fell, carpets wore thin, but he kept pushing forward.”It’s just a mentality,” Bachmeier said.Back at LaVell Edwards Stadium, the freshman crossed the goal line on a 22-yard rushing touchdown — the game-clincher in a 24-21 victory that launched the Cougars into the College Football Playoff race.
“Bear was so poised and made sure everyone knew we were going to pull out the win,” wide receiver Chase Roberts said. “That’s what a great leader does — you make big plays in big moments.”The next day, after the game of their lives, Bear and his brother Tiger were at a nursing home in Provo, playing guitar and singing for residents.Now 8-0 and ranked No. 7 in the first College Football Playoff rankings, BYU heads into a top-10 clash with No. 8 Texas Tech — one of the Big 12’s biggest games in years and a potential turning point in the title race. Through it all, the legend of Bear and the Bachmeier family has only grown as they lead the Cougars into what could be the program’s finest hour.
Bear’s brother Hank was a star quarterback at Boise State, Louisiana Tech and Wake Forest. Another brother, Tiger, transferred with him from Stanford to BYU. Their parents took them out of middle school to train full-time, hoping to raise a family of elite athletes. They were given books on science, literature, business and psychology — and pushed to create their own paths. Every weekend was chaos, every moment a lesson.In a wide-ranging call, Hank — now a new father — reflected on the psychology and parenting philosophy that shaped the Bachmeiers into one of Riverside County’s most remarkable athletic families.”Sorry if I’m rambling,” Hank said. “This is how we all are.”A ‘super family’ Bear Bachmeier grew up in a large house on acres of land in the foothills off California State Route 74, known as the Ortega Highway. His father, Michael, a former Marine who briefly played basketball at the Naval Academy, was the architect of the family’s vision. His mother, April, moved to America from Thailand as a child.
The hyper-disciplined Michael dreamed of creating a “super family” of athletes in Southern California — and, somehow, everyone bought in.”I think my dad got hit in the head or something because he’s crazy,” Tiger Bachmeier said with a laugh. “He had this huge, crazy vision of everything he wanted to accomplish — and he kind of brought it to life.”Bear Bachmeier was the fourth of five children. Two of his brothers went on to play Division I college football.
Courtesy Hank Bachmeier
Hank, the eldest, was the guinea pig. Enrolled in quarterback training from a young age, he quickly became a blue-chip prospect who signed with Boise State. He was pulled out of middle school to be homeschooled and attend a sports academy to maximize his development — a path his two younger brothers would later follow.
Tiger was the brains of the family. From an early age, he was buried in books, much to his dad’s frustration. Michael often had to drag him outside to play, but Tiger’s height and athleticism eventually earned him a scholarship to Stanford. He graduated in just two and a half years with a degree in computer science before transferring. His friends in the Bay Area like to joke that dropping out of Stanford is quite an honor.Ella, the second-eldest and only girl, was at least granted a measure of privacy — her own room — while the boys shared one large space. But she could more than hold her own. In one famous episode, the siblings — huge WWE fans — set up a ladder in their room, tied a belt to the ceiling fan and staged a “ladder match.” As Tiger reached for the prize, Ella twisted him into a pretzel and left him in tears, raising her hands in triumph. She went on to become an All-American heptathlete at the University of Redlands in California.That left Bear, the tagalong little brother. Tiger had inherited his nickname from their father, passed down from their veteran grandfather, and “Bear” felt like a natural follow-up. From a young age, Bear showed exceptional coordination — dribbling a basketball at age 2, swinging a baseball bat with ease and pulling off WWE finishing moves with flair.
Hank, Ella, Tiger and Bear were each two years apart, and Bear quickly realized he had to push himself to keep up. He was a fixture in the dugout at Tiger’s baseball games, often acting as the team’s unofficial mascot — and occasionally, its most opinionated strategist.”Really, at that point, he was an annoying little brother who would always be around,” Tiger said.As Bear got older, he began competing against kids in Tiger’s and Ella’s age groups. He was always the smallest, but never backed down from a challenge.
“It was a special way to grow up,” Bear said. “I wouldn’t change it for the world.”Hallway battles In their house off the Ortega Highway, the Bachmeiers had a long, narrow hallway lined with picture frames — the site of their fiercest football battles.”I only remember winning, to be honest,” Tiger said.They practiced onside kicks, punting balls as hard as they could at each other before diving for recoveries. They’d run routes and fight for space as Hank threw passes. When youngest brother Buck got old enough, they turned it into two-on-two matchups.
“Someone would always get thrown against the wall and a frame would always break,” Bear said. “Somebody would always have a bloody nose and mom would be screaming.”Tiger’s slender frame gave him a natural edge in the tight space — he could twist past defenders and snag the ball. Bear relied on brute force. Even as a kid, he was built like a tank, with thick legs he strengthened through endless squats. Sometimes he’d fill a wheelbarrow with weights and push it up and down the hills near their home to build strength.Bear Bachmeier planned to follow his brother Tiger to Stanford, but both transferred to BYU over the summer.
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When Bear enrolled in youth football, he primarily played linebacker and running back. His dad chose No. 47 for him — he always preferred the bigger numbers normally reserved for the most physical players. Bear switched to quarterback at age 10 but kept the number his dad picked out, saying it reflects his mentality. Even as a passer, he wants to hit like a linebacker.
Thanks to years of battling Hank and Tiger in tight spaces, Bear was completely comfortable playing in a phone booth. In fact, his passing developed faster than anyone expected.”I study all of this stuff and if you study the greats like Patrick Mahomes, the different dimensions of fields and rules, it grows a ton of creativity,” Hank said. “You have to solve problems with these different dimensions, right? South American soccer players are the best in the world because they’re playing in alleys with coconuts.”Organized chaosMichael Bachmeier was the visionary, but the logistics fell to April Bachmeier. As her sons got older, every weekend was a new adventure.
Some weeks, Bear and Tiger had baseball and basketball games. Ella might have had softball, while Hank was dealing with high school obligations. And there was little Buck, still in a stroller. Somehow, she had to get everyone where they needed to go, even when events could have been hours away. “It was organized chaos,” Hank said. The Bachmeier family had a big minivan, spacious enough to fit seven people and a boatload of sports equipment. They clocked countless miles, dragging their children across the Southern California landscape in search of the best athletic opportunities. It typically fell to the matriarch to juggle all the pieces. Some nights, one of the boys would sleep over at a friend’s house so that they could take them to a game. There was just no way for the big minivan to be in four places at once. But by the final whistle, somehow, the family always showed up. “I don’t remember a time where I didn’t have a family member at a game,” Tiger said. “Somehow or the other, they would always make it to the game by the last quarter.” And then there’s the food. Nestled up in the mountains, the Bachmeiers had to drive more than 15 minutes into town just to get to a grocery store. With the demands of her family, April was constantly making the trek. In Asian culture, finishing everything on your plate isn’t just important — it’s a sign of respect. For the Bachmeiers, with five growing children — three of whom became Division I football players — it was more a matter of keeping up.April would cook mountains of food to satiate the boys. Bear’s favorite meal was what they called a Thai Egg, which was stuffed with meat and potatoes. But for the most part, it was cooking steak, pork, chicken, eggs, any type of protein that could keep up with the boys’ ravenous appetites. And rice, a constant stream of rice. Two brothers, separate recruitments Separated by only two years, Bear and Tiger have always been close. The academically inclined Tiger enrolled at Stanford over a laundry list of offers, putting him only a six-hour drive away. After an impressive high school career of his own, Bear followed. In March, Stanford coach Troy Taylor was fired after multiple investigations into his treatment of staff members went public. At that point, the transfer portal opened to players on the roster. Bear (left) and Tiger Bachmeier are separated by only two years. The brothers started their careers at Stanford, but transferred to BYU in 2025.
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BYU recruited Bear out of high school, so the staff had familiarity with the family. However, despite their closeness, Sitake recruited the brothers separately. Tiger has a bright future in computer science waiting on him once his football career is complete, so trying to find educational resources for him was top of mind. Bear also excelled academically, but the staff also wanted to pitch a strong plan to get the most out of his football ability. The Cougars have done a strong job with quarterbacks, sending Zach Wilson and Jaren Hall to the NFL Draft during Sitake’s tenure. “Everyone looks at his body and they see a power running back,” Sitake said. “And then they see him throw the ball and it’s like, wow. This is unique.” The brothers wanted to be valued together, but also wanted to be seen differently. BYU did that. And importantly, they found a family atmosphere that echoed so much of what they loved about their childhood. “Not many brothers can say that they got to play high school football together, let alone college football,” Bear said. “It’s just special. We do everything together. It’s surreal.” An unexpected opportunityOver the summer, incumbent BYU starting quarterback Jake Retzlaff faced a potential suspension for violating the school’s honor code. Rather than sit out a large portion of his senior year, Retzlaff transferred to Tulane.His departure left an unexpected opening in the lineup. The Cougars retained backups McCae Hillstead and Treyson Bourguet — both of whom had played major snaps at the Group of Six level. However, Bachmeier knew that it created an opening for him too, despite only enrolling in the summer. During camp, Bachmeier was given a two-minute drill opportunity with the first-team offense against the Cougars’ first-team defense — a stacked group filled with future pros. Bear showed no fear. He went up to his older teammates and told them — eyes blazing — that they were going to drive down the field and score. They were going to smoke the defense. Bachmeier had only been on campus a few weeks, but he delivered pinpoint passes and drove down the field. “That’s when I was like, okay,” wide receiver Chase Roberts said. “Bear can lead this team to victory.” Bear Bachmeier is known for his powerful legs, which he developed through thousands of squats and working out around the house.
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Despite his youth, Bear quickly won his teammates over with his affable, sincere personality. He would crack jokes and play his guitar with teammates. But where Bear really makes his mark is at the dinner table. “He’s friends with all the kids on the team and makes sure they always feel close,” Roberts said. “He makes jokes — singing and dancing with everyone. He’s just himself. When you have a guy like that as a quarterback, it makes for a tight-knit group.” Legends Grille, attached to the football complex, serves all-you-can-eat buffet-style meals. Bear shoveled food like a lineman. Flanked by Tiger, he’d join his teammates for Korean BBQ or ramen — and always held his own.Bear was no longer the little brother of the team. He was the leader, and everyone embraced it. “He would surprise me in a lot of ways because he’s really mature,” Sitake said. “He’s an amazing leader. To have a freshman do that is unique and different.” Ramping up Bear’s first college football game came against Portland State, a struggling FCS program. Sitake and his staff wanted to get his feet wet, but also just wanted to see how he would react to the moment. Portland State coach Bruce Barnum saw Bachmeier on the depth chart and was bamboozled. He has a solid young quarterback in sophomore John-Keawe Sagapolutele, brother of California star Jaren. Despite being two years younger, Bachmeier was an inch taller and 15 pounds heavier. “I watched him during pregame because I was hoping his height wasn’t right, or his weight wasn’t right,” Portland State coach Bruce Barnum joked postgame. “Then I looked at his ass and his legs and he looked like a got damn centaur.” BYU didn’t ask much of its young quarterback, he only threw the ball 11 times. Still, he finished with 97 yards passing, 32 yards rushing and five touchdowns. With a soft early schedule, BYU tried to ease him into college football. Passes went from shorter to longer, and reads got more complex over the weeks. The little hallway turned into a vast football field, and Bachmeier grew with it. “The idea was, how do we put this together so that we can gradually bring him into the offense and not just expect to do the entire playbook from Day 1?” Sitake said. “Everything was deliberate and intentional. What we weren’t ready for was the fact that he was actually hungry for more.” Arizona was the first moment that the plan was put to the test. The Wildcats scored 24 unanswered points to take a 10-point fourth quarter lead. The training wheels had to come off, even after he threw two interceptions.
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In the game’s tight moments, Bachmeier led an 11-play touchdown drive that ended with a QB keeper for a touchdown to tie the game. The matchup went to double overtime with Bachmeier scoring what proved to be a game-winning 7-yard run for a score. “He hasn’t been fixated on the mistakes,” Sitake said. “He’s more concerned about learning and getting better. We talk about next-play mentality — he has it.” Heading into Game 9, Bachmeier has thrown for 1,693 yards, rushed for 408 yards and scored 20 touchdowns. Eight of his scores have come in highly competitive wins over Arizona, Utah and Iowa State. Even bigger stages ahead?
BYU entered the 2025 season unranked, but an 8-0 start has captured the nation’s attention. On Tuesday, the Cougars came in at No. 7 in the first College Football Playoff Rankings, marking one of the program’s highest rankings of the 21st Century. This Saturday, BYU plays perhaps its biggest game since joining the Big 12, a road tilt against No. 8 Texas Tech. The winner will be in the driver’s seat to reach the Big 12 Championship Game and maybe even clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff. BYU vanquished Utah in its first big test, one that carries major resonance as the Utes rank No. 13 in the CFP Rankings. Texas Tech is a different challenge. The Red Raiders invested handsomely in their defense, which has been one of the nation’s best units. Pass rusher David Bailey is a potential first-round pick, while defensive tackle Lee Hunter and linebacker Jacob Rodriguez have garnered All-America consideration. Eyes will shift to the freshman Bachmeier as he tries to navigate the challenge. But for Bear, a national-caliber matchup at Jones AT&T Stadium is just another day fighting with his brothers in the long hallway of Ortega Highway. The field has widened — as have the possibilities — but all of the bumps and bruises have unleashed a transformative moment in BYU history. “You dream about being a starting quarterback, and being that leader,” Bear said. “We’ve just got a great team. If I just do my job, we will be successful.”
2025-11-06 16:04:43
