Last season, the BYU Cougars set a high standard. Thanks to their head coach, Kelaokalani Fifita “Kalani” Sitake. Analyst Bruce Feldman refused to tap into the Deion Sanders hype. Instead, he counted high on Sitake and the Cougars, who had beaten the top 20 Kansas team. Now the question remains, ‘Did the Big 12 expose BYU, or was 2023 a dip in the Cougars’ fortunes?’
Sitake’s team wrapped up the 2024 season with an 11-2 overall record. Well, nobody cooled their seat quite like the Cougars’ head coach. They were picked in the preseason to finish 13th in the Big 12. But Sitake turned a deaf ear to the buzz and led BYU on a ferocious run to playoff contention and only missed a spot in the conference championship game by a hair’s breadth. However, the 2025 season is a lot different for Sitake and co. After all, they are now nursing the heartbreak caused by their quarterback, Jake Retzlaff’s departure. So, where does the Cougars’ quarterback room stand?
EA Sports came up with Sitake’s quarterback depth chart. In the list, the redshirt sophomore McCae Hillstead comes off as the frontrunner with a 77 overall rating. Turns out that he is slightly ahead of his competitors, Bear Bachmeier, who had a 76 overall rating, and the third-string quarterback, Treyson Bourguet, who stands with a 71 overall. On the July 29th episode of the Locked On (BYU) Cougars podcast, host Jake Hatch shared his conversation with Hans Olsen about who will win the starter’s role. After all, who knows Sitake’s program better than Olsen, who played at BYU as a defensive tackle from 1996-2000? The host shared, “He [Olsen] said that he believes that BYU knows who they want to be quarterback one. He said he suspects it’s McCae Hillstead.”
Credits: McCae Hillstead Instagram
Hatch continued, “He said this first week of camp is essentially the chance for McCae Hillstead to seize control of this QB derby and make it his own. He said that Aaron Roderick, Matt Mitchell, Kalani Sitake, and whoever else might be involved in the decision, Fesi Sitake and the like, will give a guy like McCae Hillstead, if he is the guy that they think he could be, the chance this week to essentially end the competition before it really truly begins.” The 5-feet-10, 190-pound Hillstead might not be the biggest guy in Sitake’s squad, but he comes off as a complete package.
Strong and accurate arms? Check. Ability to spin with the best? Check. But do you know what makes Hillstead unique and a must grab for Sitake? His forte lies in his feet and extended plays. Hillstead is super fast. Back at Skyridge High School, Sitake’s new favorite amassed gaudy prep numbers while leading the Falcons to the 2022 6A state championship. His stats? 6,898 yards and 73 touchdowns, while also running for 1,791 yards and 35 scores. But the numbers won’t melt Sitake’s heart. He got to prove how fit he is for the starter’s role in the Cougars squad.
As Hatch noted, “They will give him this first week to essentially say that it is his job. He seizes it by the scruff of the neck and says it’s his job. If he does not, as Hans said, if he has that circle around him as the guy they want to be the guy, if he doesn’t live up to that in the first week, that’s when it actually gets broken back open when it becomes a true quarterback competition with guys like a Treyson Bourguet and a Bear Bachmeier in the mix.” Coming to the proving part, Sitake’s new favorite, Hillstead, made most use of the opportunity during his lone season at Utah State, where he finished the 2023 season with 1,062 yards and 11 touchdowns passing against eight interceptions. Now, with Hillstead ready to take over, how is Sitake dealing with the Retzlaff snub?
A risky reset for Jake Retzlaff after jumping out of Kalani Sitake’s wagon
July came with a heartbreak for Sitake and co. Retzlaff announced that leave the Cougars and would now play for Tulane University after he drew a suspension for violating the school’s famously strict honor code. Back in May, this year, the quarterback had been accused of sexual assault and battery in a civil lawsuit. Now, Sitake was not ready for this as Retzlaff was the one who led the Cougars to an 11-2 season and an Alamo Bowl victory over Colorado.
While Sitake won’t have a hard time finding Retzlaff’s replacement, things on the other end are tough for the departed quarterback. Why though? Turns out that the former BYU quarterback sacrificed his starting role with the transfer. After all, the quarterback depth chart is Tulane is star-stacked. The Tulane head coach, Jon Sumrall, painted the real QB room picture during the American Conference Media Days. “The quarterback situation—you know, I reflect back to a year ago this time, and we didn’t have a starter and went through a training camp battle. We’re back in the same scenario again. You know, a lot has been made recently of the addition of Jake Retzlaff….But even prior to adding Jake, I feel really confident in the room we already had in place,” shared the head coach.
So, leaving Kalani Sitake’s squad, Jake Retzlaff will have to fight for the spot, fighting against Kadin Semonza, Brendan Sullivan, and Donovan Leary. While the former BYU quarterback must be looking for some kind words, Sitake got the best motivational boost to fuel his 2025 run. CBS Sports’ Shehan Jeyarajah had a conversation with Jake Hatch and only had good words to share about Sitake. “I would have him for sure in my top 25 coaches in college football,” Shehan said. “You know, I think that to get into that top-15ish conversation, top-10ish conversation, you’ve got to win big. You’ve got to win that Big 12 title…You got to be on that stage. But I have every faith that he has the capability of doing so.” All Sitake has to do now is crown his QB1 wisely.
The post Kalani Sitake Makes Early QB1 Call as Jake Retzlaff Isn’t First Choice at Tulane – Report appeared first on EssentiallySports.