BYU QB room has a lot to prove in the coming weeks

With Jake Retzlaff suddenly leaving very late in the offseason, the BYU quarterback room was left in the lurch. Spring had gone, so the roster was more or less established, and the QBs on the roster expected to back Retzlaff up. Now, they're in competition to succeed him. 

They haven't had much time to prepare for that, but now in training camp is when one of them will have to prove themselves, and they're among the players with the most to prove, according to Chris Hummer of CBS Sports. 

"Jake Retzlaff's exit from the BYU program -- stemming from an honor code violation suspension -- creates one of the few (if not the only) legitimately wide open Power Four quarterback battle of fall camp," Hummer said. Retzlaff admitted to premarital sex, which was the violation, and opted to transfer rather than face the lengthy suspension. 

The starter will either be McCae Hillstead or Treyson Bourguet, a pair of transfers who were supposed to fight to be the backup. Both have starting experience, though, so it's not as if they're unfamiliar with what's ahead. Hillstead started for Utah State two years ago, while Bourguet has started at times for Western Michigan in his career.

That's not all. Stanford transfer Bear Bachmeier is also up for consideration, but he wasn't even involved in spring practice, so he is at a disadvantage. "There's a ton of pressure on the entire room to perform in fall camp and take a suddenly open job. Not to mention, BYU is coming off its best season of the 21st century. The Cougars need one of them to emerge as a difference maker and help continue that momentum," Hummer concluded. 

The Cougars aren't a top-tier program, but with Retzlaff, they figured to be one of the better teams in their conference and be somewhat nationally relevant as they have been in the past. Now, without him, they face a tall task just in finding someone who can be their starting QB.