BYU football’s Bear Bachmeier beat out McCae Hillstead in the Cougars’ offseason quarterback battle after Jake Retzlaff left the program and transferred to Tulane.
And Bachmeier is quite the interesting player.
Bachmeier, a former running back, wears No. 47, a very untraditional number for a quarterback. He also plays alongside his brother, Tiger Bachmeier, who transferred with Bear from Stanford prior to the season.
Their older brother, Hank Bachmeier, was the starting quarterback at Wake Forest last season after spending time at Boise State and Louisiana Tech from 2019-24.
Here’s what to know of Bear and Tiger Bachmeier, as the quarterback-receiver duo faces their former school on Saturday, Sept. 6.
Why does Bear Bachmeier wear No. 47?
Quarterbacks typically wear numbers 1-19 on their jersey, almost never donning number 20 or higher.
Bear told reporters in July that his number choice has to do with his early beginnings as a running back during his youth.
“I used to play running back when I was younger, when I started playing football,” Bear said. “When I made the transition to quarterback, I just kept the number. I continued to play middle linebacker up until eighth grade. I like the number. It kind of brings you back to your primitive nature, I guess, when you’re playing.”
A quarterback named Bear wearing No. 47 and talking “primitive nature” is what college football is all about.
There has been a few instances of quarterbacks wearing non-traditional numbers in recent memory, as former Ohio State quarterback Devin Brown wore No. 33 for the Buckeyes in honor of Sammy Baugh before swapping to No. 13 after transferring to Cal. Former five-star recruit Shea Patterson wore No. 20 at Ole Miss from 2016-17, but later wore No. 2 after transferring to Michigan.
Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie famously wore No. 22 at Boston College, as well.
Why did Bear and Tiger Bachmeier transfer to BYU?
Brothers Bear and Tiger Bachmeier entered the transfer portal after Stanford fired former coach Troy Taylor, who was dismissed in March by general manager Andrew Luck.
Bear, a true freshman, transferred to BYU despite Retzlaff being the projected starter. However, the chance to start opened up after Retzlaff was suspended by the school and left the program, transferring to Tulane.
“The ability to come in and win games and (Coach) Roderick’s scheme and the pedigree of quarterbacks they have produced in history and recently is enticing,” Bear told ESPN in May.
Tiger, meanwhile, saw an opportunity to find playing time at BYU while also having the chance to someday catch passes from his little brother, Bear. The junior caught 46 passes for 476 yards with two touchdowns in his two seasons at Stanford before transferring to BYU.
Bear and Tiger connected on one pass for eight yards in BYU’s 69-0 season-opening win against Portland State.
