​FRISCO, Texas — BYU brought six players to Big 12 football media days this week at The Star in the Metroplex, with two in particular drawing the most attention, alongside the affable and self-deprecating head coach Kalani Sitake. Sophomore quarterback Bear Bachmeier and senior running back LJ Martin have clearly become the faces of BYU’s football program in 2026 as the Cougars begin their fourth season in the Big 12, entering a period of high expectations not seen in some time.
Interestingly, neither Bachmeier nor Martin belongs to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the faith that anchors BYU. Yet both players have emerged as valued ambassadors for the football program and the school as a whole. “All six guys that we brought are outstanding representatives of our program and school,” Sitake said, noting defensive back Evan Johnson, linebacker Isaiah Glasker, offensive lineman Bruce Mitchell, and defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa alongside Bachmeier and Martin. “We had a lot of candidates to choose from this year to bring to media days, so it is an honor to be chosen.”
BYU athletic director Brian Santiago highlighted Bachmeier’s rise as particularly notable, considering that this time last year he was a true freshman from Murrieta Valley, California who had only been in Provo for a month and was in a quarterback battle with McCae Hillstead and Treyson Bourguet. “Yeah, listen, he’s QB1 now, and there’s a Bear on the loose in Provo. I’ve been super impressed with his maturity. As a leader, I’m super impressed with the way the players around him respond to him. The guys in front of him, the guys behind him. We have a lot of talent around him, but I’m really impressed with his leadership ability, his work ethic, the way he’s taking the bull by the horns with that leadership responsibility as QB1,” Santiago said.
A year ago, after participating in Stanford’s spring practices and then moving on to BYU before news broke that projected starter Jake Retzlaff was facing legal and honor code issues, Bachmeier delivered short, choppy answers and struggled to articulate himself in front of reporters and television cameras. Not anymore. “He’s an amazing, talented guy, but he’s also mature beyond his years. He’s got a quiet humility about him. You hear Kalani talk about staying humble and hungry,” Santiago said. That’s what I see in Bear, and I’m really excited to see what happens in year two.
Whether planned or not, Bachmeier and Martin recently took a BYU religion class together titled “Leadership and the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” and Bachmeier specifically mentioned it on Tuesday to say he learned a lot from professor Lonny Ward. “Just being around Christlike examples has prepared me for this,” Bachmeier said. “Just being a disciple leader and leading for better SEO.”