Former Notre Dame recruiting target expected to be starter in Big 12 after volatile offseason that included two different stops
A former Notre Dame recruiting target is having a big offseason
If you think back to the 2025 recruiting class for Notre Dame, it was a wild ride at the quarterback position. The Fighting Irish held a commitment from star signal caller Deuce Knight for over a year, but he eventually opted to reopen his recruitment, and eventually landed with Auburn. That news wasn’t much of a surprise to HC Marcus Freeman and his staff, understanding what was going on behind the scenes.
To the credit of Notre Dame, they were able to recover well and were eventually able to flip Blake Hebert from the Clemson Tigers. Hebert was one of the early favorites of the staff, as was California native Bear Bachmeier. In fact, there was once a time when the staff would have taken a commitment from either Knight or Bachmeier, whichever one wanted to commit first.
After Knight pulled the trigger, Bachmeier took a deeper look at his options on the table. He eventually ended up with the Stanford Cardinal, where his brother Tiger was a standout wide receiver. It was a tremendous grab at the time for Stanford.
Once head coach Troy Taylor was dismissed this offseason by GM Andrew Luck and the Stanford program, the players were granted an opportunity to explore different options. The Bachmeier brothers decided to see what programs and opportunities were out there. They eventually decided that the BYU Cougars were the best for their futures.
Despite a shorter offseason with the Cougars, Bachmeier has been able to come in and compete to replace the departed Jake Retzlaff. It is being reported that Bachmeier has not only competed, or impressed, but he also is expected to be named the starting quarterback as a true freshman. That’s a tremendous accomplishment for Bachmeier in such a short amount of time.
The 6-2, 220-pound passer ended up as a four-star recruit on the 247 Sports Composite ranking. On that rating, Bachmeier sat as the No. 425 overall player, No. 28 quarterback, and No. 34 player in the state of California. The other major recruiting platforms had Bachmeier rated as a three-star player.
While the rankings aren’t super impressive, his offer list sure was. Outside of Notre Dame, Stanford, and obviously BYU, some of Bachmeier’s top offers included Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Oregon, Miami, and Texas A&M among many others.
As a senior for Murrieta Valley, Bachmeier was limited to just six games. With those limited opportunities, he was able to be very productive. Bachmeier managed to throw for 1,260 yards and 12 touchdowns, while also rushing for 439 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 11 yards per carry, and throwing just two interceptions.
While the No. 47 jersey number isn’t pretty, Bachmeier’s game is a lot prettier. There are going to be mistakes, but Bachmeier has a chance to be a really good football player.
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