Suddenly, Aaron Roderick has been called to the QB emergency room.
He started the summer with veteran senior quarterback Jake Retzlaff, who’d led the Cougars to an 11-2 season and a win over Colorado in the Alamo Bowl.
Now, as the dog days of summer approach, just a month before fall practice begins and just as the team is undergoing player-run practice sessions, he’s looking for a starting quarterback
Roderick is fresh off a key role in obtaining a commitment from five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons last Monday
Now he is forced into a position of proving to Lyons that he can place an athlete in position to lead, execute and win at the highest level.
And do so before the August moon.
It’s a unique laboratory situation for Roderick and his QB room.
The clock is ticking.
All those reps Retzlaff got in spring practice, his trips to see QB whisperer John Beck in Southern California with his teammates, all those informal passing sessions to keep chemistry going in the offseason with Chase Roberts, Parker Kingston, Cody Hagen, Carsen Ryan and others, just got flushed.
It was just a week ago at the BYU football media day golf outing, one of those guys was explaining how important built-up chemistry with Retzlaff was and the offense was ahead of last year at this time.
As it turns out, Retzlaff’s decision to dally with BYU’s honor code rose up and bit him big time.
Today, Roderick is certainly pulling out his notebook of drills, segment sessions-to-be in practice and designing a catchup plan for his candidates to replace Retzlaff.He’s got speedy but short, strong-armed McCae Hillstead.
He’s seen the deadly accurate long ball thrown by standard pocket passer, 6-2 Treyson Bourguet.
And, in perhaps the most significant move he’s accomplished since the Alamo Bowl, before the Lyons commitment he recruited, signed and enrolled former Stanford-bound freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier, a highly recruited prospect out of Vista Murrieta High in California.
Now, no question this Retzlaff situation is a major setback for the Cougars.
It will force growing pains.
The offensive skill guys will need a quick reset. Chemistry and timing with receivers is so important. It’s a hill to climb, a hurdle to overcome.Fortunately, the QB is only one of 11 players, but the most important. But it isn’t as if Retzlaff was considered among the top five returning QBs in the Big 12. Those honors go to ASU’s Sam Leavitt, Kansas State’s Avery Johnson, Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson, Josh Hoover at TCU and Rocco Becht at Iowa State
