FRISCO, Texas — BYU is moving forward with an open competition at quarterback amid the uncertainty around starter Jake Retzlaff‘s status, coach Kalani Sitake said Tuesday at Big 12 media days.

Sitake declined to address Retzlaff’s status with the program, citing privacy concerns. ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Kyle Bonagura reported June 29 that Retzlaff is planning to transfer. The quarterback is facing a seven-game suspension after admitting to premarital sex, a violation of the school’s honor code, in his response to a civil lawsuit alleging he raped a woman in 2023.

The civil lawsuit was dismissed June 30, with the parties jointly agreeing to dismiss with prejudice. Retzlaff is still listed on BYU’s online football roster and has not officially entered the NCAA transfer portal.

“I think right now, first of all, we love Jake Retzlaff and appreciate all that he’s done for our program,” Sitake said. “I think it would be inappropriate for me to make a statement on his situation first. I think that’s his right. I think it’s a private matter that he can speak for himself, and I’m going to give him the opportunity to do that.”

The Cougars are moving forward with the expectation that backup quarterbacks Treyson Bourguet, McCae Hillstead and Bear Bachmeier will compete for the starting job in preseason camp. Hillstead and Bourguet did not appear in a game last season. Bachmeier, a freshman transfer from Stanford, joined the program this summer.

“There’s been a little more sense of motivation, in a sense of more leadership, more taking over, making sure guys are in the right spot, knowing that they could be the guy Game 1,” wide receiver Chase Roberts said. “That’s always the mentality you should have, obviously. But sometimes it takes something like that to really get you into that mindset of, like, ‘I need to lock in more, I need to take control of this team.'”

Both returning quarterbacks bring starting experience from previous stops. Bourguet started eight games over two seasons at Western Michigan in 2022 and 2023. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound redshirt junior threw for 1,314 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions.

Hillstead, a 5-foot-10, 195-pound redshirt sophomore, earned four starts as a true freshman at Utah State in 2023 before joining the Cougars via the portal.

“It’s going to be a fun competition,” Sitake told ESPN. “We’ll have to figure it out after these three start getting going and we’ll whittle it down and see what we’ve got going on. In a month from now, I’ll probably have more info to tell you and let you know how it’s going. But right now, it’s just, I play the best. That’s my standard.”

Retzlaff ranked fourth in the Big 12 in total offense in 2024, producing 3,364 total yards and 26 total touchdowns with 12 interceptions while leading the Cougars to an 11-2 season and earning honorable mention All-Big 12 recognition.

“I’ve said it before, you’ve heard me say it before, no matter what the situation — this program is not about one coach,” Sitake told ESPN. “So it’s definitely not about one player, either. We feel good about our program.”

ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg contributed to this report.