Bachmeier’s fuel to beat Irish reflects the nature of today’s recruiting game

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Nobody likes to feel used and taken advantage of, and BYU’s Bear Bachmeier is no exception. Moments after the sophomore quarterback disposed of No. 2 Notre Dame 28-24 on Saturday, he unleashed his wrath on the Irish in a way so genuine and true that you knew he meant it.

“Kalani (Sitake) won’t like this because I’m talking about myself, but out of high school Notre Dame disrespected me and my family pretty badly,” Bachmeier said. “I wasn’t going to lose to those guys. There is no way I was going to lose to those guys tonight.”

When pressed further, the often-guarded Bachmeier started to put his guard back up, but his honesty kept slipping out.

“I shouldn’t have said that, but there are some receipts kept and man, I’m glad we won,” he said. “I wanted to keep the same process, but I definitely had an extra chip on my shoulder. I hate talking about myself, but what a great win. I’m so proud of this team.”

On July 17, 2023, Bachmeier, a Catholic kid flourishing in Murrieta, California, received the news his grandfather had dreamed about for years, and he announced it on X.

“Go Irish! Extremely stoked to receive an offer from the prestigious University of Notre Dame!!!! My Grandpa was a diehard fan and I know he’s smiling from up above!”

Go Irish! ☘️
Extremely stoked to receive an offer from the prestigious University of Notre Dame!!!
My Grandpa was a die hard fan and I know he’s smiling from up above! #GoIrish@GinoGuidugli@GeradParker1@Marcus_Freeman1pic.twitter.com/bklTQRLKnb

— Bear Bachmeier (@bearb47) July 18, 2023

The tweet included a picture of his grandparents next to a “Notre Dame No. 1 Fan” license plate. For Bachmeier, life was good and only getting better — and then it all changed and there was nothing he could do about it.

To quote Michael Corleone from the 1972 epic, “The Godfather,” “It’s not personal. It’s just business.”

In the recruiting process, audibles are part of the game. Notre Dame did offer Bachmeier and whether he felt they used him as leverage to sign the kid they really wanted — five-star quarterback Deuce Knight from Lucedale, Mississippi — or something else, Bachmeier was left on the outside of their plans.

It’s hard to blame Notre Dame. Knight was the complete package — he was big, 6-foot-5, 205 pounds, he ran the 40 in 4.5 seconds, had a 40-inch vertical, and brandished a rocket arm. Bachmeier was big too, 6-2 and 230 pounds with the ability to leap (ask the Utes) and throw (ask the Irish), but Notre Dame couldn’t help themselves. Stealing a five-star out of the South was irresistible. If it took a potential threat of landing Bachmeier to motivate Knight to commit — so be it.

The second Knight was on board, Bachmeier and the other quarterback candidates became second fiddles. Whatever was said to them in their respective recruitment pitches no longer mattered. The Irish got their guy and that’s what mattered.

“I think certain schools do it all the time. At the end of the day, roster spots are finite and schools have a level of urgency,” said college football recruiting guru Jeff Hansen of cougarsportsinsider.com. “You have a guy at the top of your board, and you are going to do whatever it takes to get him.”

Instead of pursuing family dreams in South Bend, Bachmeier signed with Stanford. But after spring practice, the Cardinal fired his head coach, Troy Taylor.

In a short period of time, the teenager’s topsy-turvy football life left him feeling wronged by Notre Dame and abandoned at Stanford. Seeking stability, honesty and an opportunity, he connected with Kalani Sitake at BYU where he became the first true freshman in program history to win the starting job.

Marcus Freeman was Notre Dame’s head coach during Bachmeier’s recruitment, and even though it didn’t work out, both the Irish and the quarterback have been just fine without each other. Over the last two seasons, Bachmeier is 18-2 and Notre Dame is 16-3.

On Saturday, playing opposite of his own gifted starter, CJ Carr, Freeman finally got to see Bachmeier up close and personal — and he saw more than he had hoped. Bachmeier threw a touchdown pass, he caught a touchdown pass, and he ran for two touchdowns in BYU’s win.

“He confirmed exactly what I saw on film,” Freeman said after the game. “He is a competitive football player. He’s smart. He’s tough. You can hit him, but you won’t break him.”

It is safe to say Notre Dame hurt Bachmeier’s feelings in the recruiting game, but they didn’t break him. Even when the Irish took a 24-21 lead in the fourth quarter on Saturday, Bachmeier responded with a 10-play, 55-yard drive and a 6-yard touchdown pass to Walker Lyons to bedazzle the nation’s top-rated defense and win the game.

“I knew we were going to win this game,” Bachmeier told BYUtv’s postgame show, and when asked why he felt that way, he said, “Conviction. We have all the belief in everybody. We are tired of being disrespected and we were going to win this game. I was not going to lose to those guys.”

Bachmeier not only conquered the Irish, but he also earned plenty of respect, including being honored as the Associated Press National Player of the Week. His Cougars jumped up six spots to No. 2 in the AP Top 25 for their highest regular-season ranking in program history.

“On a personal level, kids are going to get upset by being used as leverage sometimes and they should. But it’s the nature of the recruiting game,” Hansen said. “Good for Bear to use it as fuel and not let it get to him.”

In the wake of Saturday’s events, you could argue that Bachmeier got the last laugh in his dealings with Notre Dame, but that wouldn’t be accurate. He actually got the second laugh. The first was when Knight de-committed from the Irish at the last minute and signed with Auburn.

Not all is lost on his grandfather’s dream for Bachmeier to play at Notre Dame either. Next season, the Cougars will stage a rematch with the Irish in South Bend. As late UCLA coaching legend John Wooden once said, “Things work out best for those that make the best out of the way things work out.”

For Bachmeier, BYU and even Notre Dame, things are working out pretty well.

Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.

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