NEW ORLEANS — BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier was today added to the watch list for the Manning Award. Presented annually by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, the award honors the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning and is the only quarterback award that includes the candidates' postseason performances in the balloting process.
Bachmeier, a 6-2, 230-pound true freshman from Murrieta, California, completed 13 of 22 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 64 yards and another score in BYU’s victory over then nationally ranked rival Utah last Saturday.
Through seven games, Bachmeier has completed 104 of 166 passes (63.7 percent) for 1,386 yards and nine touchdowns. The true freshman is averaging 198 yards per game passing, with an efficiency rating of 147.1. In addition, Bachmeier is second on the team in rushing, with 82 carries for 417 yards (4.4 yards per carry) and eight additional touchdowns.
Bachmeier has five games this season with both a passing score and rushing score, the most in the FBS. Against Portland State on Aug. 30, he became the first true freshman quarterback ever to start a season opener for BYU.
A four-star high school recruit by Rivals, Bachmeier was ranked as high as the No. 11 quarterback in the nation by ESPN. While at Murrieta Valley High School, he totaled 6,810 passing yards to go with 59 touchdowns, 1,724 rushing yards and 33 rushing touchdowns. Bachmeier earned four varsity letters in football, alongside lettering in both baseball and basketball.
After enrolling at Stanford for 2025 spring football practices, Bachmeier transferred to BYU this summer along with his brother, Tiger, who played two seasons for the Cardinal before graduating.
Manning Award finalists will be selected prior to the postseason, and the winner will be announced following the College Football Playoff National Championship. In addition to the yearly Manning Award, each week during the regular season, eight quarterbacks are recognized as Manning Award Stars of the Week. To date, 64 quarterbacks have been recognized in 2025.
The Allstate Sugar Bowl is one of college football’s premier bowl games, having hosted 29 national champions, 110 Hall of Fame players, 55 Hall of Fame coaches and 21 Heisman Trophy winners in its 91-year history. In addition to football, the Sugar Bowl Committee annually invests over $1 million into the community through the hosting and sponsorship of sporting events, awards, scholarships and clinics. Through these efforts, the organization supports and honors thousands of student-athletes each year, while injecting over $2.5 billion into the local economy in the last decade.
No. 11 AP/10 AFCA ranked BYU travels to Ames, Iowa, this week to take on Iowa State at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 2:30 p.m. CT (1:30 p.m. MT). The game will be broadcast live on FOX with Jason Benetti, Robert Griffin III and Alexa Landestoy on the call.