Here’s the real reason QB McCae Hillstead says he left Utah State for BYU

Provo • As the deep route slowly unfurled toward the back of BYU’s practice field, McCae Hillstead saw an opportunity to formally introduce himself to his new teammates by making a play.

The BYU quarterback transfer saw out of the corner of his eye that Kevin Doe, the second-year corner, was caught flat footed in the secondary. Freshman receiver Ty West had blown past him. There was no help shading over the top. West was sprinting free and Hillstead knew it.

So the 5-foot-10 gunslinger sidestepped the pocket and uncorked one. The bomb landed softly in West’s hands. The offense proceeded to mob the man in the green jersey.

In his first five camp practices, that was the first time Hillstead truly flashed the playmaking ability that propelled him to be one of the best high school quarterbacks in Utah and a freshman starter at Utah State last year.

“I’m really pleased with the progress at the quarterback position,” head coach Kalani Sitake said after, noting there’d been some growing moments up until that point.

Hillstead, though, was less excited about the touchdown and more pleased he was getting the chance to compete in the first place. It’s why he came to BYU this summer.

Hillstead said he felt like he didn’t get a fair shot at Utah State to earn the starting position last spring. The Aggies brought in Iowa transfer Spencer Petras over their incumbent freshman. They named him the starter after a few weeks. Hillstead felt he needed to restart after that — somewhere that would respect him enough to give him a chance.

“I did feel entitled to at least compete [at Utah State],” he said. “I felt, kind of, abstracted away from that. It is what it is. It was coach [Blake] Anderson’s team. He was running the show. So all you can really do [is leave]. And that’s the thing with the transfer portal. If that’s the case, you can take it into your own hands. And that’s what I did and that’s why I’m here now.”

Hillstead has often been overlooked since he was in high school. He doesn’t have the measurables — standing short of 6-foot and 185 pounds — that most Power Four teams like. He understands that. It’s why he didn’t carry a chip on his shoulder when Utah and BYU didn’t offer him out of high school — even though he accounted for over 6,700 yards, 72 touchdowns and won a state title over Utah’s four-star freshman quarterback Isaac Wilson.

But the slight that stuck with him was his first college coaching staff showing a lack of belief. As a freshman at USU, Hillstead started four games and appeared in eight. He threw for more than 1,000 yards and accounted for 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

After a season like that, it looked like Hillstead was USU’s future. Instead, former head coach Blake Anderson brought in a Power Four quarterback and named him the starter by the end of the spring. Hillstead thought the Aggies never gave him an actual look to compete with Petras.

“I mean, not really,” he said. “But, you know, it is what it is. ... It was kind of a complicated situation up there at Utah State, to be honest with you. And I just felt like it was in my best interest to, you know, part ways and go and seek out a new challenge.”

Afterward, Anderson said he was surprised by Hillstead’s departure. USU offensive coordinator Kyle Cefalo partially blamed the transfer portal, instead of the way the quarterback battle was handled.

“That’s where college football is at right now,” he told The Salt Lake Tribune earlier this year. “We were hoping he was going to stick it out with us and just keep on growing, keep maturing and keep competing. But he made a decision that he wanted to, you know? Maybe felt like he got a better opportunity somewhere else. And he did that.

“I didn’t want him to leave, expect him to leave, but I don’t know. ... Wherever he’s at now, he’ll go have a heck of a career.”

When Hillstead entered the portal, both BYU and Utah offered him. Ironically, Iowa (where Petras came from) offered him, too. Mississippi State got in on his recruitment late.

He didn’t necessarily want to stay home, but figured both Utah and BYU could give him everything he needed while being able to stay close by. He graduated from Skyridge High School in Lehi.

When he looked at both program’s situations, he knew he wouldn’t play right away at either. BYU is deciding between Jake Retzlaff and Gerry Bohanon to be its Week One starter. Utah has Cam Rising.

But he wanted a place where he could mix in, get reps and grow in the system. He felt BYU’s offense fit that mold.

“I didn’t think about playing time [right away] as absolutely crucial. It was really just about offensive schematics and also team fit,” Hillstead said. “The coaches, things like that. It’s something I put a lot of worth into. And I really like [quarterbacks] coach Matt Mitchell and [offensive coordinator Aaron] Roderick. I felt like I’d be a good fit in their system.”

There are parts of BYU’s offense he is still struggling with. He’s never been in an offense that huddles as much as BYU does. Some pre-snap duties are new to him. He said he hasn’t gone under center since before high school.

It has translated to some easy interceptions and pre-snap mechanics gone wrong.

“It has been a little bit challenging adapting,” he said. “Because I’m used to Utah State, spread out really wide, super fast tempo. Whereas here, we’re going under center. We got a sugar huddle. We’re taking a little bit more time. Which is nice, because you get to diagnose the back end and diagnose the defense. But it’s also a little bit different taking snaps under center, doing big play action fakes, and that’s something I’m just not used to. So I’m just adapting to that.”

Even with the struggles, he’s happy to be in the mix. He’s happy to have a chance.

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