If you don’t remember, BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier was a Notre Dame recruiting target as a high schooler, even earning an offer and taking visits to South Bend.
The Irish influence was in his blood with his grandfather being a huge fan. However, Bachmeier initially committed to follow one of his brothers, Tiger, to Stanford, but after a coaching change both decided that BYU was where they wanted to be.
As we all know, during recruiting, Notre Dame isn’t the place for everyone, and for Bachmeier, it was a bad experience. Following the game on Saturday he’s explain that the Irish disrespected him and his family during the process as shared by John Brice. Bachmeier said “I wasn’t going to lose to those guys,” as it looked like this game was personal for him.
It’s hard to say exactly what happened without more information, but whatever it was, it soured Bachmeier’s relationship with Notre Dame and the staff.
Strong quote here from @BYUfootball QB Bear Bachmeirer on beating @NDFootball: “I don’t like talking about myself but Notre Dame disrespected me & my family pretty badly (in 2023). There was no way I was losing to those guys.” @usatodaysportspic.twitter.com/K4Pm8NWlVX
— John Brice (@JohnDBrice1) October 18, 2026
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Bear Bachmeier’s bad recruiting time with Notre Dame helped motivate