From living in Kalamazoo, Michigan to residing in Provo, Utah, Treyson Bourguet swears he's not an advocate for cold weather.
It just worked out that way for the Tucson native and former Salpointe Catholic High School quarterback, who officially transferred from Western Michigan to BYU earlier this week.
"I don't love the cold, but Utah isn't too far from home," Bourguet said. "It's a great opportunity for me as a football player and as a person."
In two seasons at Western Michigan, Bourguet passed for 1,314 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions in 10 games. Now the 6-2, 215-pound Bourguet will join a BYU program renown for producing quarterbacks. Notable quarterbacks to play for the Cougars include Steve Young, Zach Wilson, Jim McMahon, Steve Sarkisian, Max Hall and Taysom Hill, among others.
"Growing up, I've always known BYU as QBU for producing high-level talent at the quarterback position and leading them to the NFL," Bourguet said. "I feel like every time you see a BYU quarterback graduate, they're either getting drafted or picked up by an NFL team. They usually stay in the NFL for a long time. I understand this is school that produces high-level talent at the position. I've always had high respect for them in that regard. To call myself a BYU quarterback, it feels very surreal."
Western Michigan quarterback Treyson Bourguet (2) hands off the ball to running back Jalen Buckley (29) during the team's "snow game" matchup with Central Michigan on Nov. 16, 2022, in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.
Bourguet joined "Spears and Ali" on ESPN Tucson this week to break down his commitment to BYU, his personal goals, and playing in the Big 12. Here's what he said:
How was the recruiting process from the moment you entered the portal to the moment you committed to BYU?
A: "It was kind of difficult to deal with. The transfer portal, as you know, there's limited spots on a team every year and there's a lot of guys in the transfer portal, especially at my position. There's only one quarterback on the field, so teams aren't taking multiple quarterbacks a year in the transfer portal. When I first got into the transfer portal, I got some good feedback having some game film under my belt and I have three years under my belt, so that helped my odds in picking up some offers, playing high-level football and potentially somewhere close to home.
"I received some phone calls from big-time programs and built some relationships I felt we're really genuine ... but nothing as genuine as the phone calls I received from BYU. We had a prior relationship from my high school recruitment. I was offered as a high school football player and things didn't work out, but then in the transfer portal we picked up right where we left off. I ended up making it official this past week."
What can you say about the evolution of your relationship with the BYU coaching staff since your recruitment out of Salpointe Catholic?
A: "Out of high school it wasn't much different, I was just a couple years younger and things weren't quite the same in the recruiting world. When I say that, I'm speaking to NIL, transfer portal and the COVID year that some kids have. On my recruiting trips, I went to a camp and did really well. (BYU) knew who I was and invited me to the camp and spoke to me during my visit and decided to offer me. They showed me a list of the quarterbacks who are already on the team right now and they wanted me to be a part of that list.
"A couple months later that list jumped from five (quarterbacks) to seven and those kids ended up having an extra year of eligibility because of COVID, so that really messed up my recruiting situation because those kids got more years of eligibility — and that wasn't just at BYU, that was every year. The recruiting process out of high school is interesting and difficult for the high school athletes because they don't know the situation they're getting into due to the extra years of eligibility getting thrown out. But BYU and the coaching staff did a great job of being corresponding with me and they didn't tell me what I wanted to hear, they told me the truth with every situation, which I really respected.
"Just because things didn't work out coming out of high school, we didn't burn any bridges, we kept that relationship and it was very healthy. It was good to hear from them in the portal again."
Salpointe Catholic quarterback Treyson Bourguet throws passes while warming up before the Lancers' Sept. 3, 2021 season opener against Canyon del Oro.
What's your plan between now and the start of spring practices in Provo?
A: "I love being the new guy on campus because it gives me an opportunity to be myself. That first impression everyone talks about, letting people know who I am and who Treyson Bourguet is. I can be anyone I want to be. I want to let them know I'm the right guy to lead this program and lead the charge offense, whatever it is. I just want to be the leader I am. I've got some experience under my belt. I've learned from my past mistakes, my past successes. I know what it's like to be at the highest high and lowest low, so I'm here to take my lessons and teach other people through my lessons.
"Right now it's grind time, so I'm keeping my head down, waking up early, going to sleep late, staying in the facility as much as you can. It's a personal thing, too, so you want to meet everybody in the building, whether that's the custodian, head coach, third-string receiver. Whatever it is, you want to know everyone by name.
"For me, that's my plan. Get everyone to know who I am and build those relationships."
How would you describe the culture of BYU football? With BYU in the Big 12, how excited are you to play the hometown Arizona Wildcats in 2024 and '25, in addition to your brothers, Trenton and Coben, at Arizona State?
A: "The community and culture in Provo is like no other. They're very supportive of the BYU Cougars. Just like any fan base, they're going to love you when you're at the top and they're also going to say some things when you're at the bottom, but at the end of the day, they really do love you and support you.
"The respect that they give you is really, really awesome. I've very excited to be a part of this community. To be in the Big 12 is really awesome, because I get the opportunity to play against my brother, which is going to be really, really fun. We've talked about this for a long time.
"In high school, when I was committed to the University of Arizona, that was a possibility as well to play against Trenton and Coben in the Territorial Cup. But again, things are crazy and I ended up here and I have no regrets. But I'm super excited about that game in Tempe next year and the rest of the conference."
Counting down the best high school football players in Tucson for the 2020 season, including Stevie Rocker and Treyson Bourguet. The season begins Oct. 30.
