Reason Why College Football QB Wears No. 47 Surfaces After Winning Starting Job

Aside from the fact that he makes history as the first freshman quarterback to start for the Cougars, he has caught attention for his number selection.

Why Bear Bachmeier Wears No. 47.

As Stanford fans briefly saw during spring, and what BYU fans learned during fall camp, the former four-star recruit wears the No. 47. An unusual number for quarterbacks, as at the college level they typically wear numbers ranging from 0-19. There have been the occasional No. 20 like Sheat Patterson wore at Ole Miss or No. 22 worn by Jared Lorenzen at Kentucky, but No. 47 is a number that isn't all that popular in football in general.

In terms of why Bachmeier wears the number, he explained that it stems from the fact that he used to play running back and linebacker.

“I used to play running back when I was younger…and then when I made the transition to quarterback, I just kept the number,” Bachmeier explained. "I continued to play, actually, middle linebacker up until eighth grade. So, I don't know, I like the number, and it kind of brings you back to your primitive nature, I guess, when you're playing."

Bachmeier and his older brother, Tiger, who also transferred from Stanford, will take the field as Cougars for the first time on Saturday, Aug. 30, against Portland State.