PROVO (KSL.com) -- His younger brother may be QB1 at the institution once called QB U., but the most interesting man in Provo this fall could be lining up at wide receiver and wearing No. 19 instead of starting at quarterback in No. 47.
Just call Tiger Bachmeier "the Dos Cougar Tails guy."
Bachmeier transferred to BYU from Stanford in the offseason, at roughly the same time as his younger brother, Bear, the former four-star recruit who will become BYU's first true freshman starting quarterback in a season opener Saturday against FCS Portland State (6 p.m. MDT, ESPN+).
And while the older Bachmeier understands the reason for the attention give his younger brother, it's also his job to keep the Bachmeier name in line in Provo. That is, after all, what big brothers do.
"Just stay humble, and whatever you've done now, put in just a little bit more with everything you're doing," Bachmeier said when asked if he had given his brother any advice before his first collegiate start. "It's pretty simple advice ... but he's already doing really well. You've just got to keep putting in a little bit more."
The second son of April and Michael Bachmeier, whose given first name is James, is a good sounding board for the younger Bear.
When the two transferred from Stanford following the abrupt firing of former coach Troy Taylor in May, Tiger Bachmeier had to learn BYU's playbook just as much as his brother.
And while receiver routes are, at least in part, simpler than a quarterback's full playbook, the fact that the older Bachmeier was able to get up to speed and earn a spot on the depth chart is perhaps just as impressive as his quarterback sibling doing the same thing.
"The satirical answer is to say that I helped him with everything," Tiger Bachmeier quipped of learning the playbook with his brother, with a wide smile. "But we were definitely sending the scripts to each other and drawing up plays on the whiteboards in meetings and getting with the coaches."
So surprising, perhaps, except for those who know Tiger Bachmeier, who graduated from Stanford in 2 ½ years with a degree in computer science and will enroll in the MBA program at BYU's esteemed Marriott School of Business this fall.
"Tiger's a pretty smart guy," BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said. "Our playbook was probably pretty easy after all he did."
But Bachmeier's academic progression is only part of his story.
The rising junior is the younger brother of former Boise State, Louisiana Tech and Wake Forest quarterback Hank Bachmeier. He also has a sister, Ella, who is a heptathlete at Division III Redlands and a youngest brother, Buck, whom his father calls "Cougar."
But rather than take snaps from under center like two of his siblings, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound pass catcher rose to become a starter in 13 of his 24 games at Stanford.
He's one of two BYU newcomers to make the two-deep depth chart for Week 1, alongside former Snow College and Manti High standout Reggie Frischknecht.
"I can confidently say I feel it's been a net gain with the room," BYU wide receivers coach Fesi Sitake told KSL.com of the duo. "Reggie and Tiger have picked up the offense as fast as anyone I've coached. That's a huge testament to them and their ability. And in the little we've seen of them this summer, they look really good."
Bachmeier totaled 476 yards and two touchdowns on 46 receptions in two seasons, and also became the primary kickoff and punt returner for the Cardinal.
After returning 14 punts for 170 yards and a touchdown at Stanford, he'll join Parker Kingston to lead BYU's esteemed punt return unit. He confirmed he'll probably get some time on kick return, as well, against the Vikings.
But wait, there's more.
The junior also speaks Chinese, practicing with a handful of speakers in the locker room -- he pointed out fellow receiver Cody Hagen, who is fluent in Mandarin -- and he's working on earning his pilot's license, a dream learned from his grandfather, James, who was a fighter pilot.
"It's really fun to be in the locker room, and to have other people to speak to with that," said Bachmeier, who is Thai American through his mother's family. "I think part of the culture here with a lot of returned missionaries who know different languages is hearing them all in the locker room. It's kind of cool.
"Language is a big part of my family. We put my little brother in a Spanish immersion school, and when he was 5, he was already picking up stuff. We have him order for us when we're at a Spanish restaurant ... and I get the same thing when we're at a Chinese restaurant."
Radio: BYUradio Sirius XM 143, KSL 1160 AM/102.7 FM (Greg Wrubell, Hans Olsen, Mitchell Juergens)
Series: BYU leads, 1-0
Lid lifter: BYU is 8-1 in season openers under head coach Kalani Sitake. Last year, the Cougars beat Southern Illinois 41-13.This will be the fifth under Sitake that BYU has opened the season at home (3-1) and the first time the Cougars have opened at home in three consecutive seasons since a stretch from 2001-05 where BYU opened at home five years in a row.
FCS opponents: BYU is 19-0 against opponents from the FCS in program history. The Cougars have outscored FCS teams by an average of 47.4 to 9.9. FCS teams have scored more than 14 points just three times against BYU.