Hank’s Fresh Start

Hank Bachmeier calls it a challenge to himself, an experiment just to see if he can do it.

After four years in a successful program at Boise State, where he won 20 of his 29 starts and threw for 41 touchdowns and over 6,000 yards, Louisiana Tech’s new starting quarterback felt he needed a change of scenery, an environment where he had to start from scratch and learn.

With coaching changes and a dip in production on the field at Boise State, Bachmeier entered the transfer portal with a winning pedigree attached to his name and knew he would have options to sort through.

Should he stay in the familiar, pro-style offenses that just about everyone runs and he knew he could handle? Or take a leap of faith and add a new wrinkle to his game?

He’d seen Bailey Zappe light it up at Western Kentucky in Conference USA and make his way to the NFL and heard the air-raid was trying to take off at Tech. He went on to ask himself, “I was like, ‘Hey man, why not myself in that kind of system?’” Bachmeier chose the latter and made a move across time zones and unfamiliar regions to land at Louisiana Tech – pairing up with Sonny Cumbie and his air-raid offense to try to change the trajectory of a program in need of a spark.

Bachmeier, through an already strong bond with Cumbie, hopes to do just that.

After careful research and a study of Cumbie’s career credentials, he knew coming to Ruston — as far as it may be from home in southern California — was the right choice.

“Louisiana Tech, in my eyes, has always been a respectable program. Since I’ve grown up, they’ve always made a bowl game and have some quarterback success here,” Bachmeier said. “Obviously, Coach Cumbie is really well respected in regard to the type of offense he runs and his relationship with Mike Leach, and his run himself at quarterback.”

After arriving in Ruston in March, and with games still yet to be played, Bachmeier can confidently say he hasn’t had a partnership with a head coach like Cumbie in some time.

Will it translate to on-field success for a program coming off consecutive 3-9 seasons? Time will tell, but Bachmeier says what he’s felt since the spring is tangible.

“He’s extremely passionate, and you take football away from the equation, he’s probably one of the best human beings in this business that I’ve been around, which you really don’t always see often in a head coaching position — how low ego he is and how much of a great human being he is,” Bachmeier said of Cumbie. “I haven’t seen that, personally, in a long time.”

A quarterback legend

Cumbie, entering his second year as head coach of the Bulldogs, has admitted since the end of the 2022 season he needed to improve his communication with his coaches and find more patience with his players.

A product of coaching in the Big 12 for over a decade, having only been a part of three losing seasons prior to coming to Tech, Cumbie could feel last year he was losing touch with his team. Losing streaks were mounting, and accountability seemed lost.

But Cumbie knew what year one would be, and with relative coaching continuity and a flood of transfers entering the program for this season, he feels optimistic about the direction of the Bulldogs in 2023 and beyond.

Bringing in Bachmeier at quarterback definitely has something to do with it.

“Hank’s a terrific kid, and he’s been a lot of fun to coach,” Cumbie said.

But what exactly brought Bachmeier and Cumbie together? It’s going to lean on cliché as a crutch, but it came down to the personal relationship the two established.

Bachmeier knew Cumbie had success with the air-raid under the discipleship of the late Mike Leach, both as a player and coach.

Cumbie, who played the position and coached closely with quarterbacks for decades, came off genuine in his feedback of Bachmeier and his game, and made no promises to the Boise transfer outside of a chance to compete.

Why so honest in the recruitment, and why keep at it now that he’s on campus and committed?

Cumbie said it’s the only way to get players to buy in and trust you, an area he and his coaching staff won’t afford to take any chances with this season.

“I think for the most part, the people in our building who have the most common sense, for the most part, are our players. They can sense people who are real and authentic, and they can sense people who aren’t,” Cumbie said. “From our standpoint, we try to be very real and very honest, but we want to build a relationship with all of our players and to get to know them, get to know what their hopes and dreams are and get to know what makes them tick. On days like this, sometimes you’ve got to push people, and I really believe if you want to push people, they gotta know that you’re pushing from an ultimate source of love and ultimate source of relationship capital where you can do that.”

And as a bonus, it’s not often you can learn under a “quarterback legend” like Cumbie, as Bachmeier calls him.

“It’s an honor to play for a legend, a quarterback legend,” Bachmeier said. “I mean, didn’t he lead the country in yards? And he beat Aaron Rodgers, so, I mean that’s pretty big time. No, but he’s an extremely humble guy. He’s played the position, so he understands what you go through. He’s very hard on you still. He’s a nice guy but he’s a coach. He’s been in your shoes, so he understands, so he’s pushing me to be my best.”

Cumbie laughed when told about how his quarterback feels about him, initially chalking the comment up to a lighthearted jab.

“Was he being sarcastic when he said that?” Cumbie said with a laugh.

For those unfamiliar with Cumbie’s playing success, the former Texas Tech Red Raider did lead the country in passing yards (4,742) in 2004 and was in the program as they won three straight bowl games from 2002-04.

With success as a player and years of contention in the Big 12 to his plan of rebuilding the Bulldogs, Cumbie’s career intrigued Bachmeier to make the step out of his comfort zone.

“I really just wanted to come in and help him turn it around with his vision, and I saw the vision that he presented,” Bachmeier said.

Since the start of fall camp, Bachmeier said he’s playing more free in the air-raid, learning the playbook even better and not thinking as much. Instead, he’s reacting and playing with the instincts he’s built over time.

And for someone who was once unfamiliar with the inner workings of the air-raid, Bachmeier said it’s not as complicated as some make it out to be. That doesn’t mean it’s easy, but thanks to the constant feedback loop between him, Cumbie, and other coaches, Bachmeier has enjoyed growing roots in the system.

“It’s a little bit more aggressive philosophically, schematically. It’s probably in a sense, simpler, not easier,” Bachmeier said. “It’s air- raid, you’re going to run your mesh and your four-verts and stuff, where at Boise State I was making the run ID’s and I’m checking nakeds and field pressure and checking man and zone checks and just a lot put on my plate. And there’s a lot put on your plate here in different ways, but I’m still learning to embrace the simplification of this offense.”

Again, simple and air- raid may sound like oil and water, but Bachmeier said the system is about making reads with percision and playing fast.

“You don’t need a dissertation to break it down,” Bachmeier said.

Overcoming critics

Anytime an established player leaves the program that recruited them, unfavorable noise comes out of it, whether it be big or small.

For Bachmeier, deciding to leave Boise State wasn’t easy. He knew it would bring critics and speculation, including whispers that he never liked his former head coach Bryan Harsin or offensive coordinators.

Bachmeier said that couldn’t be further from the truth, but he admits that in today’s college football world, the transfer portal is a divisive topic. Just ask him how he even used to feel about it.

“To be honest, I probably was on the side of criticizing guys that transferred all the time, until you do it yourself, and there’s reasons to do it,” Bachmeier said. “There’s probably a lot of guys that take advantage of it. People call me a quitter, it’s whatever. I played with a torn meniscus in 2021 but didn’t miss a game. I think I lead the country in hits one year too. I love that place (Boise).”

While he is officially a Bulldog now and left behind his Mountain West origins, Bachmeier wanted to clear the air one last time for any Bronco fan that feels he scurried out with his tail tucked between his legs.

“It’s disappointing the way the relationship ended,” Bachmeier said. “I left in the middle of the year. I understand the way people are going to feel, but I feel like it was the best thing for me to do in that situation with just the way things were going with myself. I just needed a reset and a new start.

“The opportunity for a fresh start, that’s what I looked for, and I hope people understand that.”

Now, Bachmeier, with two years of eligibility left starting this season, has what he wants. And it’s a matter of time to see if the fresh start brings an impact to the Tech program.

The 2023 season kicks off Aug. 26 at home against the FIU Panthers.