Boise State made some surprising news Sunday, naming Maddux Madsen as the Broncos’ starting quarterback, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported. Malachi Nelson, a former five-star recruit, was widely expected to win the position after transferring from USC.
Madsen, a redshirt sophomore, passed for 1,191 yards and nine touchdowns with a 61% completion rate in nine games last season. He began the season as the backup to Taylen Green and the two shared playing time in a two-quarterback system.
Eventually, Madsen was named the starter for Boise State’s Week 11 matchup with New Mexico but suffered a knee injury in the first half. Green took over for the rest of the season and helped lead the Broncos to a Mountain West conference title. However, he transferred to Arkansas after the season.
Nelson was ranked as the No. 14 player nationally and No. 4 pro-style quarterback by Rivals in the 2023 class coming out of Los Alamitos High School in California. He appeared in only one game last season playing behind eventual No. 1 overall NFL draft pick Caleb Williams and Miller Moss, throwing three passes.
Boise State coach Spencer Danielson told reporters that he and the staff decided on Madsen after 14 practices and two scrimmages. During the spring, he praised Nelson for all of the extra work he put in with new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter. However, Madsen’s experience as a starter in the Broncos’ offense gave him the edge.
“Going into fall camp we didn’t know what the gap was,” Danielson said, via KTVB-TV in Boise. “We had a good idea where Malachi was after spring ball, but Maddux hadn’t played since November. …We didn’t go into it with a preconceived idea with where the gap was.”
Boise State, viewed as a Group of Five team that can make the College Football Playoff, begins its 2024 season on Aug. 31 versus Georgia Southern at home. The Broncos follow up by traveling to No. 3 Oregon on Sept. 7.
