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Pete Thamel, ESPN
Boise State named redshirt sophomore quarterback Maddux Madsen the starting quarterback for the opener against Georgia Southern, sources told ESPN on Sunday.
Madsen, who has appeared in 10 games in his prior two seasons at Boise, edged highly touted transfer Malachi Nelson for the starting nod. Nelson, a second-year player, transferred from USC prior to the spring and entered college as ESPN’s No. 1 overall player in the class of 2023.
Madsen brings experience and familiarity with the Boise State offense, as he played in nine games last season and has 1,234 career passing yards and nine touchdowns passes. He also offers a dual threat, rushing for 121 yards and two touchdowns in his career.
Boise State enters the season as one of the favorites from outside the four power conferences to capture a spot in the new 12-team College Football Playoff, as one bid is reserved for the five conference champions. That leaves one bid for a league outside the power four, and Boise is the defending Mountain West champion returning a large swath of experience and production from last year.
Boise’s offense this season is expected to again be centered around star tailback Ashton Jeanty, who led college football with an average of 159.7 yards from scrimmage per game last year. He finished the year with a total of 1,916 all-purpose yards and won the Mountain West Player of the Year and numerous All-American honors.
Madsen was engaged in a quarterback battle for most of last season, capturing the starting job from Taylen Green for the New Mexico game. Madsen suffered a season-ending injury in that game, which occurred after throwing for 202 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Nelson came to Boise State rusty, as he battled injury much of his lone season at USC. He played in only the San Jose State game for the Trojans, taking four snaps. He threw for 105 touchdowns and 7,988 yards in a decorated high school career at Los Alamitos High School in Southern California.
Nelson took his only visit to Boise State after entering the transfer portal and committed there seeking a blue-collar program where he could prove himself and blend in with the team.
Coaches stressed how close the competition was all summer, and naming Madsen starting QB marks a key decision early in the tenure of Spencer Danielson, who is in his first season as head coach. He hired veteran NFL and college coach Dirk Koetter as his offensive coordinator.
After opening the season at Georgia Southern, Boise State plays at No. 3 Oregon in Week 2.