He was going to be a Boise State QB, but Utah State senior thrives catching passes instead
There was a time when Jalen Greene thought Saturday was going to be his Senior Day, the final regular-season game of his Boise State career.
Instead, he is going to be on the opposite sideline.
Greene was committed to Boise State as a quarterback in 2013, but Chris Petersen’s departure for Washington set off a winding path that led Greene to Utah State. He also isn’t throwing passes; he’s catching them as one of the Aggies’ top receivers.
“It’s kind of weird how things come back around,” Greene said Tuesday in a phone interview with the Idaho Statesman. “I’m excited to get back onto the Blue. It’s been a long time since I made my official visit.”
A dual-threat standout at Serra High in Gardena, Calif., the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Greene was committed to BSU for about eight months before Petersen left in December 2013. Greene visited Seattle and pledged he would follow Petersen, but a week later, USC offered, and he signed with the hometown Trojans.
Greene never could find his spot in the quarterback rotation, throwing just five passes as a redshirt freshman before moving to wide receiver as a sophomore.
“I kind of knew I wasn’t in the plans at quarterback, and I wanted to get my degree, so changing positions made sense,” Greene said.
He had 26 catches for 318 yards in two seasons before deciding to leave as a graduate transfer.
Initially, he planned to enroll at Illinois, but Utah State kept in contact, looking to add a veteran to its receiving corps.
With the Illini mired in a 4-7 campaign, it’s obvious Greene made the right choice — he’s second on the Aggies with 30 receptions, 491 yards receiving and four touchdowns. And Utah State (10-1, 7-0) is one win away from playing for a Mountain West championship.
“Coach (Matt) Wells really connected with my family, and I respected Chris Petersen so much for the same reason,” Greene said. “Just having the chance made me happy, but I feel great about the decision, loving the season our team is having.”
Greene said he’s kept up with Boise State senior receivers A.J. Richardson and Sean Modster, and some of the staff certainly haven’t forgotten him, either.
“This game will take you places you never imagine. ... It’s awesome for him, he’s one of the bigger weapons (quarterback Jordan) Love has,” said Boise State defensive coordinator Andy Avalos, the Broncos’ defensive line coach in 2013.
Though he was the head coach at Arkansas State when Greene was committed, Boise State coach Bryan Harsin was well aware of him, saying on Monday, “We have history ... now kind of full circle where he is now.”
There won’t be a twinge of sentimentality as Greene gets ready for Saturday’s game, but he has thought of how far he’s come — and how it all started with dreams of playing on the Blue.
“I have to treat it like any other game, but it’s a big game for all of us,” Greene said. “I know I’ll think about it afterward, good or bad, depending on how we do. But I know at least I’ll finally get to show Boise, Idaho, what Jalen Greene can do.”
Utah State at Boise State
When: 8:15 p.m. Saturday
Where: Albertsons Stadium (36,387; FieldTurf)
TV: ESPN (Roy Philpott, Tom Ramsey, Edward Aschoff)
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: BSU 9-2, 6-1 (won 45-14 at New Mexico on Friday); Utah State 10-1, 7-0 (won 29-24 at Colorado State on Saturday)
Series: Boise State leads 17-5 (Broncos won 41-14 on Oct. 28, 2017 in Logan)
Vegas line: Boise State by 2 1/2
Weather: Low 30s, mostly clear
Tickets: Office on the west side of Albertsons Stadium, visit BroncoSports.com/tickets or call 208-426-4737. Boise State reported 33,892 tickets were out as of 5 p.m. Wednesday.
This story was originally published November 20, 2018 at 11:51 PM.