For Boise State this season, big question at QB is who Bachmeier’s backup will be
There isn’t going to be a quarterback controversy at Boise State this year.
Senior Hank Bachmeier almost certainly will lead the Broncos onto field as a four-year starter in the season opener at Oregon State on Sept. 3, unless he suffers an injury that prevents it. The question is who will be QB2 on the depth chart when the season begins.
Bachmeier beat out USC transfer Jack Sears to win the starting job the past two seasons, and he won a camp battle against former Boise State quarterback Chase Cord in 2019.
Sears is gone, having announced last December that he’ll spend his final season of eligibility elsewhere, leaving Boise State with precious few quarterbacks who have played meaningful snaps in a game.
Bachmeier, in fact, is the only quarterback on the roster who has started a game in his career. Redshirt freshman Taylen Green appeared in two games last season but didn’t attempt a pass. Oregon State transfer Sam Vidlak appeared in one game for the Beavers last fall, completing two passes for 6 yards.
The only other quarterback on the roster who has appeared in a game is Andy Peters, who replaced former Boise State QB Cade Fennegan for a few snaps in a 51-17 loss to BYU in 2020 — a game Bachmeier missed after testing positive for COVID-19. Sears was knocked out with a head injury on the first drive, forcing the Broncos’ hand.
Here’s a look at the quarterbacks competing to determine Bachmeier’s top backup during spring practice. A starter, much less backup, won’t be officially named until the Broncos are several weeks into fall camp in August.
Most likely candidates
Taylen Green, R-Fr., 6-6, 215
Green might make the most sense at QB2, based on his athleticism alone. He’s one of the fastest players on the team, and that explosiveness makes him a threat in any scheme, offensive coordinator Tim Plough said.
“Taylen is a different animal because of his athleticism,” Plough said. “You’ll see things with him where a play breaks down and it still becomes a 25-yard run. We didn’t do anything right, but he gets us out of trouble with his athleticism.”
Green racked up 4,648 passing yards and 47 touchdowns during his junior and senior campaigns at Lewisville High in Texas, and added 19 rushing touchdowns. He enrolled early at Boise State and joined the Broncos in January 2021.
With a year’s worth of experience under his belt, Green’s grasp of the playbook is like night and day when compared to last year, Plough said.
“There were times in practice last year where we had to stop a team drill because he didn’t know where anyone was supposed to line up,” Plough said. “He knows the playbook front and back now, and we’re going to develop him in the pocket and as a leader.”
Bachmeier said Green’s athleticism was obvious the first day he stepped on the field, and he is helping the freshman develop as a leader.
“I had to tell him today to have some bass (in your voice) when you’re up there,” Bachmeier said Monday. “You’re the commander up there. (The rest of the offense) is there to listen to you. You have to be able to demand excellence from yourself and those guys, so you have to be confident out there.”
Sam Vidlak, R-Fr., 6-1, 187
Vidlak has a more conventional throwing motion than Green, whose sidearm delivery is reminiscent of former Texas quarterback Vince Young.
Vidlak has a strong, accurate arm and sneaky mobility, Plough said. He does not possess Green’s game-changing athleticism, but Vidlak reminds Plough of Bachmeier, the coach said.
“Sam is more similar to Hank in that he’s going to have to win with accuracy and play from the pocket, even though he can move,” Plough said. “Like Hank, he’s going to have to beat defenses with his knowledge of coverages and protections.”
Vidlak earned Offensive Player of the Year honors in Oregon after throwing for 3,404 yards and 44 touchdowns as a junior at Hidden Valley High in 2019. He missed his senior season in 2020 after it was postponed until the spring of 2021 because of COVID-19. He graduated high school in December 2020 so he could enroll early at Oregon State.
Vidlak has been on campus at Boise State only since January, so expecting him to absorb the playbook in time to really push Green might be a tough ask. But Bachmeier said the freshman from Applegate, Oregon, has the tools to do it.
“He’s a great kid, and I think he fits the room pretty well,” Bachmeier said. “He’s got a rocket, too, so I’m very curious to see what happens.”
Sleepers
Colton Fitzgerald, R-Fr., 6-1, 194 — Fitzgerald joined the team just before fall camp last year. He was verbally committed to Toledo but had a change of heart after earning a scholarship offer from Boise State. He was a two-year starter at Saugus High in Santa Clarita, California, and was named Foothill League MVP last May after throwing for 1,185 passing yards and 13 touchdowns — with no interceptions — in a season that was postponed and then shortened to five games because of COVID-19.
Colt Fulton, R-Fr., 6-4, 180 — Fulton, a lefty, also joined the team just before fall camp last year. He was considering a scholarship offer from FCS program James Madison but decided to walk-on at Boise State instead. He threw for 2,259 yards and 18 touchdowns and rushed for another 743 yards and eight scores as a junior at Santa Margarita High in California. He posted 1,292 yards and 16 touchdowns through the air in his senior season, which was shortened to six games because of COVID-19.
Andy Peters, R-So., 6-2, 207 — A former three-year starter at Timberline High in Boise, Peters enrolled early and joined the Broncos as a walk-on in January 2020. He has appeared in one game for Boise State, completing 4-of-8 passes for 26 yards in that lopsided home loss to BYU. He was named 5A Southern Idaho Conference Offensive Player of the Year as a senior at Timberline.
