Boise State QB competition: Nelson’s arm shines, Madsen shows ‘command of offense’
Boise State quarterback Malachi Nelson admitted he was flustered when he decided to enter the transfer portal after just one year at USC.
The former five-star recruit didn’t know what the future held, and the Los Angeles native said he never imagined Boise would be a good fit. That changed when he visited Idaho’s capital in January.
“I’m a big vibe guy, and I kind of caught that early,” Nelson said Thursday. “It felt right. Coming here, did I think it was going to? Absolutely not. But when I got here, I fell in love with the place and fell in love with the people, and that’s huge props not only to the people inside this facility, but also the surrounding community.”
Nelson said a longstanding relationship with former Boise State offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan first sparked his interest. Meeting with head coach Spencer Danielson and feeling support from the Boise community sealed the deal. He immediately shut down his recruitment and didn’t visit any other schools.
“I can’t say enough about the community and the locker room,” he said. “It’s been a blessing to have them welcome me. It has made my transition a lot easier.”
Nelson has a pedigree that hasn’t been seen at Boise State. He racked up 110 career touchdowns at Los Alamitos High School in California and was the No. 1 recruit in the 2023 class, according to ESPN.
Expectations have been high since he first stepped on campus here, but he wasn’t anointed the starter. He had to learn a new playbook and acclimate himself to running a pro-style offense after a year in an Air Raid system at USC.
Nelson said working with offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter helped ease that transition. Koetter is a former head coach for the Broncos and at Arizona State, and he saw success as an offensive coordinator for three NFL franchises, including Atlanta, where he mentored quarterback Matt Ryan. Koetter replaced Hamdan as the Broncos’ offensive coordinator in February.
“I’ve been blessed to be around a lot of guys who coached me at a high level, and he’s one of the best, if not the best,” Nelson said. “What he’s done speaks for itself, so everything that comes out of his mouth is gold.”
Nelson arrived on campus in January. His growth was obvious by April. He was the most impressive quarterback in the Broncos’ spring game, completing 9-of-16 passes for 137 yards and a 32-yard touchdown pass.
Quarterback Maddux Madsen didn’t play in the spring game, though.
This fall, Nelson is competing with Madsen to be the Broncos’ starter in the season opener at Georgia Southern on Aug. 31. Even though they’re going head-to-head, Nelson said Madsen has helped him adjust to life at Boise State.
“I’m learning a lot from him — the way he has command of the offense and those types of things,” Nelson said. “All the players look to him for guidance, and obviously that’s something I want.”
Chip on the shoulder mentality for Madsen
Madsen played in nine games for the Broncos last season and made his first career start against New Mexico. He suffered a season-ending knee injury in that game and was limited in spring practice as he continued his recovery.
Madsen has seen more reps with the starting offense through seven practices in fall camp. Both quarterbacks have shined at times, and they’ve both had days where they struggled.
Nelson’s strong, accurate arm was apparent early in camp, especially on routes near the sideline and in the red zone. His placement on deep passes has been exquisite.
Madsen’s experience has carried him to impressive performances in recent days, with his ability to make quick decisions and know when to pull the ball down and run.
Madsen said he has embraced the underdog role for most of his career, so getting starting reps in camp is a new experience for him. The 5-foot-10, 201-pound redshirt sophomore was a three-star recruit coming out of American Fork High in Utah, and his only FBS scholarship offers were from Boise State and New Mexico State.
“I feel like my whole life all I’ve done is compete with the guy above me,” Madsen said Thursday. “I think that’s helped immensely. You talk about the chip on the shoulder mentality. It’s not like it’s gone.”
Time with the starters hasn’t gone to Madsen’s head. He admitted Thursday that he needs to reduce turnovers and find more ways to keep the offense on the field.
“On my part, it’s how can I make the correct decision, put the ball in the right place and do those things simply,” he said.
Danielson said in July that he wants to name a starter before Aug. 26, which is when the team will begin specific preparations for Georgia Southern. The coaches have two more full weeks of camp to assess the quarterbacks, and they’ll get a look at both of them in a game situation Saturday in the Broncos’ first scrimmage.
Koetter said neither pedigree nor experience will be the determining factor. It will be which quarterback puts the team in the best position to score points.
“That’s why we practice,” he said. “This isn’t going to be a knee-jerk reaction. We’re going to look at this from every angle, and at the end of the day, the guy who best puts us in position to get in the end zone will get the job.”
This story was originally published August 8, 2024 at 3:50 PM.
