Boise State football expected to lose a former top-rated recruit to transfer portal
Boise State backup quarterback Malachi Nelson appears to be on his way out.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Nelson is expected to enter the transfer portal after just one season with the Broncos, according ESPN’s Pete Thamel, who reported that he spoke with Nelson’s manager, Justin Giangrande.
A spokesperson for Boise State told the Idaho Statesman that they could not confirm or comment on the situation.
Nelson began his college career at USC as a five-star recruit and ESPN’s No. 1 overall player in the class of 2023. But he played in just one game for the Trojans and entered the transfer portal last December before announcing his commitment to Boise State in early January.
Nelson then lost the starting job to redshirt sophomore Maddux Madsen during fall camp. He appeared in three blowout wins for the Broncos this season, against Portland State, Utah State and San Diego State. He completed 12-of-17 pass attempts for 128 yards, with no touchdowns and one interception.
The 6-foot-3, 193-pound redshirt freshman from Los Alamitos, California, totaled 7,984 passing yards and 110 total touchdowns in four high school seasons and was named Gatorade California Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022.
Nelson has three years of eligibility remaining.
In addition to Madsen, Boise State has three other quarterbacks on its roster: redshirt freshman Max Cutforth, redshirt junior Colt Fulton and freshman Kaleb Annett.
Madsen has had a very solid season as a redshirt sophomore, completing 224-of-361 passes for 2,714 yards. He’s thrown 22 touchdown passes and just three interceptions, and also has rushed for 224 yards and five touchdowns.
