A third quarterback decommits from Boise State football. What’s happening?
Boise State football lost yet another quarterback recruit on Monday morning, when class of 2026 four-star QB Tradon Bessinger announced he had decommitted from the program.
Bessinger initially committed to Boise State in May. He visited Iowa this past weekend and was in attendance for the Hawkeyes’ 41-3 win over Minnesota.
He became the third class of 2026 quarterback to decommit from Boise State in recent months; three-star Jackson Presley decommitted in March and is now heading to Sacramento State, while four-star Bryson Beaver decommitted in June and committed to Oregon two weeks later.
“It is frustrating, absolutely,” Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said Monday. “… When someone is a part of (committing) and then decides not to be, it absolutely is hard.”
The Broncos still have one class of 2026 commit on the books. Three-star recruit Jackson Taylor, a 6-foot-2 quarterback from Westlake Village, California, committed to Boise State on June 21, having received offers from a double-digit number of schools, including Georgia, Kansas State and Louisville.
Boise State doesn’t seem to be in apparent need of a quarterback by next season. Redshirt junior Maddux Madsen has one year of eligibility left, and three other underclassmen quarterbacks, including redshirt sophomore backup Max Cutforth, are on the roster.
But the revolving door of commits for Boise State still represents an issue down the road, as the program keeps losing highly ranked quarterbacks who could find themselves starting as early as their sophomore year in 2027, if not sooner.
“It’s hard because all 135 other FBS teams know our diligence in recruiting,” Danielson said. “They know we turn over every rock to find the right character … and so everybody comes in at our commits this time of year.”
Boise State has 21 commits in the class of 2026, led by four-star wide receiver Terrious Favors from Atlanta, Georgia. Danielson said he feels “really good” about the incoming class, describing them as “elite football players.”
Danielson also said he isn’t a fan of athletes who have committed to Boise State continuing to take official visits to other schools, such as Bessinger at Iowa.
“What a lot of schools will do is you commit, and we’re going to hold that spot, but I’m still going to try to recruit better than you. We don’t do that here,” Danielson said. “You commit, that means you’re coming, and that means that’s a two-way street.”
While Danielson feels the frustration of putting time and energy into a recruit just for them to head elsewhere, he said that ultimately, he just wants players who want to be at Boise State.
“I am never going to try and force young men to be here,” Danielson said. “I’m not going to use money to try to make a kid come here. That’s not what I believe. I want kids that want to be here. I want kids that want to be part of this team, and if they don’t, this ain’t the right fit for them.”
If not money, what is Danielson selling recruits and their families to lure them to Boise State? He said Monday that while his coaches do focus on the football side, it’s as much about leaning into the program’s “built different” motto — in Danielson’s words, “building champions on and off the field.”
“We don’t need to find 500 players that fit that (motto) … we need to find 20 dudes that are built different,” Danielson said. “That, yes, have high talent, but more importantly, character through the roof. Because some of them will play as true freshmen, but all of them will be really successful here and be world changers in life if they have that makeup.”
Boise State vs. Fresno State
- When: 1:30 p.m. Saturday
- Where: Albertsons Stadium (32,796, turf)
- TV: Fox Sports 1 (Noah Reed, Robert Smith)
- Radio: KBOI 670 AM / 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
- Records: Boise State is 6-2, 4-0 Mountain West; Fresno State 5-3, 2-2
- Series: Boise State leads the series 17-9
- Betting line: Boise State by 17.5
- Weather: 65 degrees, partly cloudy, 12% chance of rain
This story was originally published October 28, 2025 at 4:00 AM.
