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Athlon Sports
Mountain West Quarterback Rankings for 2024
By Steven Lassan,
4 hours ago
The Mountain West lost two of its top quarterbacks from last season with UNLV's Jayden Maiava transferring to USC and San Jose State's Chevan Cordeiro expiring his eligibility. Despite those two departures, the cupboard isn't bare for talent at quarterback for the Mountain West. Three signal-callers - Fresno State's Mikey Keene, Hawaii's Brayden Schager, and Colorado State's Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi - have a case to be ranked No. 1 this fall. The league also features a couple of intriguing transfers in Boise State's Malachi Nelson and San Diego State's AJ Duffy. New Mexico's Devon Dampier and Wyoming's Evan Svoboda are breakout candidates to watch.
Ranking the quarterbacks by conference or nationally is no easy task. To help compile the rankings, there was some projection involved for 2024. This was not a ranking of quarterbacks only based on accomplishments so far or pro potential. All factors — pure talent, supporting cast, having a clear hold on the No. 1 position, previous production, '24 projection, and scheme changes (just to name a few) — were considered and projected to rank the quarterbacks in the Mountain West for 2024.
It's a close battle for the No. 1 spot among Mountain West signal-callers, but Keene gets a slight edge over Hawaii's Brayden Schager and Colorado State's Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi for the '24 season. In his first year with the Bulldogs, Keene was efficient (67.1 percent completion rate) and threw for 2,976 yards and 24 scores in 12 contests. The UCF transfer got off to a strong start with four touchdown tosses in an upset win over Purdue on Sept. 2 and tossed four scores in a victory against UNLV on Oct. 28. However, injuries seemed to hinder his play down the stretch, which had an impact on Fresno State's offense and the team's quest for a spot in the conference title game. It's also uncertain how the July departure of head coach (and quarterback guru) Jeff Tedford will impact this team and the offensive scheme. Cutting down on the interceptions (10 last fall) should be a top goal for Keene in '24.
With two of the Mountain West's top receivers (Pofele Ashlock and Steven McBride) and Schager returning, all of the pieces are in place for Hawaii's offense to take off in '24. The Run-and-Shoot scheme returned to Honolulu last season, as coach Timmy Chang called the plays for an offense that averaged only 21.4 points a contest but ranked third in the Mountain West in passing production (276.4 a game). Last year's experience should turn into points in '24. Schager showed good command of this offense through the air (3,542 yards and 26 touchdowns) and added more of a rushing element to his game later in the year (174 yards in November). The Texas native also led all Mountain West quarterbacks with 130 completions of 10-plus yards and ranked third in connections of 40-plus (11). Cutting down on the interceptions (24 over the last two years) is a priority.
Fowler-Nicolosi is on the cusp of a breakout season and it wouldn't be a surprise if the sophomore ended '24 as the No. 1 quarterback in the Mountain West. The Texas native emerged as Colorado State's No. 1 option during the '23 season and finished with 3,460 passing yards and 22 touchdowns over 12 appearances. Fowler-Nicolosi posted five efforts of 300 or more yards through the air, including 359 in an upset win over Boise State. He tied for the Mountain West lead in completions of 40-plus yards (14) and led the conference in passing yards a contest (288.3). If Fowler-Nicolosi can cut down on the mistakes (16 picks last season), he's poised to emerge as one of the top signal-callers in the Group of 5 ranks.
There's major intrigue surrounding Boise State's offense in '24. Not only is veteran coordinator Dirk Koetter at the controls, but running back Ashton Jeanty is also among the best in college football. Additionally, even though the Broncos usually have standout QB play, there's extra attention on this position. Nelson - a five-star recruit in the '23 signing class - transferred to Boise State after just one year at USC. In his only season with the Trojans, Nelson played in one game and completed one of three attempts. In Boise State's spring game, Nelson impressed by completing nine of 16 passes for 137 yards and a score. Maddux Madsen will get a chance to push for the job in the fall, but Nelson seems poised to realize his potential and quickly emerge as one of the top quarterbacks in the Mountain West in his Boise State debut.
Behind rising star coordinator Brennan Marion, UNLV led the Mountain West in scoring (34.4 points a game) last year. This unit should rank among the best in the Mountain West again, but Marion needs to find a new signal-caller to direct this attack after Jayden Maiava transferred to USC. Coach Barry Odom reeled in two transfers - Matthew Sluka (Holy Cross) and Hajj-Malik Williams (from Campbell) - to battle Cameron Friel for the starting nod. Sluka and Williams likely have the edge in this battle, with the Holy Cross transfer the projected starter here. In four years at Holy Cross, Sluka threw for 5,916 yards and 59 touchdowns and added 3,583 yards and 38 scores on the ground. In '23, the New York native earned third-team Associated Press All-America honors.
The two frontrunners for San Diego State's starting quarterback job - Duffy and true freshman Danny O'Neil - have yet to attempt a pass in a regular season game for the Aztecs. However, the guess here is new coach Sean Lewis will get quality play under center from either Duffy or O'Neil. Duffy likely holds a slight lead in the battle for the No. 1 spot, but the team's first depth chart for '24 indicated neither player held an edge going into the fall. Duffy transferred to San Diego State after spending two seasons at Florida State. The California native and former four-star prospect played in five contests with the Seminoles, completing two of seven throws for 26 yards and adding 10 yards on the ground. O'Neil - the No. 40 QB prospect in the '24 signing class - impressed in the spring and will have a better grasp on the system by fall practice.
New coach Bronco Mendenhall has a lot of work to do in order to transform New Mexico into a bowl contender this fall, but Dampier's development is one reason to believe this team could exceed preseason expectations. As a true freshman last fall, Dampier flashed big-time upside in nine appearances. The Arizona native threw for 525 yards and six touchdowns over 64 attempts and showcased dynamic ability on the ground with 328 rushing yards and four scores. Considering Mendenhall and coordinator Jason Beck have thrived with dual-threat quarterbacks in previous years, this system should fit Dampier well for '24 and beyond. Assuming Dampier picks up where he left off and develops in the new system, all signs point to a breakout year this fall.
Although Utah State returns one of the nation's top receivers in Jalen Royals, plenty of uncertainty surrounds this group in '24. Head coach and play-caller Blake Anderson was fired in July, while the quarterback room has been completely revamped since last year. Signal-callers Cooper Legas, McCae Hillstead, and Levi Williams all departed, with the staff landing four portal additions in Petras (Iowa), Bryson Barnes (Utah), Jacob Conover (Arizona State), and CJ Tiller (Boise State) to restock the position. Petras was the frontrunner exiting spring after spending six years at Iowa. The California native showcased some upside in 2020-21 but missed all of last season after suffering a shoulder injury against Nebraska in '22. In 37 games with the Hawkeyes, Petras threw for 5,199 yards and 24 touchdowns to 19 picks. All signs point to Petras' shoulder being back at full strength for the '24 campaign. However, how big of an impact will Anderson's firing play on this offense?
At 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, Svoboda brings impressive size and physical upside to the position. New coordinator Jay Johnson isn't going to stray too far from the run-first approach under former coach Craig Bohl, but the Cowboys could aim for more balance going forward. Svoboda made one start in '23, throwing for 136 yards on 17 completions in a 31-10 loss at Texas. The Snow College product completed 23 of 38 passes for 200 yards and a pick and added 80 rushing yards during 10 overall appearances for Wyoming last fall. Svoboda has intriguing talent but there are also plenty of unknowns after his limited stint in '23.
New coach Jeff Choate has a couple of intriguing signal-callers to develop for his first season in Reno. Lewis - a former Colorado transfer - played in nine contests for the Wolf Pack last year and threw for 1,133 yards and two scores to six picks. However, Lewis displayed his ability to make plays on the ground with 426 yards and three touchdowns on 100 carries. The Texas native will be pushed for the top spot by sophomore AJ Bianco (614 yards and four scores last year) and Nebraska transfer Chubba Purdy. Bianco started two contests last season, but Purdy will have a chance to shake up this battle after his summer arrival.
Air Force returns only five starters, but it's also hard to worry too much about this team with coach Troy Calhoun's track record of reloading every year. The offense has several holes to fill, including all five starters up front, the top two running backs, and quarterbacks Zac Larrier and Jensen Jones. Busha is set to open fall practice as the No. 1 quarterback, while sophomores Quentin Hayes and Josh Johnson take the backup spots. Busha played in four games last year as a reserve, completing nine of 19 attempts for 152 yards and rushing for 11 yards and a score on 13 carries. The Florida native could bring more punch to Air Force's passing game while also maintaining good command of the option attack on the ground.
San Jose State's offense is undergoing a massive overhaul and plenty of question marks surround this unit for '24. New coach Ken Niumatalolo ran the option at Navy but will deploy a wide-open attack (the Spread and Shred) with the Spartans under coordinator Craig Stutzmann. In addition to the scheme shift under a new staff, Chevan Cordeiro (2,773 yards and 20 TDs) and last year's backup (Jay Butterfield) have departed, leaving Brown, Sam Houston transfer Xavier Ward, and Walker Eget to compete in a wide-open battle for the No. 1 QB spot. Each of the three quarterbacks have limited experience overall, with Eget (nine pass attempts) the only one with regular season snaps in a Spartans uniform. Brown transferred from Washington State to San Jose State this offseason, while Ward joined the mix after spring ball. Brown left spring ball as a slight favorite to start, but Eget and Ward will push for the job this fall. There's upside here with the high-powered offense and receivers Nick Nash and Justin Lockhart in place. However, all of the transition is likely to require an adjustment period this fall.
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