Worried about Boise State’s starting QB? His teammates are not: ‘Love him to death’

When Boise State football coach Spencer Danielson announced that redshirt sophomore Maddux Madsen won the starting quarterback job , Bronco Nation naturally shared its opinions on social media and elsewhere.

Madsen beat out former five-star recruit Malachi Nelson, who transferred to Boise State from USC in the spring. The prevailing notion was that the redshirt freshman would claim the job based on his high school resume, big arm and status as a big-name transfer who had power-conference teams pursuing him.

It didn’t work out that way, at least for now. A three-star recruit from American Fork, Utah, who had few suitors out of high school will be under center.

“The kid has the heart, but he lacks arm strength, mobility and decision making,” one social media user posted on X, formerly Twitter, about Madsen. Another user said they’d be hard-pressed to imagine Madsen is better than Nelson.

Of course, plenty of people came out in support of Madsen, too. Many pointed out that he took the job from Taylen Green last year before an injury ended Madsen’s season in his first start. Green is set to be a starting SEC quarterback for Arkansas this year.

No one has seen Madsen in action since his injury against New Mexico last November. But the group of people who’ve seen him play up close in recent weeks — his teammates — say they’re looking at a young QB who’s “ready to show people” what he’s made of when the Broncos open the season at Georgia Southern on Aug. 31.

Ashton Jeanty

Star running back Ashton Jeanty will be Madsen’s go-to guy, either handing the ball off or finding him with quick passes out of the backfield.

“He’s just a detail-oriented guy. Everything his coach is telling him, he’s taking it to heart, and he’s applying it each and every single day,” Jeanty told the Idaho Statesman. “Going through his reads, running the proper fakes, the right footwork, knowing what the defense is doing, and then being on the same page after a pass play or a run play.”

Jeanty said he and Madsen often work together to perfect a play if it doesn’t go how they wanted, so that it becomes “muscle memory” come game time.

Austin Bolt

Because of a terrible injury in 2022 that kept him out for part of 2023 as well, redshirt senior wide receiver Austin Bolt hasn’t had many chances to play with Madsen. But the Borah High product said Madsen has always remained prepared to be the starting quarterback and is “ready to show people that.”

“He’s been very confident in his play, he’s very confident with the offense,” Bolt said. “He’s a very good team leader for us. He’s going to tell you that you ran your route too short, too long; he’s going to keep you to the standard that he thinks we should be playing at.”

Matt Lauter

For all of the San Francisco 49ers fans among Bronco Nation, redshirt junior tight end Matt Lauter has some good news about Madsen.

“I think he knows the offense pretty well,” Lauter said. “He reminds me of a (Brock) Purdy-type guy, able to run our offense at a super-efficient rate.”

Lauter acknowledged that much of the public expected Nelson to take the starting job because of his pedigree, but “that’s not how college football works.”

“I think all our teammates on offense love him to death, and he’s a hard worker,” Lauter added of Madsen. “So, going into the season, I feel like him having a chip on his shoulder is super beneficial.”

Alexander Teubner

It’s not just the offense that’s high on Madsen. Sixth-year safety Alexander Teubner called him the “ultimate competitor” who can pick up the speed of a game immediately.

He also said that Madsen makes it hard on defenses because he can quickly analyze a situation.

“Even at this level,” Teubner said, “there’s not a whole lot of quarterbacks that are able to see a disguise, and then really quick on the snap, get the real picture of what the defense is doing, go through good progression, make the right read — and he’s one of those guys.”

Rodney Robinson

Teubner’s fellow safety, redshirt senior Rodney Robinson, said he’s had to try hard to disguise coverages and not show his hand too early against Madsen in practice.

Robinson also noted how accurate Madsen is.

“He’s very smart,” Rodney said. “Just the way he’s able to operate in ... not just the presnap but post-snap, and how he’s able to read coverages and defenses as well.”

North End Zone Project gets the green light

The Idaho State Board of Education approved Boise State University’s request to begin work on the North End Zone expansion project at Albertsons Stadium.

The project will add 1,550 seats and 12 new field-level suites to the stadium.

The board approval, which came at a meeting Wednesday, requires the project cost not to exceed $76.1 million, according to a Board of Education news release. Boise State plans to pay for the project by using $10 million in institution reserve funds, issuing $30 million in bonds and raising the remaining money through philanthropy.

Boise State told the Ed Board that the North End Zone expansion would increase annual stadium revenue by $4 million.