Spencer Petras Leads Utah State QB Competition Following Spring Practices
Apr 22, 2024, 4:40 PM
LOGAN, Utah— Former Iowa Hawkeye Spencer Petras is the leader in the clubhouse to become Blake Anderson’s Utah State Aggies’ next starting quarterback. Petras’ performance was so convincing that sophomore QB McCae Hillstead and senior QB Cooper Legas entered the NCAA transfer portal.
Anderson announced the move at the end of spring practices on Sunday, April 21.
“It was a competition on the field every day,” Anderson said of the quarterback battle through the spring. “If you ask any of our players, they feel like Spence obviously earned the job.”
RELATED: Utah State QB Cooper Legas Enters NCAA Transfer Portal
Last week Blake Anderson named Spencer Petras the starting QB going into fall, which prompted the transfer of Cooper Legas. pic.twitter.com/urge2IR2ec
— Scott Garrard (@ScottyGZone) April 20, 2024
“They got equal reps with the ones. They both got limited reps with the twos. Over the course of four weeks, the numbers and the eye test all showed Spence’s consistency. He turned the ball over one time in 13 practices. You’ve got a pro in the room and it showed.”
RELATED: McCae Hillstead Enters Transfer Portal
A freshman, Hillstead appeared in eight games, throwing for 1,062 yards and 11 touchdowns against eight interceptions. The former Skyridge Falcon completed 59.5 percent of his passes and ran for another 36 yards.
Legas bounced in and out of the lineup, with turnovers creeping in repeatedly. As a junior, the former Orem Tiger threw for 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He completed 138-of-213 passes (.648) and ran for 122 yards on the ground. Legas finishes his Aggie career, completing 284-of-454 (.626) passes for the third-highest completion percentage in program history. His 19 TDs in 2023 are tied for the 10th-most in school history.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering the Utah State Aggies, Locals in MLB, and Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees, Beehive baseball, and Aggie athletics coverage here.
