Utah Native Maddux Madsen Wins Starting QB Job With Boise State Broncos
Aug 19, 2024, 10:02 AM | Updated: 11:49 am
BOISE, Idaho – Former American Fork Caveman Maddux Madsen beat out former No. 1 overall recruit Malachi Nelson for the starting QB job at Boise State.
ESPN College Football Insider Pete Thamel broke the news on X on Sunday.
Sources: Boise State has named redshirt sophomore quarterback Maddux Madsen as the starting quarterback for the opener at Georgia Southern. Madsen has been in a close competition with former No. 1 overall recruit Malachi Nelson, who transferred from USC this spring. pic.twitter.com/fwKM0AMc8Z
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 18, 2024
Coming out of high school, the difference between Madsen and Nelson was striking.
Madsen was a three-star prospect, the 110th-ranked quarterback nationally, and received just two significant offers from New Mexico and Boise State.
Nelson was a five-star prospect, the fifth-best quarterback, and the 13th-ranked recruit in the nation. He also had total freedom to play at almost any college in the country. Nelson received offers from Alabama, Florida State, Texas, Tennessee, Michigan, Oklahoma, Arizona, Utah, USC, and others.
USC transfer Malachi Nelson has lost the Boise State QB Battle to (RS) Sophomore Maddux Madsen.
Madsen was the 110th-ranked QB in 2022, Nelson was a 5🌟 top-5 QB in 2023.
Wow. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/MkbPyYIqet
— College Football Report (@CFBRep) August 18, 2024
However, it’s fair to say that Madsen’s high school career was relatively underrated.
In three full seasons at American Fork, Madsen completed over 60 percent of his passes for 10,787 yards and 129 touchdowns. He added 161 carries for 608 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground.
In his true freshman season in 2022, Madsen appeared in one game and connected on three of his four passes for 43 yards.
In his redshirt freshman year in 2023, he got a lot more opportunity. Appearing in nine games with one start, Madsen connected on 61.4 percent of his passes for 1,191 yards and nine touchdowns. He added 120 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
Go up and get it. #BleedBlue | #BuiltDifferent pic.twitter.com/QKdisrMdQP
— Boise State Football (@BroncoSportsFB) August 18, 2024
Although not what most were expecting, the thought process in choosing Madsen over Nelson makes sense from Boise State’s perspective.
Madsen has experience in the Broncos system and will likely be a safer option when it comes to winning games. While Nelson is extremely talented, he’s more of a big playmaker than a field general.
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Chandler Holt is a co-host of the Jazz Notes podcast, a Locals In The NFL Insider, and Digital Sports Producer for sports.ksl.com. Follow Chandler on Twitter @ChandlerHoltKSL or on Threads @chandlerho1t.
