Boise State’s starting quarterback job is settled heading into fall camp, but the backup spot is still very much up for grabs.
Maddux Madsen is locked in as QB1 as he enters his fifth season with the program and his third year as the starter, with head coach Spencer Danielson showing no signs of wavering on that front. The real intrigue sits behind him, where senior Max Cutforth and freshmen Cash Herrera and Jackson Taylor are competing for the No. 2 role.
Danielson offered an early answer Monday afternoon, the day before players reported for camp.
“It is going to be Maddux (Madsen) QB1 and Max (Cutforth) QB2 going into fall camp,” Danielson said. “Cash Herrera’s had a really good summer, but Max has had a great summer, too.
“... With that quarterback room, we know that that’s one that we’re going to continue to watch the competition.”
For now, Cutforth looks like the cleanest fit. He’s the only other quarterback on the roster with college game experience, and last season he started three games for Boise State when Madsen was sidelined by injury. The Broncos went 2-1 in those starts, including a 25-24 win at Utah State in which Cutforth threw for 341 yards and two touchdowns.
Overall, the 6-foot-2 quarterback played in 11 games last season. He completed 95 of 167 passes, good for 56.8%, with four touchdowns and five interceptions. Three of those picks came in Boise State’s 38-10 loss to Washington in the LA Bowl.
Even with those numbers, Danielson said Cutforth is in a better place physically than he’s been since arriving.
“Max physically is the best I’ve seen him in his time here,” Danielson said. “He looks different.
He’s explosive. He’s a different athlete.
So he’s at a really good place.”
Still, Cutforth won’t get a free pass. Herrera is the most obvious challenger. The 6-foot-2 freshman had been committed to Iowa and Indiana before flipping to Boise State last November, and Danielson made clear how much he likes the young quarterback’s makeup.
“He’s an NFL talent. He’s got all that,” Danielson said last December. “But more importantly, what wowed me about him was, when I was around him, what type of kid he was, low ego, just a cool kid to be around.”
Taylor is also in the conversation. The 6-foot-1 quarterback had the more active spring game back in April, finishing 6-for-11 for 64 yards and an interception. Danielson has also called him a “very, very smart football player.”
“He can make the throws, he’s a Boise State fit, hard worker, great teammate,” Danielson said last December. “And he’s just one of those kids that when you’re around him, you can tell that he’s going to progress quickly, he’s going to be on point, and he’s going to be on the rise quickly.”
The QB2 label may be on Cutforth for now, but Danielson made it clear the race isn’t finished.
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