Quentin Hayes made 10 appearances and six starts for the Air Force Falcons in 2024, completing 58.1% of his passes for 455 yards and three passing touchdowns. Additionally, the dynamic threat had 126 rushing attempts for 466 rushing yards and seven scores on the ground and has a clear pathway to being the season starter under Troy Calhoun.
There is little doubt that Maddux Madsen is the starting QB for the Boise State Broncos after impressing in 2024. He led the Mountain West in passing yards (3,018) and passing touchdowns (23). Meanwhile, his passing yards total was good enough to be ranked 28th in the country, but he now must adapt to life without elite running back Ashton Jeanty.
Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi ranked sixth in the Mountain West in completion percentage in 2024 (60.5%) and had the third-most passing yards in the conference (2,796). Under Jay Norvell, the Colorado State Rams had an 8-5 record a season ago and spread the ball around with five different players registering more than 300 receiving yards.
E.J. Warner transfers to the Fresno State Bulldogs after throwing for 2,710 yards and 17 touchdowns in 11 games with the Rice Owls. The son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, the quarterback also played for the Temple Owls, where he set program records with 445 passing attempts and 23 touchdowns. However, he does need to start protecting the ball better, having led the ACC in interceptions in all three of his years in the sport.
After backing up Brayden Schager in 2024, Micah Alejado now gets his opportunity to take a starting role. The Honolulu native is a graduate of Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, where he threw for over 9,233 yards and 125 touchdowns in his four-year high school career.
With Devon Damier entering the transfer portal, the road is clear for a new QB1 for the New Mexico Lobos. Jack Layne has been the starter through spring practice after transferring from Idaho, where he passed for 1,477 yards and 14 touchdowns in six games.
With Danny O’Neil’s departure to the transfer portal after his freshman season, the San Diego State Aztecs face a significant gap at quarterback heading into spring practice. They have added three new players to the position alongside Kyle Crum. Currently, Jayden Denegal and Bert Emanuel Jr. are competing for the starting role. Offensive coordinator Matt Johnson has indicated that Denegal is making better progress at the moment, although the competition remains extremely close.
Walker Eget returns to the San Jose State Spartans in 2025, coming off a 2,504-yard and 13-touchdown season through the air. IN his first year as a starter, the 6’3”, 200-pound passer ranked second in the Mountain West with 7.6 yards per passing attempt while also ranking 10th with a completion percentage of 57.3.
Hajj-Malik Williams was one of the most electric players in the Mountain West in 2024 and is a difficult presence to replace. That job will fall to one of Alex Orji or Anthony Colandrea, who are in an open battle through the spring. Orji offers more athleticism in the first year under Dan Mullen than his challenger, but both could see serious gametime through the 2025 season.
Playing 11 games for the Utah Utes in 2023, Bryson Barnes transferred to the Utah State Aggies in 2024 and passed for 856 yards and 12 touchdowns, breaking school records as a backup. Barnes holds the single-game record for the most rushing yards by a quarterback in program history, gathering 193 yards on 15 carries on the ground. His rushing threat should be exciting to watch as a starter in 2025.
After naming Evan Svoboda as the starter before the 2024 season, Jay Sawvel quickly turned to Kaden Anderson in his first year as head coach of the Wyoming Cowboys, transitioning the presumed starter to tight end.
