Is Boise State’s backup QB on the roster or will the Broncos try the transfer portal?

One of the most pressing questions the Boise State football team has to answer this year is what happens if quarterback Taylen Green falls prey to injury.

There’s no seasoned veteran on the roster that the Broncos can hand the reins to — at least not yet.

Redshirt freshman Maddux Madsen, redshirt sophomore Colt Fulton and freshman CJ Tiller are competing in spring practice to win the job as Green’s backup. They’ve combined to appear in three games during their college careers.

Madsen and Tiller have been splitting second-team reps in practice, and both have shown promise. Tiller, who enrolled early and joined the team in January, was on target with a 50-yard pass to wide receiver Eric McAlister on Wednesday.

Backup quarterbacks are an injury away from running the offense, even though they get a fraction of the practice reps that the starters get during the season, Boise State coach Andy Avalos pointed out.

That’s why he said the best backups prepare like they’re starters, no matter how much playing time they’re expecting.

“They might not be getting the physical rep of a play, but they can be in position and be back there gaining experience from (offensive coordinator) Bush (Hamdan) and learning from each other,” Avalos said.

Green opened spring camp as the starter for the first time this year. He took over after Hank Bachmeier decided to transfer four games into last season. The Broncos were 8-2 with Green taking the snaps, and he was named Mountain West Freshman of the Year after racking up 2,042 yards and 14 touchdowns through the air and 586 yards and 10 more touchdowns on the ground.

The 6-foot-6, 220-pound redshirt sophomore from Allen, Texas, is physically ready to build on last season. He looks bigger and stronger, and he’s already broken away from the defense on a couple of long runs in practice.

But there’s still that looming question: What happens if Green has to miss an extended amount of time?

Avalos has reiterated that he’s confident in the quarterbacks on the roster, but he also said recruiting never stops.

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The Broncos could go in search of a transfer, but they’ve seen mixed results when plucking backups out of the portal in recent years.

Jaylon Henderson (2018-19) joined the team after two years at Trinity Valley Community College in Texas. He replaced an injured Bachmeier in 2019 and ended the season as the offensive MVP of the Mountain West championship game.

Henderson just wrapped up his first season in a professional football league in Japan.

Jack Sears (2020-21) transferred to Boise State after three years at USC. He didn’t come close to matching Henderson’s success, but Sears was dominant in his one and only start. He posted 280 passing yards and four touchdowns in a 49-30 win at Air Force in 2020.

The following week against BYU, Sears was knocked out of the game with a head injury on the first series and missed the rest of the season. He transferred again in 2021 but never signed with another program.

Sam Vidlak joined the Broncos last year after one season at Oregon State and competed with Green when Bachmeier was the starter. The redshirt freshman appeared in three games, completing 9-of-14 passes for 86 yards, and then in December entered the transfer portal again. He landed at Montana.

Boise State has a scholarship available for a QB, but the coaching staff is going to get a good look at its young signal callers first.

Here’s a look at the quarterbacks vying to backup Green. Skyview quarterback Max Cuthrow will also join the team as a walk-on this summer.

Maddux Madsen, R-Fr., 5-10, 200, American Fork, Utah — Madsen looks even smaller than 5-10, especially when he’s standing next to Green. He has impressed the coaching staff with his arm, though. Hamdan commented on his accuracy and timing before spring practice even began, and Madsen looked good in his only appearance last season. He went 3-for-4, including a 35-yard pass in a win at Nevada.

Madsen had a productive high school career at American Fork in Utah, where he threw for more than 4,000 yards and 48 touchdowns as a senior.

CJ Tiller, Fr., 6-0, 190, Gilbert, Arizona — Tiller is wearing No. 0 this year, after JL Skinner was the first player at Boise State to wear the number. Tiller graduated high school early and enrolled at Boise State in January. Green enrolled early, too. Tiller hasn’t looked overwhelmed at practice, but the spring game should be a good indicator of how ready he is to play.

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Tiller began his high school career at Williams Field in Arizona, where he posted 2,458 passing yards and 27 touchdowns in 2021. He transferred to Rancho Cucamonga in California last year and led the Cougars to a 9-3 record while throwing for 2,154 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Colt Fulton, R-So., 6-4, 195, Rancho Santa Margarita, California — Fulton, a lefty, joined the team as a walk-on just before fall camp began in 2021. He appeared in two games last season but hasn’t attempted a pass in his career.