Where does Boise State’s quarterback room stand entering spring practice?

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Maddux Madsen will be Boise State’s starting quarterback when the Broncos open the 2026 season on Saturday, Sept. 5 against Oregon at Autzen Stadium.

Madsen, a returning captain, has completed 507 of 834 career passes (61 percent) for 6,586 yards with 61 total touchdowns—50 passing, 11 rushing—and 18 interceptions entering his senior season.

The four-way race for the backup quarterback role could be one of the most competitive position battles during Boise State’s spring practice slate, which begins on Thursday.

Returnees Max Cutforth (junior) and Zeke Martinez (redshirt freshman) will vie with incoming freshmen Cash Herrera and Jackson Taylor in a promising quarterback room.

“We’re going to get a lot of reps in spring,” Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said during Monday’s press conference. “We’re going to make sure our quarterbacks get the reps they need.”

Cutforth won the backup quarterback job last year and made three starts after Madsen suffered a lower leg injury against Fresno State. The Broncos went 2-1 in Cutforth’s starts, including a 25-24 come-from-behind victory over Utah State that helped send Boise State to the Mountain West championship game.

Cutforth finished last season 95 of 167 passing (57 percent) for 1,059 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions. Three of the picks came in the second half of Boise State’s 38-10 LA Bowl loss to Washington.

Martinez, a local product from Meridian High School, served as Cutforth’s backup when Madsen was sidelined. He is a dual-threat quarterback with plenty of upside.

Herrera and Taylor were both three-star prospects out of Southern California who signed with the Broncos in December.

Danielson said he wants to have a clear picture of the quarterback pecking order following spring practice.

“In a perfect world for me, I want to leave the spring where we know exactly where they are at, and then where they are growing to in the summertime,” Danielson said. “I don’t want there to be any gray of (where the quarterbacks are at). That’s why we’re going to make sure—not just for them, but our position groups as a whole—we need to leave spring where there is tons of video evidence of exactly where you were when we started spring, and here it is when we’re ending spring. So you can see the trajectory they’re on, and then that’s where we take over and really create these depth charts going into summer.”