Mountain West Quarterback Rankings for 2025

Mountain West Quarterback Rankings for 2025 originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The quarterback rankings in the Mountain West feature a good mix of experience, breakout candidates, and transfer candidates to watch for the 2025 college football season. Boise State's Maddux Madsen enters the fall as the league's unquestioned No. 1 signal-caller, but San Jose State's Walker Eget and UNLV's Anthony Colandrea are two players in high-powered offenses with the potential to put up huge numbers. Outside of the top names, intrigue surrounds Air Force's quarterback situation, while San Diego State is hoping a pair of transfers sparks its attack in coach Sean Lewis' second year in charge.

Ranking the quarterbacks by conference or nationally is no easy task. To help compile the rankings, there was some projection involved for 2025. This was not a ranking of quarterbacks only based on accomplishments so far or pro potential. All factors — pure talent, supporting cast, having a clear hold on the No. 1 position, previous production, '25 projection, and scheme changes (just to name a few) — were considered and projected to rank the quarterbacks in the Mountain West for 2025. 

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Mountain West Quarterback Rankings for 2025

1. Maddux Madsen, Boise State
Boise State still has plenty of talent at running back, but with Ashton Jeanty off to the NFL, the offense could lean a little more on Madsen’s right arm in ‘25. In a reserve role for the bulk of the ‘23 campaign, Madsen flashed potential by throwing for 1,191 yards and nine touchdowns and added 120 more yards on the ground. With a full offseason to work as the No. 1 quarterback and develop, Madsen’s growth and improvement was obvious last year. The Utah native led all Mountain West quarterbacks in passing yards (3,018) and touchdowns (23) and tossed only six interceptions. Assuming Madsen takes a step forward in his second full year as the starter, he could be the top Group of 5 quarterback in ‘25.

Related: Ranking All 136 College Football Teams for 2025

2. Walker Eget, San Jose State
Eget opened the 2024 season as San Jose State’s No. 2 quarterback but eventually took over the top spot and finished with 2,504 passing yards and 13 touchdowns. The California native tossed four scores in a win over Stanford and threw for 446 yards and three touchdowns in a 42-21 loss to Boise State. Additionally, Eget’s yards per attempt (7.6) tied for second among Mountain West signal-callers, while his completions of 40-plus yards (eight) tied for fourth. San Jose State’s spread-and-shred offense led the conference in passing attempts (552) last season, so Eget will have plenty of chances to throw the ball in ‘25. The interception total (10) was a little high for a first-time starter and new weapons must emerge at receiver. If the concern level about both of those areas are minimized, Eget will rank among the top Group of 5 signal-callers. 

3. Anthony Colandrea, UNLV
UNLV’s offense features a ton of turnover, but it’s safe to assume new coach Dan Mullen will put the pieces in place to have this unit among the best in the Mountain West for 2025. A two-man competition between Colandrea and Michigan transfer Alex Orji is underway in Las Vegas, but it’s also possible both signal-callers see significant time this year. Orji is more of a runner and needs refinement and development as a passer. Colandrea isn’t as prolific on the ground but still ran for 502 yards and two scores over 201 attempts at Virginia from 2023-24. The junior was a bit of a roller coaster through the air. In 19 games with the Cavaliers, Colandrea threw for 4,083 yards and 26 touchdowns but also tossed 20 picks. The play from down-to-down could be a chaotic ride, but Colandrea’s talent also fits well with what Mullen usually does on offense.

Related: Dan Mullen Embraces Expectations in Return to Coaching at UNLV

4. Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, Colorado State
Colorado State’s passing attack wasn’t as prolific last season (219.5 yards a game) as it was in 2023 (306.5 a contest). With receiver Tory Horton sidelined for the bulk of the year, along with an improved ground game, shifting away from the passing attack made sense for coach Jay Norvell. However, the Rams need the ‘23 version of Fowler-Nicolosi (3,460 yards and 22 touchdowns) this fall after his numbers dipped to 2,796 yards and 14 scores last season. The Texas native needs to do a better job at taking care of the ball (27 interceptions over 539 career attempts, but the talented junior could be poised for a step forward with another offseason to work under Norvell and coordinator Matt Mumme.

5. EJ Warner, Fresno State
Landing Warner from the transfer portal was a big win for new Fresno State coach Matt Entz. Warner - the son of Hall of Fame NFL quarterback Kurt Warner - landed with the Bulldogs after stints at Temple (2022-23) and Rice (‘24). In 32 games of snaps, the Arizona native passed for 8,814 yards and 58 touchdowns. Warner led all American quarterbacks by attempting 39.9 passes a contest last season and finished fourth in yards per game (246.4). Cutting down on mistakes (37 career interceptions) is a must, but if coordinator Josh Davis can build the right offense for Warner’s strengths, the senior has a chance to finish among the Mountain West’s top quarterbacks.

Related: College Football Bowl Projections for 2025-26

6. Bryson Barnes, Utah State
Barnes has one of the best background stories in college football and could cap his career in ‘25 with All-Mountain West honors. After working on a family farm raising pigs and earning the nickname “The Pig Farmer,” he started his collegiate career as a walk-on at Utah. Barnes played a key role for the Utes from 2021-23, throwing for 2,025 yards and 17 touchdowns and adding 391 yards and three scores on the ground. The Utah native also led the Utes to huge wins over Florida and USC during the ‘23 campaign. In nine games at Utah State last year, Barnes threw for 856 yards and 12 touchdowns and added 530 yards and five scores on the ground. The senior may not wow anyone with his arm talent. However, his rushing ability and steady play through the air should thrive in coordinator Kevin McGiven’s scheme. 

7. Micah Alejado, Hawaii
The next breakout quarterback in the Mountain West could come in Honolulu this year. Alejado shined for Hawaii in his first career start on Nov. 30 against New Mexico last season, torching the Lobos for 469 yards and five scores through the air and adding 54 rushing yards in a 38-30 victory. After working as the backup to Brayden Schager last year and taking a redshirt season by playing in just four games, Alejado is ready to handle the full-time starter role. Although New Mexico’s defense struggled in ‘24, the performance in the season finale was potentially a sign of things to come for the Las Vegas native in Hawaii’s run-and-shoot attack.

8. Chubba Purdy, Nevada
Is 2025 the year Purdy reaches his potential? The former four-star recruit has bounced around the nation, spending time at Florida State (2020-21) and Nebraska (2022-23) before landing at Nevada last year. Injuries prevented Purdy from pushing for more playing time last offseason, but he made one start (Hawaii) and finished ‘24 with 239 passing yards and a touchdown to go with 60 yards on the ground. Over 23 games in his collegiate career, Purdy has completed 54.8 percent of his throws for 1,085 yards and seven scores and rushed for 375 on the ground. Even though Nevada has a revamped supporting cast around Purdy, the senior seems poised to finish his career on a high note.

Related: Mountain West Predictions for 2025

9. Jayden Denegal, San Diego State
Improving an offense that averaged only 21.3 points a contest last season is the No. 1 priority for coach Sean Lewis in his second year at the helm. Lewis dipped into the portal for two options, as Denegal (Michigan)and Bert Emanuel Jr. (Central Michigan) joined the team this spring. Denegal ranked as the No. 19 quarterback by 247Sports in the 2022 signing class but only received snaps in six games in ‘23. The California native completed four of five throws for 50 yards and a score and added 10 more yards on the ground in his limited playing time. At 6-foot-4, Denegal has the size and arm strength to help make Lewis’ high-powered offense click in ‘25. Emanuel’s development is worth monitoring this fall. The son of former NFL receiver Bert Emanuel, rushed for 844 yards and 12 touchdowns in 13 games at Central Michigan. However, the passing ability remains a work in progress.

10. Jack Layne, New Mexico
Layne is one of seven players who followed coach Jason Eck from Idaho to New Mexico. The junior is a heavy favorite to take the first snap of 2025, as the Lobos return an inexperienced quarterback room at the FBS level. Layne played in 18 games with the Vandals over the last three seasons, throwing for 2,165 yards and 14 touchdowns to four picks. The Oregon native posted a solid career completion rate (67 percent) and averaged 14.8 yards per completion in ‘24. With familiarity in Eck’s scheme and plenty of experience, Layne has a chance for a quick transition to the Mountain West in ‘25.

Related: Grading College Football's New Coach Hires for 2025

11. Kaden Anderson, Wyoming
Although Wyoming finished 3-9 in coach Jay Sawvel’s debut, the program showed some progress in November. Anderson’s play was a key cog in that stretch. The redshirt freshman guided the Cowboys to a 49-45 win over New Mexico with 342 passing yards and three scores and threw for 116 yards and a touchdown before leaving the Nov. 23 game against Boise State due to injury. The Texas native played in nine contests overall, finishing ‘24 with 955 yards and six touchdowns through the air with 49 yards and two scores on the ground. The sample size is small, but Anderson has a few promising tools to develop this offseason.

12. Josh Johnson, Air Force
Air Force’s quarterback situation for 2025 took an unexpected turn in the spring when Quentin Hayes was removed from the roster. Hayes had a strong finish to the ‘24 campaign and was a key cog in the Falcons’ projected improvement this fall. With Hayes off the team, Johnson and Liam Szarka are expected to battle for the starting nod. Johnson played in six contests last year, rushing for 94 yards over 14 carries and completing six of 14 attempts for 126 yards. Air Force coach Troy Calhoun usually finds a way to push all of the right buttons to keep the ground attack firing on all cylinders in Colorado Springs. The guess here is Johnson or Szarka will perform just fine in the Falcons’ scheme to get this team back in a bowl in ‘25.

Related: Mountain West Football 2025 Predictions

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Related: Ranking the Mountain West's College Football Coaches for 2025

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 24, 2025, where it first appeared.