Utah State has gained depth at quarterback thanks to recent signings, but experience was lost due to the transfer portal.
The revelation that incoming Iowa transfer Spencer Petras had won the starting job outright in spring ball partly eased the blow of Legas and Hillstead’s departures, but depth at quarterback is essential.
Legas, Hillstead, and Williams were the three quarterbacks that USU had to start last season due to a variety of reasons, including injury. Bishop Davenport, Legas, and Logan Bonner all started at least once in 2022, exactly like that. Bonner started every game in 2021, but after leaving with an injury in the team’s bowl game against Oregon State, Andrew Peasley led the USU rally against Air Force. Legas filled in for Bonner in that game.
History strongly implies that in order to maintain the highest level of expectations for the season, head coach (and quarterback coach) Blake Anderson will need to have a deep quarterback room.
That’s what ultimately made the pain of losing Hillstead and Legas much greater. What was once a fairly deep room was abruptly downsized to just Petras, Bryson Barnes, a transfer from Utah, and somewhat unknown reserve Zeke Payne.
Anderson seems unconcerned about losing so much skill. Though Hillstead’s departure was unexpected (Hillstead is traveling two hours south to play at BYU, while Legas has committed to play for Tulsa), he expected Legas to go when the senior lost the fight for QB1 honors. After the spring showcase, he noted, the club had several possibilities that, while still unproven, seemed quite solid in comparison to Legas/Hillstead.
Utah State has signed two transfer quarterbacks in the last few weeks; these players were highly anticipated when they left high school but were unsuccessful at their prior locations. In terms of depth and potential for the future, the two newcomers partially make up for what was lost in Utah State’s quarterback room.
Boise State alumnus CJ Tiller was the first of the two newcomers. He only played in two games during his one-season stint with the Broncos, keeping his redshirt intact. Tiller was a three-star prospect out of high school who had promise as a future quarterback. However, he didn’t play much and was recruited this offseason when Boise State signed Malachi Nelson, a former five-star recruit.
Tiller did have one notable appearance in the previous campaign, making his Boise State debut against UCLA in the LA Bowl. Tiller’s entire season’s stat line came from that performance, in which he completed 12 of 21 passes for 117 yards, one interception, and zero touchdowns. Coincidentally, he played Utah State in his lone other outing, but he did not log any stats.
The second, and more recent, acquisition is Jacob Conover, a quarterback who coincidentally faced Utah State at one time in his career. His career started at BYU, when he signed as a four-star recruit before the 2020 season, and he has most recently played for Arizona State.
Despite making sporadic appearances over the years, he never completed a pass until 2021, when he played as a substitute against Utah State and went 5 of 9 for 45 yards. That was the total of all of Conover’s completions and yards during his three seasons with the Cougars.
As a result, Conover transferred to Arizona State before the 2023 season to be nearer to his hometown of Chandler, Arizona. Last year, he played in just three games and completed 11 passes for 130 yards.
Legas’s five seasons at Utah State were markedly different from these two additions in terms of experience. Combined, the expertise and statistical output of Hillstead surpassed that of the two rookie quarterbacks put together. Tiller and Conover won’t offer that level of depth up front, even though Legas or Hillstead could have stepped in during Week 1 if needed.
It will be up to Petras to maintain her health and Barnes to step in if necessary. The lackluster ways in which Conover and Tiller have shown up on the field thus far in their careers indicate that they will require more time to grow and learn. It might get ugly if Anderson is forced to switch to Tiller or Conover during the first several weeks of the season, or at any other time. However, it’s at least preferable to walk-ons or emergency quarterbacks with zero
The quarterback competition that Tiller and Conover are expected to have next spring and autumn is what potentially excites fans about their signings. Both still have a lot of potential to be among the Mountain West’s elite quarterbacks after a year under Anderson’s system.
After all, they were both highly regarded prospects just out of high school. This year’s third and fourth quarterback options will have more than enough talent to carry them through, and Aggie supporters will be thrilled when the 2025 season approaches.