Maddux Madsen Leads Boise State With Zero Interceptions Through Seven Weeks

Perhaps a comparison that wasn’t on many of our 2026 college football bingo cards is that of Boise State’s fifth-year senior quarterback Maddux Madsen and Texas’ senior quarterback Arch Manning.

Through seven weeks, the two have led their teams to more wins than losses, but only one of them is potentially fighting for their job. 

This then begs the question: Is Maddux Madsen a better quarterback than Arch?

63.9% completion rate,1,295 passing yards, 7.8 yards per attempt, 11 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 17 sacks

Tim Warner, Getty Images

It’s easy to cherry-pick underperforming Power 4 quarterbacks and compare them with a Group of 6 signal-caller. What makes the Madsen-Manning comparison interesting, though, is how far expectations for the two have diverged since the start of the season.

The Texas Longhorns were a hot pick to make a deep run in the CFP. They acquired top talent at wide receiver, head coach Steve Sarkisian’s offensive mind was supposed to hone his veteran quarterback’s skills and the roster was valued north of $40 million.

Heading into Week 1, the questions surrounding Arch had more to do with how high he’d go in the NFL draft. Today, it’s more like how high will he be on Texas’ depth chart week to week.

He has the name, the image and the likeness … Now look at Madsen.

66.3% completion rate, 1,296 passing yards, 7.8 yards per attempt, 13 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 5 sacks

Ali Gradischer, Getty Images

Here’s a guy who has won more games, thrown more touchdowns and thrown for more yards. As far as the talent around him, well it didn’t come out of a Texas-sized, 10-gallon budget.

Madsen has completed passes to 16 different receivers this year, seven of whom are either freshmen or sophomores.

Boise State has made it a point to continue to recruit out of high school and develop talent. Boise State’s solution to a young group of pass catchers is a veteran, stable leader at the quarterback position.

So where does that leave the Broncos?

Well, despite playing better than Arch, and a number of underperforming Power 4 signal-callers, Madsen isn’t at the top, but he doesn’t have to be to lead the Broncos to where they want to go.

Let's call up another case study: J.J. McCarthy.

During Michigan’s 2023 national championship run, the Wolverines built a roster whose entire identity was physicality and ball control.

Maddie Meyer, Getty Images

During that season, McCarthy threw for 2,991 yards, 22 touchdowns and four interceptions. Madsen is on pace to surpass McCarthy’s yardage and touchdown totals while protecting the ball at an even higher level.

Michigan didn’t ask McCarthy to win a championship with his arm, they just needed him to not lose it for them, and he succeeded in that endeavor.

The very next year, a little-known school in Idaho with blue turf announced a Heisman candidate at running back in Ashton Jeanty.

That year, despite the ungodly number of carries Jeanty had, Madsen still threw for 3,018 yards, 23 touchdowns and six interceptions and helped Boise State become the first Group of 6 team to enter the 12-team College Football Playoff. 

Christian Petersen, Getty Images

Not bad.

This year, the Broncos look to replicate that success with Madsen, Dylan Riley and Sire Gaines, and it seems things are going smoothly after half a season as the Broncos are 5-1 and ranked No. 21 in the AP Poll ahead of Week 8.

Boise State doesn’t need Superman under center every Saturday. It needs a quarterback who protects the ball, knows the offense and wins games. Maddux Madsen has done all three.