Boise State has confirmed what's been expected since the close of the Broncos' spring practice: Ryan Finley will replace Grant Hedrick as the Broncos' starting quarterback.
Coach Bryan Harsin's decision was announced at a press conference Sunday:
.@bryanharsin and @CoachDrinkwitz are joined by the Broncos' new starting quarterback, Ryan Finley. pic.twitter.com/r5Z7GmXebI
— Boise State Football (@BroncoSportsFB) August 23, 2015
A redshirt sophomore and the only quarterback on the Broncos' roster to have seen game action, Finley opened up what Harsin had called a "big gap" between himself and challengers Brett Rypien, Tommy Stuart and Alex Ogle earlier in the year.
"He’s a very accurate thrower,” Broncos offensive coordinator Eliah Drinkwitz said Sunday, according to the Idaho Statesman. “He’s gotten better with his feel in the pocket and a good decision-maker. ... In Friday’s scrimmage he made a lot of really, really good decisions in situational football."
Finley still faces a pair of pending misdemeanor charges stemming from an April arrest in which the underage Phoenix, Ariz., native was allegedly in possession of alcohol, but per the Statesman Harsin has said Finley won't face suspension.
After Hedrick led the Broncos to a surprising Fiesta Bowl championship in 2014, and with many expecting Boise to repeat as the designated Group of Five representative in this season's New Year's Six bowls, Finley steps into a situation with no shortage of pressure. He appeared in five games in 2014 as senior Hedrick's backup, completing 12-of-27 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.
