Weber State’s quarterback situation improved drastically when Kylan Weisser removed his name from the transfer portal this winter and decided to stay at WSU.

That gives the Wildcats a fifth-year junior with 19 games, 62 completions, 711 passing yards, 139 rushing yards, six passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns of experience they otherwise wouldn’t have headed into the 2023 season.

His years on the team, including the most experience from last year’s offense under now-head coach Mickey Mental, make the 6-foot-3 Weisser an obvious frontrunner for the starting job entering fall camp.

Weisser didn’t play much behind Bronson Barron last year, the latter who has since transferred to Western Kentucky. But Barron got shaken up in the playoff loss at Montana State and Weisser, in about one half of football, threw 9 of 13 for 111 yards and two touchdowns.

“He had a fantastic offseason, really leaned out and I feel good about where he’s at,” Mental said about Weisser to open camp.

But just because Weisser is an obvious frontrunner doesn’t mean the job is his.

“You always want competition. That’s what you strive for as a position coach,” Mental said. “Coach (Zach) Larson … does a fantastic job of evaluating and tracking. Me and him are big into data and how we’re processing that data from an analytical side and a production side.”

So fall camp will be a balancing act in getting the offense dialed in for the season and getting seven quarterbacks enough reps to create that competition, and the resulting data, needed to pick the right guy.

The man with the next-most game experience is third-year sophomore Creyton Cooper, who totaled five touchdowns (three rushing, two passing) as a true freshman in 2021.

Two other quarterbacks were with the Wildcats last season but did not appear in games and redshirted: junior Brian Harper, a transfer from Butte College, and Jakob Hollingshaus, a California walk-on.

“Brian Harper had a good spring and Creyton is coming back, he’s had game experience, so it’s always nice having those guys in the fold,” Mental said.

There’s lots of hope, though, that true freshman Richie Munoz can be a factor, either sooner or later.

Munoz is a three-star signee who had just about every team in the Mountain West Conference try to pry him away from his verbal commitment to Weber State before he signed in February.

And why not? The QB from Covina, California, lit up the field at Charter Oaks High School. As a senior, he threw for 2,994 yards on a 66.4% completion rate over 11 games (though not always for four quarters in several blowouts), totaling 40 touchdowns to just three interceptions.

Also contending: true freshman Tiger Adolpho, the former Idaho player of the year who was with WSU in spring camp after returning from missionary service. Oh, and another three-star-rated QB in Dylan Gutierrez out of California is in the mix.

“We’ve got a bunch of young cats … who I like. Now it’s about how do we get reps and manage that?” Mental said. “But you want competition, it’s only going to make them better and I’m very excited to see how that plays out.”

Weber State’s offense took a step forward last year under Mental when it comes to consistent explosiveness, and also improved some in the red zone. So no matter who is at QB, the new head coach thinks good things are in store as the Wildcats will boast a veteran offensive line and starting tight end, experienced, dynamic running backs and some young players at receiver hungry to make an impact.

“Being in a Year 2 offense, the growth potential is tremendous. It’s the same terminology, it’s the same maturation process — kind of like you get between Week 1 and Week 2, which is usually your biggest jump during a season,” Mental said. “So I’m excited to see those guys and the offense in general, from the first year to the second year, keeping the same system, keeping the same coaches, it’s vital. I have a really good stable of offensive coaches to help me.”

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