Fresno State ends 3-way quarterback competition. Hall of Famer’s son to start

After repping three quarterbacks through the first two weeks of fall camp, Fresno State coach Matt Entz has settled on one.

Senior E.J. Warner, a transfer from Rice, will start the Bulldogs’ Aug. 23 opener at Kansas, outlasting redshirt sophomores Carson Conklin and Jayden Mandel in a competition Entz said was extremely close.

“We tried to keep all the analytics, all the metrics that were required, but also there’s always some intangibles, too, that go along with it,” Entz said Monday. “E.J. has done a great job with the communication piece, with the leadership piece. Poise, as far as just the experience that he provides to our offense, was critical.

“But it was super close, and I told both Jayden and Carson that they have to push him every day. I don’t want E.J. to get comfortable. That’s the last thing this program needs right now, is someone at the quarterback position just thinking they’re owed something. I don’t want to call it a short leash, but we’re going to be making sure that he’s executing and operating at a satisfactory level as we get ready for Kansas.”

Warner, the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, was not made available for media interviews on Monday following practice.

The question now is whether Warner can elevate a Fresno State offense that lacks experience in its outside receivers group while operating behind a suspect offensive line.

In his three seasons as a starting quarterback — two at Temple and one at Rice — Warner has a 9-22 record, and two of those victories were against FCS (football championship subdivision) opponents.

The offenses Warner has led have never averaged 23 points per game — Rice scored 22.2 per game last season and Temple averaged 21.1 and 21.9 in 2023 and ‘22; they ranked 112th, 109th and 105th in the nation in scoring offense.

Warner also ranked in the Top 10 in the nation in interceptions thrown in all three seasons. Interestingly, 25 of his 37 career picks have been thrown from clean pockets with no pressure, according to Pro Football Focus.

Entz did not rule out utilizing more than quarterback week to week in game planning. He did not state whether Conklin or Mandal was No. 2 on the depth chart.

“I’m not going to get too much into game-planning, but if we have three young men that can help us win, I’d be silly not to be able to utilize them,” Entz said. “It wouldn’t be my first time maybe toying with having the opportunity to have two quarterbacks on the field or maybe having a series or a package for somebody else.”