Boise State’s quarterback depth took a hit on Tuesday when the Orlando Sentinel revealed that Nick Patti asked for and was granted a release from his scholarship so he can transfer to another school.
At 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds, Patti is an undersized passer with excellent mobility. He made the trek to Boise in 2012 after starring at Dr. Phillips High in Orlando and looked to be in the mold of past Bronco quarterbacks -- scrappy and fearless, with a knack for making plays.
But Patti was embroiled in a stiff quarterback competition at Boise and wound up redshirting his first season. He played sparingly as a 2013 redshirt freshman, completing 8 of 11 passes for 63 yards and no touchdowns. A brief suspension before the Hawaii Bowl (he was later reinstated in time for the game) brought his freshman year to an ignominious end.
Patti will transfer immediately and will likely have to sit out the 2014 season. The Sentinel speculated that his destination could be hometown UCF now that Blake Bortles has moved on to the NFL.
As for Boise State, it was probably going to go with senior Grant Hedrick as its starter in 2014 anyway, but with Joe Southwick graduating and Patti transferring, that leaves freshman Ryan Finley as the only other scholarship quarterback on the roster. The Broncos will need to sign at least two quarterbacks this recruiting cycle if they want to avert a potential disaster in 2015.
