You could say the QB room in Fresno was looking like a game of musical chairs ever since Mikey Keene packed his bags for Michigan. New head coach Matt Entz had a decision to make, and Fresno State Bulldog fans weren’t exactly chillin’ while they waited. The whole situation had the Valley buzzing: who was gonna be QB1? Was it the battle-tested son of a Hall of Famer, or the breakout freshman from Sacramento State with an arm like a rocket launcher? Well, the wait’s—sort of—over.

According to insider Jackson Moore, Fresno State’s coaching staff has all but circled one name in sharpie. Moore didn’t mince words on July 4’s Cover 3 Podcast when Bud Elliott asked who’d be tossing the rock in 2025: “Yeah, E.J. Warner and Joshua Wood came out on top of the spring, and then Wood transferred off to Idaho. They bring in Carson Conklin from Sac State who started for the Hornets last year. So now you’re looking at probably a Warner‑Conklin competition.” Translation? With Joshua Wood off to Idaho Vandals, this is E.J.’s gig to lose. But there’s a catch.

Fresno State was low-key thrown into chaos when Jeff Tedford stepped down due to health concerns right before the 2024 season. Tim Skipper tried to steer the ship, but a 6-7 record and a bowl loss to Northern Illinois wasn’t exactly the way Bulldog fans wanted things to end. Enter Matt Entz, the 2-time FCS national champ from North Dakota State, who got hired in December. Known for his ground-and-pound style with pro-style wrinkles, Entz wasted no time in getting his QB room in order. And he had a chessboard of options.

Leading the pack is E.J. Warner, who transferred in from Rice after putting up 2,710 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, and 13 picks last season. Warner, a football brainiac with a lightning-quick release, earned his stripes at Temple in 2023 with a 3,000-yard season. However, Carson Conklin isn’t backing down. The Sac State transfer comes in hot off a Freshman All-American campaign where he threw for 2,876 yards, 28 touchdowns, and just 8 picks. He was even a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, which basically means being the “best freshman in FCS football.”

The rest of the QB room? Logan Fife is still around and knows the Bulldogs’ offense better than anyone, but he’s more of a reliable backup than a playmaker. Jayden Mandal, the hometown hero, flashed in the bowl game, but he’s still developing.

Jackson Moore added more color to the picture: “In this offense they’re going to run the ball so much that you don’t need a guy that is going to have to throw for 40 or 50 times or get to 400 yards. It’s going to be very basic, I think, for the quarterback position.”

That gives Warner the edge. You don’t need fireworks in this scheme. You need someone who won’t turn the ball over, can hit the check-downs, and run play-action like a pro. Warner checks those boxes. Moore also hinted at how the coaching staff views the pecking order going into fall: “Jayden Mandal is a local also who has played in the bowl game and is pushing as well. But probably you’re expecting Warner, who is the son of Kurt Warner, to probably with his one grad transfer year kind of lead the way here and get things rolling for coach.”

So yeah, Matt Entz hasn’t posted an official QB depth chart with Warner’s name on top—but don’t be surprised if that happens when the second August camp wraps up.

Can Fresno State make a big boy jump in 2025?

Let’s not sugarcoat it—2024 wasn’t pretty. A 6-7 record and a bowl loss to Northern Illinois was a major step back. But this program has pedigree. The last four seasons? Three bowl wins. A conference title. A top-25 finish. The Bulldogs have been quietly elite in the Group of Five world.

Matt Entz knows winning. He did it at North Dakota State like it was second nature. And he wasted no time in flipping this roster. Fresno State added impact transfers from eleven Power Four programs—Purdue, Illinois, UCLA, Utah, Maryland, Iowa, USC, Pitt, Arizona, Louisville, and Arizona State. That’s not portal fishing—that’s a net drag.

And it wasn’t just bodies—they got pieces. Warner at QB. A rebuilt receiver corps. Trenches help. Skill position depth. And all signs point to this team getting older and stronger in the right places. Fresno’s schedule? Manageable. They start at Kansas, a beatable Big 12 team. They’ll host Georgia Southern, then travel to face a rebuilding Oregon State squad. And they round out non-conference play with FCS Southern. Four games. Three should be wins. Get to 3-1? You’re cooking.

The Mountain West? Still wide open. Boise State, Air Force, and San Jose State are all solid, but none are unbeatable. And with Fresno having a top-half defense, veteran QB, and a coaching staff that knows how to win close games, the door’s wide open.

If Warner protects the football and the new run game clicks, Fresno State could be looking at 7-8 wins easily. The ceiling? A conference title.