Arizona State football names Trenton Bourguet spring starter; QB competition open

TEMPE — Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham on Thursday said incumbent starter Trenton Bourguet will be QB1 when spring football practice begins.

“Trenton’s going to take the first snap at quarterback this spring because he’s deserved it and earned it,” Dillingham said.

Bourguet, a former walk-on out of Tucson’s Marana High School, played in seven games in 2022, starting five. His highlight was when he replaced starter Emory Jones against then-No. 21 Washington on Oct. 8, going 15-of-21 with 182 yards and three touchdowns. The Sun Devils upset the Huskies in a 45-38 thriller.

Bourguet finished the season with a 71.4% completion percentage, 1,490 yards, 11 touchdowns and six interceptions.

It being Bourguet’s job to lose is interesting because the Sun Devils have acquired two highly-touted quarterbacks via the transfer portal.

Former BYU and Chandler High School quarterback Jacob Conover announced his plan to head home and play for the Sun Devils on Dec. 7. Then on Monday, former Notre Dame starter Drew Pyne announced his transfer to ASU.

Conover, a 2018 Elite 11 finalist, comes to Tempe with three years of eligibility remaining. He played in five games over his three seasons at BYU, going 5-for-11 with 45 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions.

Pyne, who was named to the 2019 Elite 11, brings much more experience to Tempe. At Notre Dame this season, he played in 11 games (10 starts). He passed for 2,021 yards, completed 64.6% of his passes, threw 22 touchdowns and was intercepted just six times. He was 8-2 as a starter and has two more years of eligibility.

Pyne led the Fighting Irish to wins over three ranked teams in 2022 but it was a 38-27 loss to No. 6 USC in Notre Dame’s final regular-season game where Pyne had his best performance. He was 23-of-26 with 318 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

While Bourguet is quarterback No. 1 at the moment, Dillingham did make it clear that the position is open for competition.

“We’re going to play the best player,” Dillingham said. “I’ve told every single person that if you don’t want to come in here and compete to win the job, this is not the place you want to come to. … It’s going to be competitive, it’s going to be exciting but you better come to work every day.”

Offensive coordinator Beau Baldwin echoed ASU’s head coach.

“It’s going to be a great competition,” Baldwin said. “Trenton’s going to come out on day one of spring ball and he’s the starter. … He’s earned that and he’s a great player and a great young man. And I’ve gotten a chance to spend time with him. Where it goes from there, it’s just like any other position.

“I know a lot of people want to put stuff on the QB but at the end of the day, it’s going to be a competitive room. And we’ve got the right type of competitive people in that room to create that and that only brings out the best in all of us. And ultimately, that brings out the best in your team.”

Dillingham said that spring practice will begin sometime in March, adding he wants to wait until after spring break. This will be the first opportunity to see how the three quarterbacks match up with each other.