For quarterbacks looking for an opportunity to start at the FBS level, Idaho has recently granted those opportunities.
It was the case with transfers in to the program such as Brian Reader and Dominique Blackman, and was the case with a five-year walk-on in Logan Bushnell who earned his shot during his senior season.
Idaho’s newest junior college signee at the position certainly applies.
Anthony Neyer signed a Letter of Intent with Idaho a few weeks ago with hopes of becoming its newest starting quarterback. Neyer spent last season at LA Pierce College in Los Angeles — prior to that Neyer spent two years as a preferred walk-on at USC.
“Anthony has great talent,” coach Paul Petrino said. “He throws a nice ball with a great release. We are very excited to have him join the team in January and compete for the quarterback job.”
Petrino said he was looking to bring in a junior college quarterback to compete for the starting job, but originally didn’t anticipate bringing one in until the fall.
Instead, Neyer enrolled in January and will be actively involved in the quarterback competition in spring football between returning senior Taylor Davis and redshirt freshmen Chad Chalich and Austin DeCoud.
The opportunity to start in the FBS is something Neyer has worked toward since he switched to the position from wide receiver his junior year of high school.
Neyer transferred to Xavier Prep for his junior season, an at-the-time new private school in Palm Desert, Calif., which was looking for a quarterback.
“Coming over his junior year he did real well working the drills, when you saw him there he looked ideal,” Xavier Prep coach Darrell Lewis said. “But when he got on the field he had learning to do, things only game experience can give you.”
Through his second year Lewis said he saw improvement, and potential.
“As far as I was concerned with only two years under him the sky was the limit,” he said.
Out of high school Neyer didn’t get the FBS offers he hoped for, though the first twist in the road came when USC coach Lane Kiffin called Xavier Prep during spring break while Neyer was away on a missionary trip to El Salvador.
“He said he really liked what he saw and wanted to offer me a preferred walk-on with an opportunity to earn a scholarship after the second year,” Neyer said. “I kind of soaked it all up, did my best to learn everything I could, and the second year got some playing positions over other scholarship guys.”
Neyer redshirted his first season and was able to get on the field late in a 2011 blowout win over Washington, the only time he’d make a game appearance for USC.
The next twist in his career came in early 2012 when USC quarterback Matt Barkley announced he would return for his senior season.
“I knew I wanted to be playing ball, I didn’t want to put it off for another year,” Neyer said. ” I wanted to be able to be put on scholarship, the scholarship didn’t open up (at USC) with the sanctions.”
Neyer didn’t exactly find that opportunity the following season at LA Pierce either, playing behind freshman Nick Arbuckle most of the season.
“The biggest thing he was struggling with was wanted to perform well to get a scholarship,” Lewis said. “His attention needs to be winning games and opportunities will present themselves.”
That opportunity was presented to him when Idaho quarterbacks coach Bryce Erickson made a recruiting stop at LA Pierce College, something Neyer had no idea was going to take place.
“I had received a phone call from my head coach to come in and talk with Weber State, I actually came up to the office to talk to Weber State,” Neyer said. “I saw coach Erickson walk in, didn’t think too much of it.”
Neyer saw his opportunity and joined in the conversation Erickson was having with other LA Pierce players.
“I just jumped in the conversation and everything clicked. Coach Erickson is a really awesome guy,” Neyer said. “I showed him my film from when I was playing at USC, he really liked it. That all happened within about three hours and I ended up going on my official visit that weekend.”
The challenge for Neyer, and Idaho for that matter, is how being relatively inexperienced will affect him. Neyer, who will be a redshirt junior, hasn’t regularly started since his senior year of high school. At USC most of his repetitions came in practice.
“I really think working on my arm strength, becoming bigger, stronger, smarter as a football player and as a leader, that’s made all the difference in the world for me,” Neyer said.
The only player on Idaho’s roster with experience starting in FBS is Davis, who started games in 2011 and 2012. Chalich suited up and traveled with the team last season, while DeCoud ran the scout team.
“I’m excited, I don’t know what the leadership is looking like on the team but everything I’ve been I’ve been a leader,” Neyer said. “Not because I go in and tell everybody I am, it’s because I show it, getting to that point because I work my tail off.”
Sean Kramer can be reached at [email protected]