It is customary for the Boise State football team to conduct a “call list” after the last practice game of fall camp. Each player meets with the coaches and learns where they stand on the rankings as the opening game of the season approaches.

This year’s roll call took place on a scorching Sunday in mid-August, the day after that practice game – the same day that a team hike up Table Rock in brutal heat continued.

Boise State coach Spencer Danielson kept a low profile in the battle for the Broncos’ starting quarterback. But when redshirt quarterback Maddux Madsen walked into Danielson’s office that Sunday morning, he wasn’t nervous.

Madsen, who has had limited participation in spring training due to knee surgery, told reporters Tuesday morning that he plans to be a starter.

“At that point, I felt like I had done everything I could, so I went with it,” Madsen said. “And it was a good conversation, easy and quick.”

Madsen edged out redshirt freshman Malachi Nelson to earn the starting job for the opening game at Georgia Southern (Saturday, 2 p.m. Mountain Time). Nelson, a former five-star recruit and ESPN’s top-rated player in the country during his senior year of high school, transferred to Boise State in the spring from USC, where he played in just one game.

Many fans and college football experts had expected Nelson – who had offers from teams like Alabama, Michigan and Georgia when he chose USC and was then targeted by many of the big-name universities in the transfer portal – to take the starting spot.

Instead, Madsen – a three-star recruit out of high school, according to ESPN – won his second QB battle in as many years. Last season, Madsen replaced Taylen Green as the starter before a home game against New Mexico – the same game in which he suffered the knee injury. Green is expected to start for Arkansas in the SEC this season.

“It’s a big deal, right? But I also have my own confidence,” Madsen said. “I know what kind of player I am and things like that. And when there are so many people around me, how could I not have confidence?”

Danielson and offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter have cited Madsen’s understanding of the offense as a key reason he took the job. Koetter on Monday described Madsen as an “extremely smart” player who “knows the system inside and out.”

Madsen said many of the terms from last year when Bush Hamdan was coordinator have been retained, which helped him learn Koetter’s offense faster. He said he’s also become a better leader as he’s gotten older and more confident.

One of the criticisms people have of Madsen is his size. Boise State lists him at 5’10” and 200 pounds. The average size of a Division I college quarterback is 6’2″, according to data from MaxPreps.

But criticism doesn’t bother Madsen. He says he rarely checks social media or listens to what others say about him.

“Football is football and height is no big deal to me,” Madsen said. “A lot of people talk about (height) like it’s their favorite topic, but some of the best quarterbacks of all time are under 6 feet tall.”

He referred to former New Orleans Saints quarterback and future NFL Hall of Famer Drew Brees, who is listed as 6’0″.

“Growing up, I was a huge Drew Brees fan. He was so much fun to watch and a real star,” Madsen said. “The best way to put it is: Each of them plays quarterback in their own way. And that’s how I see myself. I just play quarterback in my own way and my size doesn’t affect the way I play.”

Now that he’s won the battle for the quarterback title, Madsen has set his sights on his goals for this season for himself and the team. He said he looks back at the accomplishments of Boise State’s quarterbacks in the past, guys like Kellen Moore – who at 6’1″ and 190 pounds made a lot of throws even for his size. Moore wasn’t an imposing figure, but all he did was post a 50-3 record as a starter and become a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.

Madsen said he’s also been playing golf in recent weeks and hanging out with Taylor Tharp and Jared Zabranksy. Zabransky led the Broncos to an undefeated record in 2006 and a stunning victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1, 2007. Tharp was the starter in 2007.

“We talk about the last few years of Boise State football and it wasn’t the expectations that everybody had,” Madsen said. “I mean, 12-0 is what it comes down to. And these guys have done a great job of that. That’s the position I need to be in to get back to where we once were.”

Boise State vs. Georgia Southern

• When: 14:00 MT Saturday

• Where: Paulson Stadium (25,000, turf), Statesboro, Georgia

• TV: ESPNU (Mike Corey, Rene Ingoglia)

• Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)

• Records: Boise State was 8-6 last year; Georgia Southern was 6-7.

• Series: This is the first meeting between the two schools.

• Vegas Line: Boise State with 13

• Weather: 93 degrees, humidity 62%, mostly sunny, 30% chance of rain