BYU QB Commit Nolan Keeney Will Attend BYU's Season Opener Against Southern Illinois

Casey Lundquist | Aug 31, 2024

BYU Offensive Coordinator Aaron Roderick / BYU Photo

On Saturday night, BYU kicks off the 2024 season against the Southern Illinois Salukis. One of BYU's most important commits, quarterback Nolan Keeney, will be in attendance for the game.

Can’t wait to get down to Provo for Week 1. #gocougs

— Nolan Keeney (@NolanKeeney5) August 31, 2024

Keeney is one of a handful of BYU targets that will be in attendance.

Keeney committed to BYU back in June. He picked the Cougars over competing scholarship offers from Houston, Boise State, Nevada, San Diego State, Colorado State, Utah State, and a handful of FCS programs. Keeney had been on BYU's radar for months, but it wasn't until mid May whenhe picked up an offer from BYU.

His offer came at a significant time. Prior to the Keeney offer, every quarterback that BYU had offered in the 2025 class had committed to another school. With no more players on the board, BYU's offensive staff was patient and deliberate before deciding which quarterback to offer next. Keeney, a native of Portland, Oregon, was the quarterback that rose to the top of the list and became BYU's top priority.

Aaron Roderick got his guy.

Keeney has ideal size at 6'4 and 215 pounds. In a junior season that was limited by injury, he threw for 2,460 yards and 28 touchdowns while completing 73% of his passes. He averaged an impressive 19.7 yards per attempt. He wouldn't be classified as a true dual-threat quarterback by any means, but defenses do have to account for his running ability. He ran for 500 yards on the ground as a junior.

Junior Year Highlights
(7 Games Played)
28 TDs
2460 Yards
91/125 (73%) Completion@BrandonHuffman @AndrewNemec @TualatinHSFB @JordanJ_ @teamlillard7on7 @flyguyhuey5 https://t.co/H3ulKZ731t

— Nolan Keeney (@NolanKeeney5) November 29, 2023

Keeney has a big arm and he has a knack for hitting receivers in stride downfield. He isn't a statue in the pocket either. He can scramble around and make plays off schedule using his legs. His release is slightly unorthodox, but he is able to throw accurately both in a clean pocket and on the run.

Whether it was Keeney or another quarterback, BYU had to get the quarterback position right in the 2025 class. BYU's 2025 class needs not only a quarterback, but a quarterback that can become a starter over the next few years at BYU.

Time will tell if Nolan Keeney can become that guy for BYU, but it's hard to disagree with BYU's strategy in this circumstance. For one, Keeney is the top LDS quarterback in the 2025 recruiting class. Second, he holds competing offers from a handful of programs that have had a lot of success at quarterback. Third, he was very productive when healthy as a junior.