Football | 8/7/2025 12:00:00 PM

Utah Tech heads into the 2025 season in a position that may be considered a rarity in today's college football landscape. The Trailblazers welcomed back virtually their entire quarterback room from last season, including three signal callers who all saw a significant amount of playing time in 2024. 
 
Couple that with the fact that all four quarterbacks having had that 2024 campaign, along with two full spring camps, under second year offensive coordinator Greg Stevens, and it could be argued that Utah Tech's QB corps is primed for a breakout 2025 season. 

"I was telling the guys the other day that we've got something that a lot of the 'Power 4s' don't have, and that's we have four quarterbacks who I feel comfortable putting them into a game," Coach Stevens said. "They're all great kids and they're competing hard, and I like where all four of them are. 

"It's been a good competition and I like it because all four can play," Stevens added. "They have great camaraderie together and they really help each other out, even though they're trying to compete and win the job."
 
Reggie Graff, R-Jr., St. George, Utah/Dixie HS
Reggie Graff (6-1; 200) is Utah Tech's most seasoned quarterback heading into fall camp. The redshirt junior played in all 12 games with five starts in 2024 and led the Trailblazers in both passing (1,467) and rushing (442). 

Graff completed 128 of his 225 pass attempts with a team-high 10 touchdowns, and also tallied a team-best four rushing TDs. He was named Stats Perform FCS National Offensive Player of the Week and UAC co-Offensive Player of the Week (11/4) after he led Utah Tech to a 34-21 home upset win over then #9-ranked Central Arkansas (11/2).

Graff kept that late-season surge going with 272 yards passing and two TDs vs. West Georgia (11/16), before notching career-highs of 386 yards on 31-of-57 passing and three touchdowns (four total TDs) in the season finale at Southern Utah (11/23). 
 
"I expect Reggie to make great strides from the mental aspect and decision making, and those types of things," said Stevens. "Reggie's different than all our quarterbacks, he's got that extra gear and he's real athletic, and he's really improved in the passing game with his accuracy and his reads. I'm excited about what Reggie is going to do this year."

Deacon Hill, R-Sr., Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara HS/Wisconsin/Iowa
Deacon Hill (6-4; 247) began the 2024 as the starting quarterback, and served as the starter in four of Utah Tech's first five games before missing the remainder of the season due to injury. 

Hill threw for 412 yards in those four starts on 36-of-75 passing and two touchdowns. He went 14-of-28 for a season-high 188 yards and two touchdowns in a week two loss at UNLV (9/7).  

The redshirt senior transferred to Utah Tech from Iowa in 2024, where he started the last nine games last season and helped lead the then-nationally ranked Hawkeyes to the Big 10 West division title and a trip to the Big 10 Championship, along with a bid to the 2024 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.

Hill completed 122-of-251 passing for 1,152 yards and five touchdowns, and ran for two more scores as a Hawkeye.

"Deacon has played a lot of football and he's got the maturity, and he does a great job too in helping the other guys with some of the experiences he's had," Stevens pointed out. "Deacon has really worked hard to get himself in a lot better shape, and he's been real accurate and efficient in throwing the football."
 
Bronson Barben, R-Fr., St. George, Utah/Dixie HS
Bronson Barben (6-4; 215) appeared in four games with three starts as a true freshman in 2024 and threw for 574 yards on 58-of-114 passing and four touchdowns. 
 
Barben made his collegiate debut on the road at North Alabama (10/5), where he completed 5-of-8 passing for 137 yards and two touchdowns off the bench in his collegiate debut. That effort earned him three October starts, highlighted by a 231-yard effort on 22-of-39 passing and two scores at Eastern Kentucky (10/26).  

"Bronson is really talented physically, he's a big kid who can run, he's got real good arm talent and he's really improved," says Stevens. "He got himself into great shape and he's been real accurate so far in camp and he's making good decisions. I'm real excited about Bronson's ability and what he can become."

Skyler Cassel, R-So., Yakima, Wash./West Valley HS
Skyler Cassel (6-0; 185) rounds out the QB room this season. The redshirt sophomore, who was part of the practice squad last season, has appeared in one game over his two-plus season with the program, which came in 2023 in a road loss at Missouri State (9/23/23), against which he completed 1-of-3 passes for six yards.

Cassel prepped at West Valley HS, where he threw for 7,280 yards and 78 passing touchdowns in 22 career games played, including a Valley League record 3,728 yards and 35 touchdowns in 10 games during his senior campaign on his way to league Offensive MVP, first team all-league, and Yakima County Player of the Year honors in 2022.  

"Skyler is really intelligent," Stevens said. "About halfway through [spring camp] he really started to improve, he became a better decision maker, and he took care of the football. He's come out here this fall and has had a good camp."
 
Utah Tech kicks off its sixth season of NCAA D-I FCS play on Saturday, August 30, when the Trailblazers welcome Big Sky Conference power No. 8 UC Davis to Greater Zion Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m.