Colorado State football fans have been itching to know which quarterback will be under center for the first offensive snap of the new season.
With the Rams’ season opener at home against Wyoming on the horizon, the answer is no clearer now than it was during spring camp.
One of CSU’s many struggles in the 2025 season was the QB play; the team went through three different starting quarterbacks throughout the 2-10 season, finding no success with any of the players.
When head coach Jim Mora took the reins, he and his staff brought in two new players who would have a chance to lead the Rams into a new era: Hauss Hejny and K’saan Farrar.
Hejny and Farrar, the transfer QBs, have been competing since March for the starting position during the kickoff game Sept. 5 against Wyoming. Hejny is a third-year student athlete but has little experience as a starter after not attempting a pass in his freshman season at TCU and suffering a season-ending injury Week 1 in 2025 with Oklahoma State.
Hejny is a mobile quarterback known for making plays with his legs; his scrambling ability would bring a new dynamic to the Rams’ offense. Throughout spring camp and scrimmages, Hejny was the quarterback leading the starting unit a majority of the time.
Farrar, on the other hand, has a connection with Mora going back to UConn after he followed Mora to CSU during the transfer portal period. As a freshman, Farrar appeared in two games, showcasing his dual-threat ability with 84 passing yards and a rushing touchdown before deciding to use his redshirt. He now enters his redshirt freshman season competing with Hejny and looking to prove he belongs.
“The more (the quarterbacks) practice, the more they detail things out, the more they’re in competitive situations, then the better they’re going to be,” Mora said in April. “And we’ve got good players that work hard, and so they are becoming a working system.”
The Rams currently carry four other quarterbacks on the roster, including Darius Curry, Carter Emanuel, Darnell Kelly and Tommy Poholsky. Curry appeared in five games in 2025, throwing for five touchdowns and seven interceptions, and true freshman Emanuel has seen some reps throughout camp.
While there is no confirmation that the starting quarterback competition is between any two specific players, the belief since the spring has been that Hejny and Farrar are at the forefront of the competition for QB1.
“I’m gonna work my tail off until Week 1 to be the guy,” Hejny said following a spring scrimmage. “Just because that’s who I am — I’m a competitor — and no matter if I’m named the starter three weeks ago or I’m named the starter in Week 3, I’m going to keep just being the same person every day. … So I’m not gonna sit here and worry about the outcomes of me being a starter; I’m just gonna do my job every day and hope for the best.”
Both quarterbacks made the decision to transfer to CSU knowing they would be competing for the starting job, and they enter the season not having much true college game experience. Mora has been upfront with the fact that the starter will not be named until right before the season opener, giving the two QBs months of practice to show why they can lead the Rams into the Pac-12.
“It’s been easy to adjust because I know how (Mora) coaches and holds everybody to a standard,” Farrar said. “So it’s been an easy adjustment for me. … The chemistry is on and off the field with everyone. When I see everyone in the facility I chop it up with them real quick, and, on the field, I’ll tell them what I’m seeing and they’ll tell me what they’re seeing so we’re on the same page.”
Who the starting quarterback will be in Week 1 remains an important question for the team, as last season’s quarterback inconsistencies and an inability to find a full-time starter played a defining role in one of the most disastrous seasons in CSU’s recent history.
With the QB competition almost surely running down to the wire, Mora and his staff said they want to ensure a starter is chosen with the proper review and evaluation — getting this decision right could be critical to CSU’s success in the inaugural Pac-12 season.
“We don’t have to make that decision until kickoff before the first game,” Mora said in April when asked how a quarterback could separate themselves. “But I would say that the key word is consistency. Can he operate in our offense with consistency? Can he take care of the football? Can he make great decisions with the football in his hands? … And can he do all of those things on a consistent basis that we can count on as a staff?”
CSU will face off against rival Wyoming at Canvas Stadium Sept. 5 in a battle for the Bronze Boot to open the 2026 season. While which quarterback will lead the huddle for the first drive of the matchup is still up in the air, CSU Football will have the opportunity to make an immediate statement in the Rams’ new era.
Reach Devin Imsirpasic at sports@collegian.com or on social media @DImsirpasic.
