Weber State University’s football quarterback Kylan Weisser was headed to the gym on the morning of Jan. 3. Staying in his home state of Arizona over winter break, Weisser talked with his parents, grandparents and girlfriend the night before. It was then that he made his decision.

Sitting in his car, Weisser called the Wildcats’ head coach, Mickey Mental. Mental didn’t pick up, but he texted Weisser and informed the quarterback that he’d call back soon. Weisser called his father while he waited.

“He’s like, ‘Are you sure this is what you want to do?'” Weisser said. “I said, ‘Of course. This is always what I wanted. I never wanted to leave in the first place.'”

Moments later, Mental called back.

“He goes, ‘Alright, so we done?'” Weisser said. “I said, ‘Yes sir. We’re done.”

After making phone calls and working out, Weisser tweeted that he’d be coming back to the Wildcats for the 2023 season.

“It’s just a great atmosphere being here,” Weisser said. “No place I’d rather be.”

Since 2018, Weisser’s been a backup quarterback for Weber State. In that role, he threw for 711 yards and played 19 games.

Taking the backseat to former quarterback Bronson Barron after 2020, Weisser said the relationship between the two was interesting.

“Obviously, there was always that, ‘Hey, I’m better than this guy. I should be the one that’s starting,'” Weisser said. “That’s no disrespect to him whatsoever because he was a fantastic quarterback. That was just me being the competitive person that I am, and I’m sure if you ask anybody else in the country that backs up any position on the field, they think that they’re better and they’re the ones that want to be on the field helping the team.”

One of Weisser’s most notable performances was one against Montana State University during an FCS playoff game on Dec. 3.

Stepping in for an injured Barron, Weisser completed nine of 13 passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns. While Weber State was unable to complete a comeback, Weisser led the offense to 15 points, changing the score from 33–10 to 33–25.

Believing that Barron would come back to lead the team, Weisser decided he needed to make the most of his two years of eligibility. On Dec. 7, he announced on Twitter that he was entering the transfer portal.

“Being a player at Weber State has been absolutely amazing, and I have learned so much from everyone here,” Weisser said in a note attached to the tweet. “With that being said, I have talked it over with my family over many days, and I have decided to enter the transfer portal with two years of eligibility left.”

Weisser described the experience of entering the transfer portal and looking for new opportunities as terrifying.

“Going into it, it was really scary because I didn’t know,” Weisser said. “I was leaving a full-ride scholarship to have a chance at two degrees, and then hopefully a master’s degree, to potentially just be out of luck and go back home and start working.”

While in the portal, Weisser said he got multiple offers with around seven or eight coming from FCS schools. Of those FCS programs, Weisser said one team who reached out to him was Weber State’s Big Sky conference rival, Idaho State University, who called just after Weisser had gotten off the phone with Mental.

On Dec. 14, Barron also released a tweet stating he was entering the transfer portal. After going to the zoo to see a Christmas lights display with his girlfriend, Weisser was contacted by his roommate, Wildcat running back Kris Jackson. After Jackson told him the news, Weisser immediately called Mental.

“I was like, ‘Hey, so what’s the deal?” Weisser said. “He goes, ‘I want you back, but I don’t want to put you in the same position as the interim head coach. I have to be the guy that’s looking for the best opportunity for this team.’”

Mental and Weisser kept in communication after the call. Once they’d made their decision in January, Weisser contacted every coach that had spoken with him and let them know he’d be returning to the Wildcats.

On March 16, Weber State started spring training, giving Weisser an opportunity to work with the new offense against the Wildcats’ elite defense.

“I’m the luckiest quarterback in the FCS because every single day, I get to play against the best defense in the FCS,” Weisser said. “I don’t care what anybody says. That’s my opinion, and I’m sticking to it because we have a linebacker core that is to be reckoned with, we have a defensive line that can get penetration on pretty much any offense and we have a defensive back core that can cover the field in three seconds.”

Last season, Weber State recorded 15 interceptions, 29 sacks and 137 stops on third down. Weisser said that playing against the team’s defense has fine-tuned the offense and helped him become a better quarterback.

“That’s one of the things that a lot of great quarterbacks talk about,” Weisser said. “Being able in practice to test your limits and see, ‘Hey, can I fit this ball in this certain coverage?”

On offense, Weisser said he’s looking forward to playing behind an experienced line that’s adding new talent. Taking over the tight end position from All-Big Sky honors player Justin Malone, Weisser said Hayden Meacham is someone who can do it all.

“He can block when you need him to block. He knows every single one of his assignments,” Weisser said. “You don’t have to question him. He does everything on and off the field completely right.”

While at Weber State, Weisser’s goal is to help the team win an FCS title. After losing to the Bobcats in the second round of the playoffs, he said the Wildcats have something to prove.

“We have a chip on our shoulder from last season,” Weisser said. “We’re going to play with everything we have. We’re going to do whatever it takes to win, and I don’t think there’s anything that can stop us from getting what we want with the players and the coaches that we have on this team.”

The Wildcats will play their spring game on April 15 in Stewart Stadium at 1 p.m. The team will travel for their first game of fall to play against the University of Northern Iowa on Sept. 9 at 3 p.m.