Boise State QB commit CJ Tiller nearly gave football up for good
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. (BVM) 鈥� is a three-star quarterback committed to play in the Mountain West Conference at Boise State, but just a few years ago, his health required him to think about a future without football.
Crohn鈥檚 disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation of the digestive tract which can lead to abdominal pain, fatigue, weight loss and malnutrition. The disease kept Tiller off the football field from fifth grade through the eighth grade.
鈥淒octors were telling me how severe of a case I had and things weren鈥檛 really playing out the way we wanted,鈥� Tiller said. 鈥淢y family and I had a discussion and we didn鈥檛 know if football was going to be the route.
鈥淚 started looking at other professions and now I really want to be a doctor so when I go to school, I鈥檓 going to be a GI (gastrointestinal) doctor just because of my disease. But that鈥檚 something I was looking into because I didn鈥檛 think football was going to be the way for me.鈥�
During this period of severe uncertainty, Tiller鈥檚 fate flipped on October 15, 2018. He remembers the exact date because it was the 鈥渂iggest surgery鈥� of his life, literally and figuratively.
The procedure didn鈥檛 improve Tiller鈥檚 condition right away, he said, but things began to progressively change for the better from that point.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 kind of when I realized that I might have a shot of playing again,鈥� Tiller said. 鈥淪o, really, my freshman year was my first true year of playing football and the rest is history from there.鈥�
For anybody who watched Tiller on the gridiron last fall, there was no telling that he played his first official season of football just two years prior. He completed 68% of his passes for 2,458 yards and 27 touchdowns as a junior for Williams Field High School. Tiller threw for at least three touchdowns on five separate occasions and led the Blackhawks to a 10-3 record.
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The 6-foot-3 QB credits the team鈥檚 elite chemistry for a productive season that had state championship potential.
鈥淚 think we had one of the deepest and purest connections on and off the field with each other,鈥� Tiller said of the Blackhawks鈥� 2021 season. 鈥淲e had great talent, I could name off several guys who are going to play Division I football, but it wasn鈥檛 that. We all clicked on a different level and we played together.
鈥淣obody was an individual because that鈥檚 what a lot of teams will do these days. You get a five-star guy on your team and you depend on him. We had three- and four-star guys on our team and we all looked at each other as 鈥榥o stars鈥� and played for each other and that鈥檚 what wins football games.鈥�
Tiller will have to work hard to recreate the culture he helped build at Williams Field after transferring to Rancho Cucamonga (CA) this offseason for his senior year. It鈥檒l be a tall task to acclimate himself into a new state, school and team, but part of what makes Tiller an elite QB is his natural leadership.
鈥淚 think something that separates me from a lot of other guys is my leadership and I talk about this and act upon it differently than everybody else,鈥� Tiller said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 something about me on the field when you watch me that I have control of every situation and I never let the moment get too big.
鈥淲hen I came in there (Rancho), I knew I could become that leader right away and I think guys gravitated towards me pretty easily. It鈥檚 building a culture now for the younger kids and the younger classes that come through the next couple of years. I want to create that culture and do everything differently than what they鈥檝e done the last couple of years and change it up in our own way.鈥�
The move from Gilbert, Arizona to Rancho Cucamonga, California was prompted by Tiller鈥檚 father who is a custom home designer. Instead of being apart for weeks at a time while Tiller鈥檚 father works on homes in Southern California, the family decided to make the move to San Bernardino County.
The Cougars, who finished 6-6 last season under first-year head coach Brian Hildebrand, will now feature a Division I QB in Tiller who still has plenty of facets of his game he wants to refine. One of those areas is playing within the offense more rather than relying heavily on his innate ability to create plays out of the pocket and off schedule.
鈥淪omething I really want to improve upon this year is staying true to my reads, seeing the full field and trusting everybody is going to get to their spot, especially coming over to a new team with great athletes,鈥� Tiller said. 鈥淚 want everybody on my team to win so whatever I have to do to put us in that position, that鈥檚 what I鈥檒l do.
鈥淚 think we have a very high-ceiling team this year where we can do a lot of great things in California and shock the state.鈥�
Tiller has one final high school football season left before his time in the Mountain West commences and he couldn鈥檛 be any more excited for it.
Despite early offers from Northern Arizona, San Jose State and Utah State with many more likely to come, Tiller shut down his recruiting early following a visit to Boise State in the spring. The Arizona native immediately fell in love with the natural beauty of Boise and the kindness of its people.
Tiller鈥檚 father made the 15-hour drive from Arizona to Boise for the visit and once Bronco fans realized who his son was, they paid for his gas.
鈥淭o me, I was like, 鈥榃ow, that鈥檚 ridiculous; that鈥檚 crazy,鈥欌�� Tiller said of the nice gesture from Boise State fans. 鈥淚t shows a lot about the fanbase here and as I grew on Twitter and built that connection with the community of Boise, it was just like you can鈥檛 beat it.
鈥淚鈥檓 not a guy that鈥檚 chasing 30-plus offers and wanting all these things, you know, I鈥檝e been an underdog my whole life so why don鈥檛 I just shut my recruiting down and commit? I have everything I need in a football program right there. They鈥檙e letting me play my style and that鈥檚 all I can ask for so I didn鈥檛 want to sit back and wait for 18 more offers to come in. I鈥檓 not going to wait back and try to get all this fame; it鈥檚 not me.鈥�
Tiller is the first QB the Broncos offered in the current cycle and the first pledge in Boise State鈥檚 2023 class. He鈥檒l be counted on to help the Broncos build a strong group after they finished 7-5 (5-3 MWC) a season ago.
Stacking Mountain West titles is at the forefront of Tiller鈥檚 mind when the time comes, but he鈥檚 also focused on continuing to hone his craft.
鈥淭he biggest thing that I鈥檝e been told by someone is don鈥檛 become a thrower; there鈥檚 a lot of throwers in the world, but there鈥檚 not a lot of quarterbacks and there鈥檚 a fine line difference between a thrower and a quarterback,鈥� Tiller said. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 what Coach (Tim) Plough is going to transform me into.
鈥淚鈥檓 becoming a quarterback but there鈥檚 so much to learn about the game that a lot of people think they know it all already but I don鈥檛 think I know anything at all. I have the basics down and I think I know a lot more than a lot of high school quarterbacks, but Coach Plough is really, really going to harp on pushing me to become a quarterback and that鈥檚 what I love.鈥�
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