Huskies quarterback Jacob Eason declares for NFL Draft after one season playing at UW
Washington will have another quarterback competition next season.
Huskies quarterback Jacob Eason declared for the 2020 NFL Draft on Thursday morning. Eason, a four-year junior from Lake Stevens, will forego his final season of college eligibility. A transfer from Georgia, Eason started all 13 games for UW this season. He completed 260-of-405 passes for 3,132 yards. His yardage total was the fourth-highest in UW history; his 23 touchdowns ranked sixth.
“I want to thank everyone at UW — my teammates, the coaching staff and the fans — for making these last two years so memorable,” Eason said in a release. “I’m very happy that I was able to come home and play for the Dawgs, and will always be grateful.”
Eason was the 2015 National Gatorade Player of the Year and started his college career at Georgia, where he started as a true freshman in 2016. He transferred to UW after missing most of the 2017 season because of an injury. He redshirted the 2018 season due to transfer rules and then beat out Jake Haener for the starting role this season. Haener then transferred to Fresno State.
“We wish Jacob nothing but the best,” said new Huskies head coach Jimmy Lake. “He was a terrific teammate who worked very hard in his two years as a Husky. I’m looking forward to watching him succeed at the next level.”
Last week, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. listed Eason as the No. 4 quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft class.
Eason became the second Husky to declare for the NFL Draft. Junior tight end Hunter Bryant announced he was leaving before last week’s Las Vegas Bowl and didn’t play in the game. Eason did play in the 38-7 victory over Boise State, completing 22-of-32 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown.
UW has two quarterbacks already on the roster in upcoming sophomore Jacob Sirmon, who served as Eason’s backup this season, and redshirt freshman Dylan Morris. The Huskies also signed incoming four-star quarterback Ethan Garbers in the Class of 2020.
Sirmon, a four-star out of Bothell, played in five total games in 2019 and completed 2-of-3 passes for 19 yards. Morris — also a four-star recruit — redshirted last season. During his career at Graham-Kapowsin, Morris completed 636-of-1,021 passes for 9,815 yards and 99 touchdowns. Garbers led Corona del Mar (Newport Beach, Calif.) to an undefeated record and a state championship this season. As a senior, he completed 341-of-490 passes for 5,035 yards, 71 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Eason’s announcement comes just days after the Huskies announced that offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan and tight end coach Jordan Paopao wouldn’t be returning to their respective positions next season.
This story was originally published December 26, 2019 at 10:37 AM.
