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UW Huskies QB Jacob Eason declares for NFL Draft

Dec 26, 2019, 11:14 AM | Updated: 12:25 pm

UW Huskies QB Jacob Eason...

UW Huskies quarterback Jacob Eason has declared for the 2020 NFL Draft. (Getty)

(Getty)

After much speculation as to his future, UW Huskies quarterback Jacob Eason announced on Twitter Thursday morning that he will be entering the 2020 NFL Draft.

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“Playing this season for the University of Washington has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. UW has given me an incredible opportunity to develop as a football player and as a person, and I am forever grateful to be a Husky,” a photo Eason posted said. “After contemplating my future with my family and coaches, I have decided to forego my (fifth) year of college and enter the 2020 NFL Draft. The opportunity to play quarterback in the NFL has been a lifelong dream, and my heart is set on the challenge ahead.”

Eason was a prep star at Lake Stevens High School in Lake Stevens, Washington and quickly rose to national prominence as one of the best players in the 2016 recruiting class. He was considered by many to be the best quarterback recruit in the country. He was named Gatorade Football Player of the Year in 2015 and signed with the University of Georgia in 2014.

He enrolled at the university early and was named the starting quarterback as a freshman for the third game of the season and held the role for the rest of the year. He finished his freshman campaign with 2,430 yards and 16 touchdowns with eight interceptions.

Returning as a sophomore, he started the season opener but left with a knee injury. Highly recruited freshman Jake Fromm entered the game and would end up playing the rest of the season, even after Eason got healthy.

Eason announced after his sophomore year that he was transferring to the University of Washington. Due to NCAA rules, he sat out the 2018 season and he redshirted to maintain maximum eligibility.

In the leadup to the 2019 season, Eason, now a redshirt junior, was the presumed starter, but coaches maintained he was in a quarterback battle with Jake Haener. Eason won the battle and Haener transferred to Fresno State.

Eason started every game for the Huskies and for both him and the team, it was somewhat of a disappointment. The Huskies were the defending PAC-12 champions and were coming off an appearance in the Rose Bowl, but UW finished the season 8-5, dropping games to PAC-12 opponents Oregon, Stanford, California, Colorado, and Utah.

Eason flashed at times but was fairly inconsistent. He finished the year with 3,132 passing yards, 23 passing touchdowns and eight interceptions. He had 210 yards and a score in UW’s Las Vegas Bowl victory over Boise State in what ended up being both Eason’s final game and UW Huskies’ head coach Chris Petersen’s final game.

Eason, who is a big man at 6’6 and has one of the strongest arms in the country, is seen as one of the top quarterback prospects in this year’s draft class. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. Has him as the fourth-best quarterback in the draft while ESPN’s Todd McShay has him as the fifth-best quarterback prospect.

With Eason and Petersen leaving, the Huskies will have both a new head coach and a new quarterback.

Co-defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake is the new Huskies’ head coach, and the Huskies had three other quarterbacks on the roster after Eason – junior Blake Gregory, freshman Dylan Morris and redshirt freshman Jacob Sirmon. The Huskies also signed four-star quarterback Ethan Garbers.

Lake, in a press release from UW shortly after Eason posted his decision on Twitter, said he was happy for Eason.

“We wish Jacob nothing but the best,” said 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.”

Eason is joined by tight end Hunter Bryant as someone who is forgoing eligibility to enter the NFL Draft. Bryant finished the year as the team’s leading receiver with 825 yards and three touchdowns.

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