How Eason's Decision Impacts Washington at Quarterback in 2020
SEATTLE – For the second consecutive season Washington will begin next fall without knowing who its starting quarterback will be heading into this offseason.
On Thursday, junior starter Jacob Eason announced his decision to forego his final year of eligibility and declare for the 2020 NFL Draft – as expected – which opens the door for one of three players to take the reigns.
Redshirt sophomore Jacob Sirmon, redshirt freshman Dylan Morris and true freshman Ethan Garbers are all expected to compete for the Huskies starting QB job in 2020. All three are former four-star recruits with the two former signal-callers being from the state of Washington.
Garbers, the Huskies QB signee for the 2020 class out of Corona Del Mar High School in Newport Beach, California, is slated to enroll in March to get a head start on his college career.
With UW hiring a new offensive coordinator for next season all three players effectively will begin with a clean slate. Head coach Jimmy Lake has made it clear that he wants to feature a more aggressive, attacking offense moving forward.
Sirmon, a 6-foot-5 and 234-pounder, signed with the Huskies out of Bothell HS (Bothell, Washington) in the 2018 class as the No. 7 ranked pro-style QB based on Rivals’ rankings.
He was the No. 139 overall recruit, the second-highest rated of the three quarterbacks, ahead of Morris (No. 177 overall in 2019) and behind Garbers (No. 93 overall in 2020). Both Morris and Garbers were ranked as the No. 5 pro-style QB in their respective classes.
With Eason no longer in the room Sirmon is expected to be the No. 1 QB once spring practices begin in three months, given the sophomore was the go-to backup option behind Eason this season.
When UW does open camp up in March one player – Ethan Garbers – will be a part of the rotation that wasn’t in 2019. While Garbers will be entering the competition playing from behind, the idea of starting a true freshman isn’t out of the question.
Garbers has one element to his game that neither Morris or Sirmon have showed thus far, and that is his ability to run without being a true dual-threat quarterback.
“A pro-style that can get offenses out of poor situations,” Garbers told TheDawgReport.com. “My running ability is used in bad situations. Thrower first, run when needed.”
As a senior, Garbers rushed for twice as many touchdowns (12) as he threw interceptions (6) while the signal-caller finished with more rushing scores (18) than picks (15).
In addition to protecting the ball and finding the end zone with his legs, Garbers also threw 71 touchdowns this season to finish his high school career with 128 passing TD.
Garbers ended his senior year with a CIF State Championship and 16-0 record for the Sea Kings.
His drive to compete is at the core of who Garbers is, both on and off the field. When he isn’t putting work in on the field he’s breaking down film to sharpen his mind.
“Watching film is the key,” he said. “Every game I try and know the defense more than I know myself. Countless hours watching film is how you avoid bad situations.”