SPORT REPORT: Quarterback candidates for UW football
When one quarterback leaves and a new one takes their place it always seems as if a completely new era is beginning for a football team. Being the most important position on the field, without the right one, the team could be in for a long season.
First-year head coach Jimmy Lake will have to make this tough decision right away since last season’s starting quarterback, Jacob Eason, left school early to enter the NFL draft — where he was eventually drafted by the Indianapolis Colts.
However, Lake has three solid options at his disposal. All lack in-game experience but possess substantial amounts of talent that could easily hold down the Husky offense. But who will actually give UW the best chance to win? With the cancellation of spring practices, it is difficult to acquire any sense of understanding regarding who will come out on top.
Jacob Sirmon: RS Sophomore, Bothell, WA
If I had to put my money on anyone at this exact moment it would be on Jacob Sirmon. Sirmon is the only quarterback of the three to see any action during a game where he served as Eason’s backup for the entirety of the season. He was mostly called in at the end of games when the score was already settled.
Being the oldest of the three also gives him a big edge in the battle. His first year he sat behind Husky great Jake Browning and added another year sitting behind now NFL quarterback Jacob Eason. Learning from these two was crucial to Sirmon’s development and should give him leadership qualities needed to be the starting quarterback.
Ethan Garbers: Freshman, Newport Beach, CA
Next to Sirmon, Garbers has the best chance to win the starting job. As we saw with Browning five years ago, some coaches will opt to go with the youngest option who can develop better with experience.
Garbers put up hefty numbers at Corona Del Mar High School, including one game in which he threw for 480 yards and eight touchdowns. His playstyle matches what Lake would want in a quarterback; he has a good pocket presence while also possessing the ability to be a great game manager.
Dylan Morris: RS Freshman, Puyallup, WA
Dylan Morris redshirted last season after committing to the Huskies as a four- star recruit out of local Graham-Kapowsin High School. Morris put up impressive numbers in high school and is considered one of the top quarterbacks to come out of Washington in recent years.
I consider Morris as the dark horse of this QB battle. Most people are only talking about Sirmon and Garbers in contention for the starting role but Morris has the talent to compete right alongside them. While Morris does lack the size a coach would normally want in a QB, he makes up for this in speed and the ability to make plays with his legs.
My starter prediction: Jacob Sirmon
Sirmon’s experience along with his elite arm talent should be enough to eventually win him the job. New offensive coordinator John Donovan will be installing a new offense so there will be a learning curve for all three quarterbacks.
“I don’t know much about anybody on the roster right now,” Donovan said in an interview with 247sports. “Everybody’s got a clean slate. I’ve seen some things from the past, we’ve watched some things for the past few years that they’ve done, but I didn’t go back and study all these guys. I put the time in of putting together a system that I’ll teach the assistants and the coaches and then the players and seeing how they can handle the learning and who can learn and, in turn, who can make plays.”
Once fall camp can finally begin it will be exciting to see which of the three steps up to meet the challenge of starting quarterback in week one against the national powerhouse University of Michigan.
