QB Nick Starkel says he will return to San Jose State.
Nick Starkel plans to return to San Jose State in 2021, the quarterback announced Tuesday on Twitter.
Starkel tweeted a video with the caption, “College Football might be tired of me, but I’m not tired of College Football!” At the end of the video, the words “run it back” appear on the screen, along with San Jose State’s logo.
In his first season with the Spartans, Starkel, a second-team all-Mountain West selection, has completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 1,906 yards and 16 touchdowns.
He will lead the undefeated and 19thranked Spartans (7-0) against Ball State in the Arizona Bowl Thursday in Tucson.
In his last game, against Boise State for the Mountain West championship game on Dec. 19, Starkel set a conference title game record with 453 passing yards.
“This team has been resilient the entire time,” Starkel said after the Boise State game. “No matter what happens — no matter if it’s, ‘Hey, we can’t practice at home, practice at Scotts Valley’ or ‘Hey. we’re going to have to leave and go play a home game in Hawaii and then go to Vegas,’ our team just says, ‘All right. Let’s go.’ ”
Starkel has been on the go throughout his collegiate career.
He stood out at Texas A& M as a redshirt freshman in 2017 before losing his job as a sophomore. He transferred for the 2019 season to Arkansas, where his playing time fluctuated after he threw interceptions in an early-season loss to San Jose State.
But that outcome didn’t keep San Jose State, which had never beaten an SEC team, from opening its doors when Starkel decided to move again. A text message from Josh Love, San Jose State’s quarterback last season, guided Starkel to Silicon Valley.— just 50 miles south of San Francisco’s Presidio, where military kid Starkel lived with his family from 2002 to 2004.
Love and Starkel met during the Summer of 2019 at Steve Clarkson’s Quarterback Retreat in Los Angeles, where they worked as camp counselors alongside the likes of Tua Tagovailoa, Trevor Lawrence and Jalen Hurts.
Starkel had only one season of eligibility left when he moved on from Arkansas. But because of COVID-19, he now has two.
The NCAA granted all fall studentathletes, including football players, an extra year of eligibility, opening the door for Starkel’s return next fall. Other San Jose State veterans, such as receivers Bailey Gaither and Tre Walker, will have the opportunity to come back for next season as well.
It’s possible that Starkel could change his mind, especially if his NFL draft stock goes up.
But, for now. he seems perfectly satisfied with returning for one more year as the Spartans try to finish off a perfect season Thursday.
HALL GETS ALL-AMERICA HONOR >> San Jose State defensive lineman Cade Hall was named a first-team All-America by the Sporting News, becoming the first Spartan in 13 years to receive such an honor by a national outlet.
Hall, the Mountain West’s defensive player of the year, has 10 sacks and 12 tackles for loss heading into the Arizona Bowl on Thursday.
Hall is a former Bellarmine College Prep star and the son of former Cal and 49ers defensive lineman Rhett Hall.
Last week, Hall was named a secondteam All-American by USA Today.
Hall is the first San Jose State player since cornerback Dwight Lowery in 2007 to receive first-team All-America recognition. Lowery was a firstteam selection by the American Football Coaches Association in 2007 and the AFCA and Football Writers Association of America in 2006.
Alabama running back Najee Harris, a former Antioch High star, also received first-team honors by the Sporting News.