The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
EX-UGA QB EASON LEAVING EARLY FOR NFL DRAFT
University of Washington and former Georgia quarterback Jacob Eason announced he will forgo his final season of collegiate eligibility and enter the 2020 NFL draft.
Eason made the announcement on social media Thursday.
Eason transferred from Georgia after the 2017 season. He thanked Georgia as part of his announcement.
He wrote: “Thank you to everyone at the University of Georgia who gave a kid from Washington a chance. To all of my teammates, the bond and memories we’ve created are something I will cherish forever. You inspire me to be my best.”
Eason started at Georgia as a freshman, after being heavily recruited by Mark Richt, under first-year coach Kirby Smart in 2016.
He completed 204 of 370 passes for 2,430 yards with 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He started the season opener in 2017 but suffered a knee injury in that first game against Appalachian State.
He was replaced by freshman Jake Fromm, who retained the starting job the rest of the season and led Georgia to the national championship game. Eason transferred after the season and returned to his native Washington.
Eason started 13 games for Washington this past season, throwing for 3,132 yards and 23 touchdowns for the Huskies in a season where at times he looked like a sure firstround pick and at other times it appeared another year of college would help his draft status.
“I want to thank everyone at the UW — my teammates, the coaching staff and the fans — for making these last two years so memorable,” Eason said in a statement. “I’m very happy that I was able to come home and play for the (Huskies), and will always be grateful.”
Eason was a five-star recruit out of Lake Stevens, Washington, who opted to go across the country to play at Georgia.
Eason sat out the 2018 season after transferring to Washington and beat out Jake Haener for the starting job during fall camp in August.
Eason completed 64.2% of his passes and had standout games early in the season against Eastern Washington, BYU and Arizona. His best game may have come in a loss to Oregon, in which Eason was 23 of 30 for 289 yards and three touchdowns.
Eason has the prototypes of an NFL quarterback, standing 6 feet 5 with one of the strongest arms in college. But issues with consistency popped up during his collegiate career.
“We wish Jacob nothing but the best,” Washington coach Jimmy Lake said. “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.”