NFL News NFL News, Reports and Updates
Dec. 25—Zevi Eckhaus knew about as much as the rest of the world did. Earlier this month, as the Washington State quarterback waited for star John Mateer to decide whether to stay or leave the school, Eckhaus didn’t have any tips on Mateer’s thinking, no clues on which way he might have been leaning.
Eckhaus, the Cougars’ backup QB this fall, knew one thing: He would make a decision based on Mateer’s. If Mateer left, Eckhaus would stick it out and give himself a chance to take over the reins. If Mateer stayed, Eckhaus would have to leave.
“John had a hell of a season. He deserved all the time that he needed to make that decision,” Eckhaus said. “You know, I can only control my attitude and my mental space, my mental energy throughout that time. I tried to keep a positive attitude, business as usual.”
So Eckhaus’ life began to change on the night of Dec. 15, when Mateer used a team group chat to inform teammates that he would be entering the transfer portal and moving on from WSU, ending his three-year stint as a Cougar. The move became official the following morning, reverberating around college football, and later that week Mateer signed with Oklahoma, following former WSU offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and QBs coach John Kuceyeski there.
It has repercussions for much of WSU’s program, especially now that former head coach Jake Dickert moved on to Wake Forest. But for Eckhaus, it means he is now WSU’s QB1 against No. 22 Syracuse in the Holiday Bowl, set for 5 p.m. Friday in San Diego. It’s the opportunity he missed out on this regular season, when coaches awarded Mateer the starting job over Eckhaus after fall camp.
“I’m really excited. An opportunity that not a lot of people get to experience,” Eckhaus said. “I’m very, very fortunate, very blessed, to be in this position that I’m in right now. Just really…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/inside-wsu-qb-zevi-eckhaus-045900248.html
Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
Publish date : 2024-12-26 04:59:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
