Pac-12 Football: 5 storylines to follow in spring 2019

5. Who emerges as next Gardner Minshew at Washington State?

Last season, East Carolina transfer Gardner Minshew erupted into the national consciousness as he blossomed in Mike Leach’s pass-heavy offense in Pullman. Washington State rebounded from the graduation of Luke Falk and the tragic suicide of heir apparent Tyler Hilinski to remain a threat in the Pac-12 North, and it was largely thanks to the emergence of Minshew as one of the best quarterbacks in the country.

This year’s transfer to the Palouse arrives at Washington State after a far shorter travel. Gabe Gubrud, who was the starter at Eastern Washington before an early October injury prematurely ended his final season, was granted a medical redshirt by the NCAA. Gubrud opted to follow in the footsteps of former Eagles like Vernon Adams Jr. and take his chances at one season of Pac-12 play.

That gives Leach a quarterback to lean on who has already started 28 FCS games and who is just 16 yards shy of the 10,000-yard mark for his career. Gubrud still has to compete for the starting job against juniors Trey Tinsley and Anthony Gordon and freshman Cameron Cooper, but the experience of the two-time Walter Payton Award finalist gives him the upper hand. This might be the most fun position battle to watch at any Pac-12 school this spring.