Washington Football: 5 spring 2019 storylines to follow

1. The arrival of Jacob Eason

The highly-anticipated arrival of quarterback Jacob Eason has finally commenced. After sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer eligibility rules, Eason is in line to take over as the next Huskies’ signal caller.

Even so, he has pretty big shoes to fill with the flight of former quarterback Jake Browning because of graduation.

Eason, a former standout at Georgia, is a Washington native. He stole the show during his freshman season in Athens, but his college career took a sharp left turn when he suffered an injury in the first game of the 2017 season.

This ultimately set the stage for Jake Fromm, who replaced Eason as the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback — prompting Eason’s return to his home state.

After sitting out for an entire season with Washington, Eason can step in and make an immediate impact. His size at 6-foot-6 and 228 pounds puts him at a great advantage as does his arm which is capable and strong.

It should be interesting to see how Eason’s time at Washington plays out. He had a whole season to learn the offensive system and practice with the team, which should benefit him. The difference, however, will be the more West Coast style of offense that Washington runs compared to the more traditional pro-style offense employed by Georgia.

The adjustment should be minimal for a quarterback like Eason though — a passer who has the ability to get the ball to all parts of the field.

Some might assume that sitting a year out from in-game action might hamper a transfer like Eason, but the opposite can be argued with greater evidence. Eason is not only returning to his home state but he also experienced a change of scenery. Each of these elements could certainly play a major role in his effectiveness in the 2019 season.

Nonetheless, Washington was smart in courting a former top-5 passer to its team with the long-term goal being for him to replace Browning. Eason should be able to do just that and if sustains a high level of play, he can make some noise with the Huskies in Seattle.