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It took the same question being asked multiple times over the past few months for Nick Rolovich to finally give an answer on who the starting quarterback will be. On Monday during his press conference, the new Washington State head coach confirmed what was reported over the weekend: true freshman Jayden de Laura will be the starting quarterback come the Cougars season opener on Saturday.
It was not an easy answer to get as Rolovich has said multiple times that we would find out who the starting quarterback would be come Saturday. The first question was asked on Monday by Jessamyn McIntyre if there would be any clarity on who would be under center he answered by asking if there was any rumors out there - referring to Theo Lawson’s tweet on Sunday night stating that he had heard from multiple sources that de Laura would be under center come Saturday.
A few questions later, Brenna Greene tried to get an answer by saying that Jayden had thanked a few people on Twitter on Sunday night to which he responded “I don’t know, I’m trying to figure how this got out.”
Theo got his shot next when he started to ask a question unrelated to the quarterback position. Rolovich made a few jokes to him about naming his sources before saying “Jayden’s going to take the first snap for us at Oregon State.”
Rolovich said the quarterback battle came down to de Laura’s experience with the offense as well as his productivity and consistency. He went on to say, “Good arm strength, good understanding, good timing, good zone manipulation of defenders. Gets the ball out quick, has some accuracy, has some ability to make some plays off script. And his competitive nature. I think he came here for a reason.”
During offensive tackle Abe Lucas’ press conference he said “He’s not a shy guy or anything. He’s vocal, he’s respectful. Like I said, he’s not an idiot, he’s not a stupid freshman we have to worry about” he followed with saying that “he stepped up to the plate”
During the past few weeks we have just had the ability to see what the quarterbacks can do just based off their stats during the scrimmages. De Laura was putting up numbers that were impressive for a guy who has just arrived on campus compared to two guys who have had countless hours of reps since graduating high school.
The true freshman will get a chance to showcase what he has learned from running this offense for a few years come Saturday night at 7:30 pm in Corvallis.
To watch the entire press conference with Rolovich, click here
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Football:
After indicating on multiple occasions he wouldn’t name a starting quarterback for Washington State’s season opener at Oregon State, first-year coach Nick Rolovich finally conceded true freshman Jayden de Laura would get the nod Saturday against the Beavers.
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Washington State true freshman Jayden de Laura to start at QB vs. Oregon State
Washington State true freshman quarterback Jayden de Laura will start the Cougars’ opener Saturday against Oregon State, first-year coach Nick Rolovich announced Monday.
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