Many coaches and players around the area know about Jacob Eason.
Now, it appears several people outside of the Pacific Northwest are familiarizing themselves with the Lake Stevens quarterback as well.
This week, the talented 6-foot-5 Eason picked up a scholarship offer from Florida State, the defending national champions. The Seminoles join Washington State and Oregon State in offering a scholarship to the sophomore signal caller.
“That was awesome,” Eason said of the Florida State offer. “They did a thing through my dad. I was at school and had baseball going on. They told my dad and he passed it on to me. It was really exciting.”
Eason also has generated recruiting interest from Washington, Stanford, Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas and Notre Dame. He has visited UW, WSU, Oregon State and Stanford, and hopes to visit more schools this summer.
“It’s kind of exciting to see who’s interested,” Eason said. “It’s fun to see what school is the best fit for you. It’s a fun process.”
Along with trips to schools, Eason also plans on taking part in several passing camps this season to work on his game. That, along with working out with the Lake Stevens football team as he prepares for his junior season, will keep Eason quite busy this summer.
“It’s mainly football in the summer,” Eason said.
Like Eason, Lake Stevens head coach Tom Tri is eager to see who else will make an offer to the sophomore quarterback, who passed for nearly 3,000 yards and threw 23 touchdowns last season.
“I’m excited for Jacob,” Tri said. “It’s great. It’s awesome that there are so many schools that are interested in him. He’s going to have a lot of options. I’m really proud of him.”
Tri said Eason, who also plays basketball and baseball for the Vikings, is “without a doubt” the most recruited athlete he’s had at Lake Stevens.
“It certainly keeps me busy because I’m getting phone calls and e-mails at all times. But I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Tri said. “I’m just in awe at all the attention he’s getting.”
Eason said that he is a little surprised as well that the recruiting started so early. But the attention has motivated him to continue to get better, not just to gain offers, but to help the Vikings get back to the state tournament in the fall.
“I wasn’t really expecting to get offers this year,” Eason said. “I played four games as a freshman and put a lot of work in the offseason but that Oregon State offer (late in the football season) made me realize what I could do. I just kept working hard.”
This early in the process, Eason said he doesn’t have a favorite school, or a list of top contenders. The quarterback wants to be a coach after college and major in sports management or another sports-related degree.
Despite his accolades, Tri said Eason remains humble and calm as colleges across the country compete for his services.
“He’s just so mellow,” Tri said. “Nothing really gets to Jacob. That’s one of his great attributes. He’s just really level-headed. He loves to compete, but he doesn’t get real high when he has a lot of success and he doesn’t get real low when he gets rattled. Those are good attributes to have as a quarterback.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
