After just one full season of play, WSU star quarterback Jayden de Laura has decided to leave the program.  

The quarterback is heading south to Tucson, Arizona, where he will join another Cougar-transfer, Gunner Cruz, in the Arizona Wildcats’ quarterback room. 

Despite only being in Pullman for two years, the quarterback undoubtedly left a heavy impact on the Cougars football program. From awards to on-field performances, de Laura’s contributions to the team and the program were endless. 

With de Laura on his way to his new program, now seems like as good a time as ever to look back on his top moments as a Coug. 

3. The Debut

On Nov. 7, 2020, in front of a crowd of zero fans, a freshman took the field as the starting quarterback for the WSU Cougars in a season opener for the first time in program history. De Laura dazzled fans watching on television sets across the nation. 

The quarterback attempted 33 passes, completing 18 for 227 yards and two touchdowns. He scrambled eight times for 43 yards and a third touchdown. De Laura threw one interception, but all in all, it was as great a debut as you could hope for. 

The Cougs picked up a 38-28 win, the team’s only win of the season. The young quarterback had put himself on everyone’s radars with a stellar performance. 

2. Family Weekend 2021

The 2021 season’s meeting between the Cougars and the Stanford Cardinal was an all-time classic. While this game ultimately was won by the defense making a big stop, de Laura’s game-winning drive in the fourth quarter set up the defense to go for the win.  

De Laura went 2-3 for 58 yards on that drive to lay the table for Max Borghi’s game-winning, two-yard touchdown run. Overall, de Laura completed 17-30 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns while not turning the ball over a single time.  

It was one of the best performances we got to see out of de Laura and a glimpse into the sort of player that the Wildcats are getting. The quarterback never gave up and eventually led his team to a win in an important game. 

1. The Apple Cup

What else could be at number one? The game is basically one of legend at this point. A sophomore quarterback getting his first taste of an intense rivalry coupled with the Cougs entering on a seven-game losing streak. 

De Laura once again showed he was up to performing on the big stage, putting together a masterful performance on his way to leading WSU to a 40-13 win over the Huskies.  

The quarterback did not find the end zone in what should be remembered as his final performance as a Cougar (I’m willing to overlook the bowl game if everyone else will) but did complete 27 of 32 attempts for 245 yards.  

He topped it all off in the middle of thousands of Cougar fans on the field of the program’s biggest rival. De Laura proceeded to plant a WSU flag at midfield, a moment that WSU fans are still daydreaming about any time their day gets slow.  

The moment will go down as one of the most iconic in the history of the Apple Cup. There are not many games that end with rivals storming an opponent’s field and planting their flag on the midfield logo.  

It is what WSU fans should remember De Laura as. There is no reason to try and hold transferring against him. He came during a time when the program was in transition, helped the team win major games while transitioning to the next era and has a perfect record in the Apple Cup. 

I am not sure where de Laura’s WSU legacy will end up at. I do not know if people will call him one of the best to ever do it at WSU or if they will say negative things because of the transfer.

Personally, he is a player that I will be telling my kids about one day. At the end of the day, I will always see de Laura as one of the best players to have stepped on the field in the crimson and gray.