After announcing on X that he would be entering the transfer portal until Jan. 5, senior quarterback Zevi Eckhaus is returning to WSU after no significant movement happened for Eckhaus in his week-long stay in the transfer portal.
The Cougs’ Holiday Bowl starter and short-term replacement for former starting quarterback John Mateer, who transferred to Oklahoma, originally entered the portal on Dec. 30 and said on X that he would explore his options elsewhere because of the change in coaching staff.
After losing the starting QB battle in training camp to Mateer and serving as Mateer’s primary backup all season, Eckhaus got the nod in the bowl game against No. 21 Syracuse, where he threw for 363 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. He also added a rushing score in his first start as a Coug.
A former FCS transfer from Bryant, Eckhaus gave the program a sense of hope going into the post-Mateer future with his bowl game performance. The redshirt senior has several years under his belt in the college football landscape and played well at the FCS level, providing some form of stability and optimism heading into next season.
The Cougs’ only other scholarship QB on the roster is redshirt freshman Jaxon Potter, who has virtually no college experience but is a former three-star recruit. The Eckhaus decision gave the WSU QB room at least a chance to breathe and somewhat of a foundation to work with moving forward.
With a new head coach, former South Dakota State head coach Jimmy Rogers, WSU may look elsewhere at QB. The most obvious potential option is SDSU starting QB Mark Gronowski, who ranked No. 17 in passing yards in the FCS last year and had a touchdown to interception ratio of 23-7 last season. Gronowski is one of the top remaining names in the portal and could follow much of his former coaching staff, including new WSU offensive coordinator Danny Freund, to Pullman.
Gronowski is currently in the portal and is mulling his options according to ESPN, including entering the NFL draft.
For now, Eckhaus returns as the most likely starting option and a valuable asset as a mentor given his experience.
