Ahead of preseason camp, football head coach Jimmy Rogers made it clear that no starting spots were promised… not even at quarterback.
“I think the play on the field throughout fall camp will determine the starter,” Rogers said back in July. “There is going to be a competition… and the best player will play.”
With redshirt senior Zevi Eckhaus entering his fifth year in college football and starting in last year’s bowl game, many eyes were on him to be the obvious front-runner. But, after the arrival of Julian Dugger from Pittsburgh and Ajani Sheppard from Rutgers, Eckhaus has found himself in a tight quarterback room with little space to breathe.
The clock is ticking for Rogers to hand off the rock, but sources close to the team say that he is planning to wait until the day before game day to make his final decision. Flashing back to last season, Eckhaus was expected to be the opening day starter. It was not until a week before opening day that former head coach Jake Dickert announced that now University of Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer won the position. With that in mind Rogers’ decision to wait till game day is not out of the ordinary.
Should Eckhaus not be the opening day starter, what options will WSU have to lean on? Currently, they have two top contenders:
Julian Dugger
After only playing one game with the University of Pittsburgh, Dugger was granted a redshirt coming into WSU. He came off the bench last season against Toledo where he stacked up 160 yards and completed 7 of 13 passes with two touchdowns.
Out of the two contenders Dugger is the youngest with four more years of eligibility. Despite only having one game of college experience under his belt, Dugger has been a standout in fall camp, making him a capable starter for opening night.
Jaxon Potter
After being redshirted his freshman year, Potter played in two games last season making him a redshirt sophomore heading into 2025. Although his second game only featured him as a holder for the point after touchdown, his first game had him slinging the rock.
In last year’s matchup against the University of Hawaii he went 2 for 2 racking up 19 yards. Compared to Dugger, Potter has less experience at the D1 level, but his two years in the crimson and grey may give him an edge over his competition.
With two weeks and counting until the Cougar’s return to Martin Stadium, the quarterback question is running out of runway for a decision. The Cougs will kick off the season playing the University of Idaho at 7 p.m. Aug. 30 at Martin Stadium.
