Washington State quarterback Zevi Eckhaus was recently named the Pac-12 scholar athlete as well as the Dolph Schayes award winner. Following an outstanding season in which he brought a struggling Cougar football team back to life, ending off with a winning record and a Potato Bowl win, Eckhaus put his name on the map.

Although the gunslinger didn’t just have a strong season on the field, but academically as well. So how did he manage to balance this load so well?

“Just making a schedule, prioritizing your time properly and just making sure you don’t overwhelm yourself, because it can be at times,” Eckhaus said.

 Eckhaus wasn’t just balancing a busy life with football and school, he was battling major adversity as well. Not being given the start at the beginning of his senior season was hard on him, yet after a slow start for the offense he was given a chance and proved himself big time, leading the team to a winning season and gaining the love of Cougar football fans.

“I had another opportunity to prove myself on the field and when I got that opportunity, I never gave it up,”  Eckhaus said.

Facing this adversity was hard for the quarterback, and not being around family and those he loved made the time even tougher for him. Yet being able to lean on his teammates, coaches and those there to support him in Pullman made it a bit easier. 

“The biggest piece is just trying to find people that you care about and that take care of you, and spending quality time with those people,” Eckhaus said.

Eckhaus also shouted out his teammates extensively, saying that those countless hours of training and working with the guys around him only increased his passion for the sport and to be the best he can be, not only for himself, but his teammates as well.

“You’re surrounded by a bunch of people who you’ve been busting your butt with for months and months and months of training and hard work and early mornings and late meetings, and we’ve just gone through a lot of strain together. So there’s just that natural appreciation for one another. There’s that natural care and love,” Eckhaus said.

Even with the support of the people around him, Eckhaus also gave a ton of credit to his faith in God, noting that he brings his faith with him everywhere. Through the highs and lows of the season, the quarterback continued to put his trust in God no matter where he took him because he knew that ultimately there was a bigger plan or goal being enacted within his life.

“If you can keep your faith in God and what he has planned for you, it’ll make sense one day,” he said. 

Eckhaus was not only honored with the Pac-12 scholar athlete award, but the Dolph Schayes award as well. The Dolph Schayes award honors Jewish athletes who had great seasons in their respective sport, and Eckhaus did just that. With how big his faith plays a role in his life on and off the field, he was more than pleased to represent his Jewish heritage with his play on the field.

“It’s a huge honor that I carry with a lot of weight because it carries a lot of weight,” he said.

He also mentioned how it’s not very common for people of Jewish heritage to participate in sports, whether in school or at a higher level. This lack of representation in the sports world just made the award mean even more for Eckhaus, as he aspires to represent his faith with the platform he has been given.

“I think that growing up there aren’t a lot of Jewish people that involve themselves in sports… so to be able to be representing the Jewish community on a stage as big as that is, you know, it’s an honor,” Eckhaus said.

Wrapping up his senior season, Eckhaus is surely ending his collegiate career on a high note. Between his outstanding quarterback play and his academic excellence the gun slinger has been performing better than ever. With his time over as a Coug, WSU football fans are wondering, what’s next for the quarterback? 

“Pro day’s coming up in March in Washington State. So I’m gonna put in my best shot to make it professionally in the NFL,” said Eckhaus.

As Eckhaus prepares to take his shot at playing on the pro level, Cougar football fans are looking out for their guy. One thing is for sure, if his performance this past season was a testament to who he is as a player, there’s no saying how far the young quarterback can go.