Aug. 6—PULLMAN — It’s been a unique year for Washington State offensive coordinator Danny Freund.
The past winter brought Freund’s second move in as many years as he followed his boss, head coach Jimmy Rogers, and colleagues from South Dakota State to Washington State.
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Now, he is tasked with evaluating a four-man race to determine WSU’s starting quarterback.
Fifth-year senior Zevi Eckhaus, third-year Coug Jaxon Potter and underclassmen transfers Ajani Sheppard and Julian Dugger are vying to be the one walking onto the field just after 7 p.m. Aug. 30 when WSU opens the season opposite the Idaho Vandals.
Freund said it’s the first time in his career that he has overseen a QB competition of this magnitude.
“Coach Rogers and I have talked about it,” Freund said. “Usually, it’s between two guys, right? If you have a competition, it’s one or the other, or maybe there’s a third that’s in there, and there’s four now. … It’s very unique.”
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Retaining Eckhaus and Potter
Rogers and Freund retained key cogs of the quarterback room after WSU’s 2024 starter, John Mateer, was long gone for the SEC’s Oklahoma.
Rogers said he was impressed by Eckhaus’ composure during WSU’s Holiday Bowl loss to Syracuse in which the senior QB passed for more than 300 yards, ran for a score and tossed three touchdowns.
Eckhaus entered the portal following Rogers’ hiring, but stayed in touch with the new head man.
When Rogers’ SDSU QB Mark Gronowski chose Iowa, Eckhaus returned to Pullman.
“WSU is where I wanted to and want to be,” Eckhaus said in January. “Once (Rogers) gave me the word, ‘Mark (Gronowski) is not coming,’ I got right back in the boat.”
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However, Eckhaus’ return did not guarantee him the starting job.
Potter, a 6-foot-5 third-year Coug out of Huntington Beach, Calif., impressed both the previous coaching staff and the current stewards of Cougar football with his athleticism and arm talent.
With just a pair of completions last season, Potter has little in-game experience, but has impressed with his accuracy and ability to command the huddle, Freund said.
Transfers provide dual-threat potential
Coaches capitalized on the spring transfer portal period to find two Power Four backup QBs.
WSU signed Sheppard, who appeared in parts of three games over two years at Rutgers. He has not thrown a pass in a regular-season college game, but arrived in Pullman with a strong arm.
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“Ajani (Sheppard), you look at his body type, he’s a big, powerful runner, very strong. You see when he gets going, he’s a tough guy to bring down,” Freund said. “Throwing the football, you see the arm strength, like he can rip it down the field, throw it 70 yards. (He has) consistent accuracy, consistent decision making.”
Dugger, a redshirt freshman from Pittsburgh, transferred from his hometown school after starting the Panthers’ bowl game.
The 6-foot-3, 208-pound signal-caller passed for 72 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 88 yards and a TD in Pitt’s 48-46 six-overtime loss to Toledo in the GameAbove Sports Bowl — a school on WSU’s schedule this year.
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Dugger flashed his potential as a dual threat on Monday, when the Cougar QBs shed their no-contact black jerseys and donned crimson ones, opening themselves up to live hits.
Minutes after taking a sack, Dugger broke free up the left sideline for a touchdown run.
“I think it’s hard to say it’s a sack if it’s a one-hand touch, and I’m telling the D-line to stay away from the quarterback,” Rogers said. “In a normal setting, Duggie would have been down; in a real setting, he just scored a touchdown. And I think we need to see that, and we need to see who the best players are.”
The path to starting
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Tuesday was Eckhaus’ turn to make a play.
To cap the Cougars’ first practice thus far at Gesa Field, Eckhaus unleashed a nearly 40-yard throw to the back left corner of the end zone that fell perfectly into the outstretched arms of junior wide receiver Kaden Harken.
Earlier in practice, Eckhaus cashed in on a rushing touchdown.
Freund said that Eckhaus’ accuracy from the pocket, quick decision making and leadership continue to impress him.
Prior to working with Rogers at SDSU last season, Freund coached 12 years at University of North Dakota, his alma mater and the place where he set multiple passing records as the Fighting Hawks’ QB in the late 2000s.
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“When I played that position, sometimes it’s about getting into a rhythm,” Freund said. “And having enough reps to really show what you can do.”
That’s what WSU is trying to provide for its four potential starters.
“Ajani (Sheppard) didn’t get a lot of reps at Rutgers,” Freund said. “Zevi (Eckhaus) was here last year, but played in the bowl game. (Dugger) played in the bowl game for Pitt. And then Jaxon (Potter) — he hasn’t played yet, but you see out here his ability, his upside, so you try to put them in those live situations and see what they can do.”
The emphasis for the Cougar quarterbacks, as is the case for any signal-caller, is decision making.
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“I’ve always said this to every quarterback,” Rogers said. “You don’t have to make every play, but you do make every single decision.”
Rogers wants to see his QBs make the right decision, even if it isn’t the flashiest play.
He sees that decision-making process as a work in progress for each of his guys, who he says have each made special plays.
“It’s gonna be a battle,” Rogers said. “That’s what we expected. And I think it will grow the whole offense, and I think it’s going to challenge these guys from a leadership standpoint, to get others around them to play for them.”
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Limited participants
Running back Maxwell Woods, who figures to slot into the depth chart behind fellow SDSU transfers Angel Johnson and Kirby Vorhees, sat out of Tuesday’s practice with an apparent arm injury, which Freund said is not serious.
Likely starting linebacker Keith Brown was also limited.
Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, staylor@lmtribune.com, or on X or Instagram @Sam_C_Taylor.
