The headliner for UGA’s 2016 football recruiting class will take a three-day visit with the Bulldogs, beginning on Monday.
Jacob Eason is the quarterback from Lake Stevens, Wash., who is rated as the nation's No. 1 overall prospect for next year. He is committed to UGA.
Here are five things to know about the 5-star recruit’s visit:
First trip to UGA since commit. This will be Eason's first trip to UGA since he abruptly committed during last July's Dawg Night prospect camp. Because Eason lives on the other side of the country and plays three sports in high school, he wasn't able to attend any football games this past season. "It will be a chance to get on campus and meet the new guys that are there," Eason's father, Tony Eason, told the AJC. "He'll get one-on-one time with Schotty, and the new strength coach. He'll just be around the guys and watching practice on Tuesday." New UGA offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer attended one of Eason's basketball games, and the two keep in touch over the telephone. "It's going great between them," Eason said. "It couldn't be better. He has got a personality that Jacob really likes. The other quarterbacks say he's not going chew you out as fast as Bobo might. I don't know. He's a brand-new coach. Jacob wants to go down and get a good feel for him – see what his style is like. Everything looks great so far."
5-star QB Jacob Eason (AJC/Michael Carvell)
Recruiting other players. Before Eason goes to UGA, he will spend this weekend at Flight School, which is a camp for elite quarterbacks that is held in the Atlanta area. Eason is scheduled to have a throwing session on Saturday with Kyle Davis, the receiver from Archer High School who is committed to South Carolina. "They are going to get to meet each other for the first time in Atlanta, so they're excited about that," his father said. "They've been texting each other, just like he has been doing with a bunch of guys because he's so far away." Jacob was also trying to work out a throwing session with Mecole Hardman, the receiver from Elbert County High School. Eason is obviously trying to recruit both players to go with him to UGA.
Solid with UGA. Because Eason is such an elite prospect, he will be recruited by other schools until next year's signing day. Michigan's Jim Harbaugh came to one of Eason's basketball games, while UCLA and LSU are also in the hunt. The good news for UGA is that Eason is happy with the Bulldogs. "At this point, he's solid on Georgia," Eason said. "Unless something goes sideways with Georgia, I don't see anything happening there. You know, you've always got to keep your options open in case something goes sideways. I don't want to speak for Jacob, but I feel like he's as solid as you can get with the Bulldogs."
No two-sport star. Jacob excels in three sports in high school, and will be missing a couple of baseball games while on this trip. He plays first base and pitcher. Naturally, since Eason is 6-foot-5 and has a cannon for an arm, he caught the attention of professional baseball scouts. Eason truly has baseball talent, but it is doubtful he will play after high school. "He's a pretty good darn baseball," his father said. "But he doesn't have any aspirations to play two sports in college. He just wants to do football."
Back in three months. Unfortunately for UGA, Eason won't be able to stay for next Saturday's spring game, which will be attended by many of the Southeast's top prospects. How come? Eason will fly home on Wednesday in time to accompany his 7-on-7 team to a tournament in Los Angles next weekend. However, Eason is tentatively scheduled to be back for UGA's biggest recruiting event of the year – July's Dawg Night prospect camp.
About the Author
