Jacob Eason (No. 10) asked if his teammates could join him in this picture on the back of his truck. Notice the UGA sticker (AJC/Michael Carvell)
LAKE STEVENS, WASH. — Georgia is definitely on Jacob Eason's mind. But it's somewhere in the back of his mind these days.
The 5-star recruit has got other priorities to take care of before he reports to UGA in just over six months as the most heralded quarterback signee for the Bulldogs since Matt Stafford.
On Wednesday, the nation’s No. 1-rated quarterback for 2016 was zeroed in on helping his Lake Stevens High School teammates line up properly in offensive formations. They are going through spring football practices this week. There are a lot of new kids on the team, and they’ve got a scrimmage this weekend.
“I’m excited about Georgia,” Eason told the AJC. “After I finish my senior season at Lake Stevens, I’ll be able to get out there with the other team. Obviously, I want to spend as much time as I can with here as I can with my team before I head off to Georgia. But I’m excited as ever for that.”
The 6-foot-5, 220-pounder said it really hasn’t sunk in yet that he’s so close to college. He’ll go to UGA after he finishes his senior season and after he plays in the U.S. Army All-America Bowl next January.
“I’ve thought about it every now and then,” Eason said. “But I don’t think it has hit me yet exactly that I’m going there so soon. I’m looking forward it. I’m sure when that time comes, it will hit me and I’ll be as excited as ever. I can’t wait.”
Eason’s father is fully away that his son’s time at Lake Stevens is winding down. He’s an assistant coach for the team, and he cherishes the time the two get to spend together in football. But he’s also thrilled for his son’s impending arrival in SEC land.
"Obviously, we want to finish our senior year here as strong as we can, and do what we can for Lake Stevens," Tony Eason said. "Then after that, he's just chomping at the bit to get started at Georgia, and to move on to the next step of his life. He wants to see what he can for the Bulldogs, and learn the pro-style game down there from Schotty and Coach Richt. He is just excited."
Jacob will be following the same sort of pathway as his father, who was also a football star at Lake Stevens and opted go far away for college to play at Notre Dame. Tony is doing little things to get his son prepared for imminent transition.
“I think for me as a father, I’m preparing for him to leave,” Tony said. “He knows at home that it’s time to go. There’s no comfort left here. It’s time to become a man and move on. I did that when I left home to go to Notre Dame. I was homesick for a little bit.
“So as far as he is concerned, I’m still being a hard and tough dad. I’m not making it easy. I’m not treating him like he’s some prima donna or a 5-star. He’s my son. He’s Jacob Eason. He’s going to go mow the lawn or stack wood. He’s going to do all the things the normal kids do. He’s going to do the dishes. He’s going to treat his mom right.
“But really, I’m preparing him to leave the nest, so to speak. I’m getting his mindset right. There’s nothing left for him at home. It’s his life. It’s almost time for him to go make a future for himself. But first, he has his senior season at Lake Stevens.”
If Jacob’s final season in football is anything like baseball, it will be dramatic exit for UGA’s quarterback of the future. In Eason’s final at-bat for the Lake Stevens baseball team last month, he homered. Video of the surreal moment trended on Twitter when it happened.
“I don’t know what happened there,” Eason said with a smile. “I think my grandparents in heaven were watching over me there. They wanted to make sure I went out with a bang, and that’s what I did.”
How would Jacob like to end it in high school football? “Hopefully, it’s winning a state championship,” he said. “That’s the ultimate goal. If that would be the case, I really don’t know what to say … I’ve never experienced a state championship. That would obviously be a great way to end it here with my teammates.”
In the below video, Tony Eason talks about why his son picked UGA and gives his opinion of the Bulldogs new offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer:
