All eyes will be on Jacob Eason tonight at when he receives the Bobby Dodd National Back of the Year award from the Touchdown Club of Atlanta at its annual banquet in Atlanta. But for the last 17 days, the highly-touted quarterback from Washington state has been toiling in relative obscurity with the rest of Georgia’s football players.
Eason entered UGA on Jan. 11 as one of the Bulldogs’ six mid-year enrollees. Since then, other than receiving a lot of knowing stares and posing for an occasional photo or signing an autograph on campus, Eason has been just another overwhelmed freshman trying adjust to his new surroundings.
“I haven’t heard from him that much. He’s busy,” said Tony Eason, his father, speaking by telephone from Lake Stevens, Wash., this week. “He has a full day every day. I know he’s working hard in the weight room and doing all that. So there hasn’t been a lot of conversations. He’s liking it and he’s working hard. He’s in college now and high school is behind him. That’s kind of where he’s at. He’s getting to know everybody and learning his way around school. Things are going well.”
Eason is not alone. He’s learning to negotiate UGA’s sprawling campus and rising each day before dawn along with defensive back Chad Clay, offensive lineman Ben Cleveland, tight end Isaac Nauta, wide receiver Riley Ridley and defensive lineman Julian Rochester.
At this point, the Bulldogs are now fully engaged in offseason strength and conditioning workouts. According to those in touch with these young men regularly, it has been a fun but challenging time for the newbies.
» Read more on how the newest Bulldogs are adjusting on DawgNation
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