A whirlwind week for Lake Stevens quarterback Jacob Eason continued with a flight and an official visit to the University of Florida on Tuesday, according to several reports.
Things drastically changed recently for Eason — who committed to Georgia the summer before his junior year — when the Bulldogs fired head coach Mark Richt on Sunday.
Richt was just in the Pacific Northwest to visit Eason and talk to one of his prized recruits over breakfast on Nov. 15.
Eason’s visit to Florida lit up social media and sparked another frenzy regarding the highly coveted five-star recruit.
“He’s not into all the glare and the high profile,” Lake Stevens head coach Tom Tri said. “He’s not looking for this. That’s my concern: Now if he’s in Florida there’s going to be a flood of people saying, ‘He opened his commitment. He wants to make a name for himself.’ That’s not him at all. That’s not his cup of tea. He just wants to hang out with his high school buddies and play football. He’s just trying to make an informed decision and do his research.
“It’s just kind of wait and see.”
The Lake Stevens senior quarterback is one of the top recruits in the nation, ranked as high as No. 2 by several recruiting outlets. Eason threw for more than 3,700 yards and 44 touchdowns this season while helping lead the Vikings to the 4A state semifinals where they fell in a 37-34 thriller to Skyline last Saturday.
Then, the next morning, Eason found out about Richt.
“He seemed pretty stressed,” Tri said. “He was doing OK. I think he’s still feeling the effects from the game. That seems to be the most stress on him right now. … I think he was feeling the effects of that still. And he’s just being bombarded right now with questions and he doesn’t have any answers.”
Eason turned his phone off early Sunday after an influx of calls and texts from coaches and media across the country. His trip to Florida comes shortly after a visit from Washington State head coach Mike Leach on Monday. Tri said the meeting with Leach was quick and educational.
“It wasn’t very long. It was hard for (Eason),” Tri said. “It’s like, ‘Whoa! Hey! What’s going on?’
“It was definitely pleasant and informative. Wazzu would be a great school. That’s a great opportunity, too. Jake listened and was receptive and quiet.”
Despite the craziness, Tri is encouraging Eason to keep a level head and stay positive.
“I talked to him (Monday) when Wazzu was here,” Tri said. “I just told him to be himself and go with his gut decision and whatever he chooses is going to be the right path. … I also told him look at the blessings, all the options you have. What if it happened next year after he was there for a year? This gives you a chance to explore all your options and make sure you make the right one.”
According to Tri, before committing to Georgia Eason also showed interest in Pac-12 schools Washington, UCLA, California and Stanford. Other suitors included perennial national powers Florida, Alabama and Michigan.
Wolverines first-year head coach Jim Harbaugh visited Eason at a Lake Stevens basketball game last season, soon after he got the job and several months after Eason had made a verbal commitment to the Bulldogs.
But the Bulldogs remained Eason’s top choice.
“It was Georgia, then it was a distant second, third and fourth,” Tri said.
According to multiple media reports, Richt interviewed at Miami for its head coaching job on Tuesday. The Hurricanes could become part of the recruiting mix for Eason if Miami hires Richt, who was a backup quarterback behind starter Jim Kelly when he played at the school.
Eason signed a financial aid agreement in the summer and planned to graduate from Lake Stevens early and move to Georgia in January. Tri said that wherever Eason ends up, his goal remains to enroll early for spring practices.
The Lake Stevens coach also said it’s important that Eason knows who he’s going to be playing for when he gets to campus.
“It’s a big part of it,” Tri said. “They’re going to mold and shape you for the next three or four years of your life.”
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