Football has already taken Jacob Eason a long way in life, and last year it took him a long way from his Lake Stevens home.
A mid-year graduate of Lake Stevens High School, Eason crossed the continent in January to a region of broiling heat and soul-sapping humidity, a place where grits and creamed corn are culinary delicacies and sweet tea is often the drink of choice, a state where the English language is spoken with unique enunciation, and a University of Georgia football team that is the pride of the Peach State.
Indeed, Eason has come a long way in the last year, both geographically and as a football player. Because in a matter of months he became the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback, and with three seasons still to play his future would seem as bright as the Georgia summer sun.
“It’s been a great experience for me,” Eason said last week, speaking by telephone from the campus in Athens, about an hour’s drive east of Atlanta. “Coming down here and meeting these people, they’ve embraced me with open arms. There really is such a thing as southern hospitality. Everybody has been so welcoming and I’ve made so many new friends in a short amount of time.
“The weather I could do without, with the (summer) heat and humidity, and then it gets pretty cold in January. But other than that, I’m loving it down here.”
In his four years at Lake Stevens, Eason developed into one of the best football players in Snohomish County history. Though his team never achieved a coveted state title, his individual accomplishments were superb. He passed for over 10,000 yards and 99 touchdowns in his career, including 3,585 yards and 43 touchdowns as a senior, and in the 2015 season he was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year.
With his pick of colleges, Eason opted for Georgia. He seemed to waver slightly after the firing of Mark Richt, the coach who had recruited him, but he eventually stayed true to the Bulldogs after the hiring of Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart as the new Georgia coach.
Eason played as a backup in the September season opener against North Carolina, but started the remaining 12 games, including a 31-23 win vs. Texas Christian in the Dec. 30 Liberty Bowl. He passed for a season-high 346 yards against Vanderbilt, led the Bulldogs on late game-winning drives against Missouri and Kentucky, and helped Georgia to a final 8-5 record. Two of those losses were by one point and a third was by three points.
Playing as a true freshman, “there was a real learning curve for me,” Eason admitted. “There were a lot of things I did well, but there were also a lot of things I could improve on. But overall it was just a great experience to have under my belt after my first full year.”
Yes, there were difficult moments, “but this is the job I signed up for and it’s the job I came here to do,” he said.
There were also “a lot of good moments,” Eason went on. “The games against Missouri and Kentucky, which were fourth-quarter victories. But I think the best memory was in Memphis (at the Liberty Bowl), and then celebrating on stage with the big trophy and dancing around with my teammates. That was definitely a big moment for me.”
Smart and Georgia quarterbacks coach Jim Chaney were unavailable for comment last week, but after the Liberty Bowl Smart had this appraisal: “Jacob is growing up (as a quarterback).”
Eason wants to improve in a number of areas next season, “but definitely the biggest thing is communication and vocalizing with the team,” he said. “As a quarterback, you have to do that. I started doing it a little bit as a freshman, but it’s not easy. So my sophomore year I want to be more of a vocal leader.”
Since arriving in Georgia a year ago, Eason has returned to Lake Stevens only a few times. He made a two-week visit in May after spring semester and prior to the start of summer classes, and then was home for a few days both before and after the Liberty Bowl. He is currently in winter semester and preparing for the start of winter conditioning drills, with spring football to follow.
Leaving home initially “was pretty hard, knowing I was going away for such a long time,” he said. “But then you come down here and meet all these (nice) people, and it gets a little better.” He stays in touch with family and friends in Lake Stevens via FaceTime and other technologies, “and that really helps.”
He also remembers the words of his father, Tony Eason, who grew up in Snohomish and then played football at Notre Dame. “He’ll always say, ‘You’re going to go where life’s going to take you,’” Eason said.
All in all, he added, his first year in Georgia has been “very good,” and he looks back “with no regrets at all.”
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