WSU QB Zevi Eckhaus withdraws from transfer portal, joining four other Cougars to do so | The Seattle Times
Greg WoodsJJan. 1, 2025
By
The Spokesman-Review
PULLMAN — Washington State quarterback Zevi Eckhaus’ stint in the transfer portal didn’t last long.
Two days after entering the portal, Eckhaus withdrew his name on Wednesday, a source confirmed to The Spokesman-Review. A senior, Eckhaus has one year of eligibility remaining after serving as the Cougars’ backup this season.
247Sports was the first to report the withdrawal of Eckhaus, who spent this season backing up John Mateer, who decamped for Oklahoma in December, freeing up Eckhaus to start in the Holiday Bowl.
Eckhaus is now the fifth WSU player to withdraw from the portal, joining wide receiver Josh Meredith, who also pulled his name out on Wednesday, per 247Sports. Fellow wide receiver Tre Shackelford withdrew his name last week, as did cornerback Jamorri Colson and walk-on defensive back Aslan Fraser. That means there are now 33 Cougars in the portal as of Wednesday.
In his breakout season at WSU, Meredith logged 39 catches for 472 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score in the Cougs’ Apple Cup win over rival Washington. Shackelford, who missed the final four regular-season games and the Holiday Bowl with an injury, made 10 catches for 144 yards and one touchdown.
With two experienced receivers back in the fray, the Cougars can breathe a little easier at that position, especially as they hope for a commitment from South Dakota State wide receiver Griffin Wilde, who is in the portal with a “do not contact” tag, usually utilized by portal players who already have another destination in mind.
Wilde entered the portal on Saturday, the same day WSU hired new head coach Jimmy Rogers from SDSU. For the season, the 6-foot-2 sophomore Wilde racked up 71 catches for 1,154 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Still in the portal from WSU’s receiver corps is sophomore Carlos Hernandez, who started the final six games of the season after returning from a foot injury, totaling 31 receptions for 397 yards and five touchdowns.
The return of Eckhaus, who passed for 363 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s Holiday Bowl loss to No. 21 Syracuse, spells encouragement for WSU. Under Rogers and offensive coordinator Danny Freund, who spent last season running a balanced approach as the Jackrabbits’ co-OC, Eckhaus’ future looked uncertain, which he cited as a reason for entering the portal.
“With the change in coaching staff, and the uncertainty surrounding my future, I have decided to enter my name in the portal until January 5 to explore any opportunities that may present themselves,” Eckhaus wrote in a post on X on Monday.
But now back in the fold, Eckhaus gives WSU some stability at the QB spot, ensuring redshirt freshman Jaxon Potter isn’t the only scholarship quarterback on the roster.
For the season, Eckhaus appeared in two games, including WSU’s season-opening win over FCS Portland State in August. All told, Eckhaus connected on 37 of 50 (74%) passes for 424 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.
Eckhaus transferred to WSU in January after starting three years at FCS Bryant, where he matched the school record for single-season touchdown passes last season with 28. He’s also the school record holder for career touchdown passes, total offense and completions. He spent three years with the Bulldogs, from 2021 to 2023, starting nearly all three seasons.
It remains to be seen how Eckhaus will fare in Freund’s system, which relied more on the run than the pass last season, averaging 236 rushing yards (No. 3 nationally) and 198 passing yards (No. 72) per contest. The Jackrabbits did well to feed running back Amar Johnson, who piled up 1,222 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on 193 carries, good for an average rush of 6.3 yards, which ranked No. 12 in the country.
Rogers and Co. are still waiting on a decision from SDSU QB Mark Gronowski, who is in the transfer portal as he weighs whether to return to school for his final year of eligibility or declare for the NFL draft.
Leading the Jackrabbits to the FCS national semifinals this season, Gronowski completed 206 of 338 passes (61%) for 2,721 yards, 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions, finishing No. 17 nationally in total passing yards. To open the season, he completed 20 of 37 passes for 264 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in a road loss to Oklahoma State.
Greg Woods: Washington State beat writer for The Spokesman-Review
