Chalk Talk: Jayden de Laura starting to make strides with offense

October 12, 2021 7:03 PM

Alex Crescenti,

Posted: October 12, 2021 7:03 PM

by Alex Crescenti

PULLMAN, Wash. — There’s an old saying, “if you have two quarterbacks, you have none.”

For the Washington State Cougars that was the case early on in the season, with massive struggles at the position. However, it now seems the team has their quarterback for the future.

Jayden de Laura has come a long way, in his journey at Washington State and lately, he’s taken his game to a whole new level. After starting all four games last year, it was Jarrett Guarantano who got the call in game one this season, but after an injury to Guarantano, de Laura took control of the offense and hasn’t looked back since.

“Proved a maturity level, of growth that maybe he wasn’t in a situation to prove during camp a whole lot,” said Head Coach Nick Rolovich in a press conference back in September.

The numbers back it up. Through the first five games this year, he has a higher completion percentage, average per attempt, and passer rating than in 2020. He’s even shown massive progressions this season. Steadily improving in many key statistical categories through the five games he’s played in, but if you ask de Laura, it’s the players around him that are the reason for this.

“You know I trust my O-line and blocking, I trust my receivers making the right read, running the right route, I trust Deon and Max with the ball in crucial scenarios so I mean all in it’s just trust you it’s going to build up game after game after game so I mean I feel like we’re on a good path right now,” said de Laura.

While he’s only a sophomore, de Laura has shown he has the potential to be in the position for the next several years.

Will that put him in the likes of Falk, Minshew, and Bledsoe? That’s yet to be determined, but Washington State fans can feel good about their guy going forward.

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