Jan. 22—PULLMAN — They overhauled their staff and ditched their run-and-shoot offense. Consequently, the Washington State Cougars probably expected some of their players to hit college football’s free-agency market, known as the NCAA’s transfer portal.
Still, when Jayden de Laura announced Jan. 7 that he’d be finishing his collegiate career elsewhere, the initial reaction was surprise.
And it was an appropriate response from a fan base that had watched the dynamic young quarterback rally WSU to bowl eligibility after the team’s midseason coaching shakeup.
The Cougar faithful had seen him mature over the past two years, steadily developing his leadership traits and blossoming into a rising star in the Pac-12 after seizing WSU’s starting job as a true freshman ahead of the 2020 season.
De Laura drew praise this season for deftly navigating the Cougar offense through a tumultuous campaign, during which three offensive-minded WSU coaches — including boss Nick Rolovich — were fired for failing to comply with a state COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
Jake Dickert took over for Rolovich in mid-October, and on multiple occasions throughout the back half of the season called de Laura the team’s “catalyst” for success.
After he was promoted to permanent coach Nov. 27, Dickert repeatedly made his pitch to de Laura, promising supporters that the Cougs’ new Air Raid offense would center around the fiery signal-caller from Hawaii who had spearheaded WSU’s first Apple Cup win in nine years.
So naturally, it came as a bit of a shock when those plans for the future fell through — just one week after the season ended, at that.
De Laura’s departure felt sudden because it signaled a fresh start for WSU, a shift in identity for a Cougar offense that had been deeply influenced by the QB’s energetic, sometimes improvisational style of play.
His diligence this season made him a folk hero among Cougs, many of whom predicted in past months that he’d be the next standout in WSU’s recent string of quarterbacking greats. Instead, de Laura leaves behind a complicated legacy marked by unfulfilled potential.
“We’ve entered a new world of college football and the portal has really changed the whole landscape,” Dickert said Jan. 11. “Everyone has their own individual situations that we’re constantly discussing. There has to be a plan and just knowing what’s next for our program.”
Perhaps de Laura’s exit was inevitable. After all, the Cougs seemed to be bracing for it.
As de Laura shopped for suitors last month, WSU already had a successor in mind.
On Jan. 10, the same day de Laura announced his commitment to the University of Arizona, the Cougars signed an intriguing QB recruit in Cameron Ward.
The Incarnate Word transfer sparkled at the FCS level under coach Eric Morris, who was hired last month to install a revamped version of the Air Raid and coordinate the offense at WSU, which extended an offer to Ward in late December.
Ward announced the offer within an hour of the final whistle of WSU’s 24-21 loss to Central Michigan at the Sun Bowl on Dec. 31. De Laura started in the finale, but had a rough first half behind a makeshift offensive line and didn’t play after halftime, apparently due to a lower-body injury.
The program’s incoming OC wanted to bring along his own field general, and that was no doubt a key reason behind de Laura’s choice to transfer.
Generally speaking, the school’s coaching change was the deciding factor in de Laura’s departure. The Cougars didn’t retain any offensive assistants from their 2021 staff. In this day and age, losing players to the portal is a byproduct of rebuilding a college program.
De Laura is a longtime student of the run-and-shoot offense, dating back to his prep days in Honolulu. He’d been recruited by Mike Leach and mentored by Rolovich, with whom he formed a rapport in Pullman.
De Laura was an outspoken supporter of his former coach, and clearly disgruntled when Rolovich was fired. It’d be fair to assume that de Laura began plotting a career move long before he announced it.
In the end, he made a business decision, and UA presumably had the best offer.
The Cougars, meanwhile, knew they could expedite their rebuild with Ward at the helm, considering his familiarity with the offense. So an enticing deal was put together for the gunslinging sophomore, who picked WSU over Ole Miss after agreeing to a big-time NIL offer.
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“He’s got a lot of upside in our program,” Dickert said of Ward. “Those relationships (with teammates), he really specializes in. Then you turn the tape on and the throws he makes — regardless of level — are special.”
One one hand, it’s hard to ignore the what-ifs surrounding de Laura’s career in crimson and gray.
He’s the only true frosh to start at QB in Cougar history, and onlookers could easily spot glimpses of his high ceiling during his debut season.
But de Laura hit a setback when he missed spring camp last year while serving a suspension for an offseason DUI charge, of which he was later found not guilty. Rolovich started grad transfer Jarrett Guarantano in Week 1. The coach cited decision-making and maturity issues as his rationale for benching de Laura, who quickly won back his coach’s trust when he entered in relief of Guarantano during WSU’s season opener against Utah State.
“He didn’t throw his helmet down and go jump in the transfer portal,” Rolovich said in early September. “He put his head down, went to work and was here for his teammates.”
From there, de Laura only improved as the year progressed. He topped the Pac-12 in passing touchdowns (23) and yards (2,742) in the regular season, and earned the league’s offensive freshman of the year award.
More importantly, he became a stabilizing presence for a fractured team and helped the Cougars change their narrative, turning what could have been a disaster into an uplifting season.
Is that how he’ll be remembered in Cougar Nation, as the spirited quarterback who planted Ol’ Crimson at Husky Stadium? Or will his abrupt exit overshadow his accomplishments?
Maybe no one will be wondering about what could have been.
That is, if Ward is as good as his resume suggests.
A four-star recruit, Ward comes to Pullman as a top-five transfer QB in the country.
The Spokesman-Review conducted a Twitter poll earlier this month, asking voters to choose between Ward and de Laura. Over 800 Cougar fans participated, and 54% of them selected Ward.
“I mean it: This is starting new,” Dickert said. “We’re turning the page and moving forward. We’re excited to coach the guys that want to be here and be a part of it.”
Checking in on WSU’s roster
A total of 28 players from WSU’s 2021 roster have departed the school since the start of the season. Four of them declared for the NFL draft, ending their Cougar careers early. Thirteen transferred, but only four played meaningful reps last year — de Laura, center Brian Greene, right guard Cade Beresford and edge Willie Taylor III. The rest have either completed their collegiate eligibility or graduated and decided to move on with eligibility remaining.
The Cougars are losing seven starters on offense and five on defense.
They replaced their QB already and feel confident in their receiving corps, but need to bulk up on the offensive line and add a running back or two.
Mainstay linebackers Jahad Woods and Justus Rogers finished their careers. WSU inked a solid transfer LB in former Nevada standout Daiyan Henley and is expected to promote veteran middle LB Travion Brown. The Cougs return plenty of experience at D-line and cornerback, but the safety positions will feature unfamiliar faces in 2022.
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