Washington State names de Laura as starting QB for opener

Freshman Jayden de Laura has been named the starting quarterback for Washington State when the Cougars open their season at Oregon State on Saturday, first-year coach Nick Rolovich said.

“Jayden’s going to take the first snap for us at Oregon State,” Rolovich said Monday evening during a Zoom call with reporters.

De Laura, a true freshman from Honolulu, won a three-way competition with redshirt sophomore Cammon Cooper and redshirt freshman Gunner Cruz. De Laura is thought to be the first true freshman quarterback to start for the Cougars in a season opener.

Rolovich, who was hired from Hawaii, pointed to de Laura's familiarity with the run-and-shoot offense Rolovich has installed at Washington State.

“Came in obviously with a history in the family of the offense,” Rolovich said. “But he came in, just put in the work, thought he was productive and consistent and was going to give us the best chance to move the ball this Saturday. ”

De Laura comes from Honolulu’s Saint Louis High, which produced former WSU quarterback star Jason Gesser, plus star quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Tua Tagovailoa.

Image credits: AP