John Donovan: The Man Behind the Search for the Next UW Quarterback

New offensive coordinator acknowledges it will be a challenge to get one of his young, untested players ready to play as the starter.

John Donovan, the new University of Washington offensive coordinator, has inherited three quarterbacks. He hasn't seen any of them throw.

He's heard they can wing it pretty well.

Welcome to Seattle, coach, where pandemic or no pandemic, his job was going to be fairly challenging right away because of the quarterback situation.

Just one of the candidates, sophomore Jacob Sirmon, has played in a UW game, but not with it in question. He's No. 11 in the video.

The combined stat line for this trio: 2-for-3 in passes for 19 yards, with no interceptions, no touchdowns and no postgame interviews.

They're as raw as they come, with redshirt freshman Dylan Morris and incoming freshman Ethan Garbers eager to line up behind center for the first time on a Saturday at Husky Stadium. Morris is No. 16 in the video.

Typically, the UW doesn't permit first-year players to take part in media sessions, so none of these guys have even answered outsiders' questions. It's all new.

"They're all smart, I'll say that," Donovan said.

The new coach, however, will need to be the smart one in finding someone totally comfortable and competent in the high-stress position of being QB-1, Washington style.

Oh, did we forget to mention that these young signal callers each have to learn a new pro-style offense before one of them takes the reins for the Sept. 5 opener against Michigan at home, pandemic permitting.

While conceding it will be a challenge to get a quarterback ready to play, Donovan offered this, "At the same time, it's also good with those guys that I'm coming in with a clean slate. We'll want to coach them up and coach them hard, and teach them and let them battle it out."

Donovan joined the staff in mid-January, familiar only with new tight-ends coach Derham Cato, after spending four seasons with the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars. He's been well received by the others so far.

"He's really an awesome guy and an intelligent football coach," UW offensive-line coach Scott Huff said. "We're still on the honeymoon phases of everything."

The New Jersey native previously coached at Penn State, where he was fired, and at Vanderbilt, where he flourished. He wasn't looking to leave pro football, but he couldn't pass up a chance to coach at the UW and in Seattle.

"I really enjoyed my time in the NFL," he said. "To be honest, I never thought I would go back to college if I didn't have to. This came about pretty randomly. I remember growing up in the 1990s and this place had a reputation as a tough program. It's a great city. For me, it wasn't a hard sell."

He's lost much of his Jersey accent, though players laugh at some of his word choices. He comes across as more of a no-nonsense personality.

Donovan noted how the Huskies have some huge offensive linemen who seem to be mobile enough, which bodes well for his offense.

Overall, he's impressed with the collective drive of the UW players that indicates they are dedicated to hard work and being successful.

"They've really bought into being great," he said. "They want to learn. They want to understand what the job is and what they need to do. That comes from more of a younger group than I'm used to the last few years, and that's really refreshing."

Quarterback, however, will remain a time-consuming issue until the Huskies get the OK to play again on Saturdays. This will give Donovan plenty of time to get acquainted with Sirmon, Morris and Garbers.

"The first thing is it's the mentality," Donovan said. "It's about team first. Everyone's looking at you. You're the guy. You have to be positive. Never give up. They're looking at you."

And while he imparts that message, the new UW offensive coordinator is fully aware that if there are any ongoing quarterback struggles, everyone will be looking at him.