Ex-Husky Jake Haener Wins Starting Quarterback Job at Fresno State
At least one quarterback competition involving a guy who has worn the purple and gold has been decided.
Jake Haener, who transferred out of the University of Washington 13 months ago, earned the Fresno State starting job and will open against the Hawaii Rainbows on Saturday in Fresno, his coach said.
New Bulldogs coach Kalen DeBoer chose Haener, a 6-foot-1, 194 pound junior, over Ben Wooldridge, a sophomore who served as the backup in 2019.
"Right now, we feel Jake gives us the best chance for us to reach our full potential as a football team, as an offense," DeBoer said. "That's a hard deal because a guy like Ben Wooldridge has put a lot into this program and will continue to do so and has carried himself in a very first-class way and he's going to be there to support Jake."
Haener, of course, would be in competition for the Washington staring job right now had he not grown impatient after losing the quarterback competition to Jacob Eason last season and leaving abruptly.
He'll be making his first college start after playing intermittently for the Huskies, completing 9 of 13 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown. Two years ago, he received his only action with a game on the line at California, but he threw a pick-six interception that led to a 12-10 defeat in Berkeley.
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