UW Quarterback Carousel Gets Settled Against Beavers

The great University of Washington quarterback mystery will come to an end on Saturday night in the shadows of Husky Stadium, when the Huskies host Oregon State in their pandemic-delayed season opener.

Or it will just begin?

We expect Kevin Thomson to trot out for the opening series at QB against the Beavers, take the initial snap and shove the ball into arms of tailback Kamari Pleasant or someone else. And off we go.

Thomson is the seventh-year senior and grad transfer from Sacramento State, our projected winner of the four-player UW quarterback sweepstakes, though we're still receiving mail-in ballots and facing recount challenges over our choice.

If we're totally wrong, calling the shots will be sophomore Jacob Sirmon, who still seems like a perpetual Husky back-up, too much of a stand-tall, immobile guy for offensive coordinator John Donovan's new offense.

Prove us wrong, Jacob.

It would be hugely surprising to see redshirt freshman Dylan Morris or true freshman Ethan Garbers anointed as the No. 1 quarterback for Washington and step onto the field, for no other reason than they're so young.

Show us instant maturity, guys.

"If it doesn't feel right and we don't feel our starter is ready to go in that first game, we may have multiple guys playing," said UW coach Jimmy Lake, who makes his head-coaching debut without a veteran Pac-12 QB on hand..

The Huskies usually identify a player early in the selection process and run with him. Or have you forgotten four-year starter Jake Browning, three-and-a-half-year starter Jake Locker, three-year starter Keith Price and three-year starter Cody Pickett, all quarterbacks made for long stays for the new millenium?

The last time the UW had real quarterback uncertainty was 2014, when then-coach Chris Petersen started three different guys, with none of them finishing out their careers as the No. 1 guy — Cyler Myles pulled 12 opening assignments, and Troy Williams and Jeff Lindquist once each. In fact, Myles and and Williams transferred out.

Six years earlier, the Huskies experienced their worst season in school history, going winless in 12 outings, and naturally QB success was part of the problem.

Soon-to-be-fired UW coach Ty Willingham went through three quarterbacks for game-day duty in 2008 in redshirt freshman Ronnie Fouch, freshman Jake Locker and walk-on freshman Taylor Bean. Fouch and Locker started eight and four times, respectively. The three of them played enough to each threw at least 19 passes that season. Fouch eventually transferred to Indiana State.

The UW quarterback situation in modern times has never been messier than it was in the 2004 season, which ended up 1-10. Coach Keith Gilbertson used three different starters in junior Casey Paus (8), freshman Carl Bonnell (2) and sophomore Isaiah Stanback (1). Each guy threw 54 passes or more that season. No one had much success. Stanback was the full-time starter the following season.

Of course, the most unsettling year for UW quarterback stability was supposed to be one of its greatest ones.

In 1972, the Huskies started four different players at that all-important leadership position, beginning and ending with the legendary Sonny Sixkiller. With Rose Bowl expectations coming into his senior season, the record-setting and popular Sixkiller suffered a midseason knee injury against Stanford, limiting him to eight starts and forcing him to miss three games.

The UW also opened at quarterback in '72 with senior Greg Collins (1), sophomore Gene Willis (1) and sophomore Mark Backman (1), with everyone except fourth-string Backman getting injured at some point.

Here's to some quarterback stability for Lake in a strenuous season of stops and starts because of the virus.

Follow Dan Raley of Husky Maven on Twitter: @DanRaley1 and @HuskyMaven

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