Color Scheme

Subscribe now

Washington State lands 2020 quarterback from same school that produced Mariota, Tagovailoa, Gesser

Saint Louis quarterback Jayden de Laura (7) tosses a pass during the first half of a game against rival Punahou. De Laura committed to Mike Leach and Washington State Wednesday afternoon. (Honolulu Star-Advertiser / Courtesy)
Saint Louis quarterback Jayden de Laura (7) tosses a pass during the first half of a game against rival Punahou. De Laura committed to Mike Leach and Washington State Wednesday afternoon. (Honolulu Star-Advertiser / Courtesy)
By Theo Lawson theol@spokesman.com(509) 459-5584

Washington State went to a renowned quarterback factory on the Hawaiian island of Oahu for its latest commitment in the class of 2020.

Jayden de Laura, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound, passer from the prestigious Saint Louis High School pledged to WSU on Wednesday fewer than 24 hours after receiving his first Pac-12 offer from the Cougars, giving Mike Leach his first quarterback of the 2020 recruiting class.

The three-star quarterback with offers from BYU, San Diego State, Hawaii and Western Kentucky has thrown for 1,948 yards and 19 touchdowns with only three interceptions through seven games of his senior season for the Crusaders. De Laura has completed 126-of-169 passes (74.5 percent) and displayed solid footwork and mobility outside of the pocket, rushing for another 198 yards and two touchdowns.

The Crusaders are 7-0 this season and averaging 37.4 points per game on offense. They beat Las Vegas powerhouse Bishop Gorman 31-19 earlier this season in the Aloha Football Classic and knocked off Honolulu rival Punahou and WSU safety commit Alaka’i Gilman 25-19 two weeks ago at Aloha Stadium.

De Laura’s primary recruiters at WSU were Leach and defensive line coach Jeff Phelps, according to 247Sports.com. The recruiting website lists him as the country’s 32nd-best pro style quarterback and ninth-ranked prospect in Hawaii.

Saint Louis’ quarterback lineage might be as impressive as any other school in the country. Jason Gesser, the former WSU signal-caller and seventh-place Heisman Trophy finisher, never lost a game while starting for the Crusaders, going 24-0 in his two seasons under center.

The private all-boys school also produced Timmy Chang, who played for the University of Hawaii and is second all-time in NCAA passing yards, with 17,072.

More recently, former Oregon QB, Heisman winner and current Tennessee Titans starter Marcus Mariota, played for Saint Louis, along with Heisman runner-up and current Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa. Another former Oregon passer, Jeremiah Masoli, prepped at Saint Louis.

De Laura becomes the 14th player to commit to WSU in the class of 2020 and the first quarterback. A former high school teammate of De Laura’s at Saint Louis, Mitchell Quinn, is a walk-on wide receiver on the Cougars’ roster, and true freshman linebacker Peni Naulu is a native of Waipahu, Hawaii, and attended Kapolei High School.