Jacob Eason Leaving UGA Football

ATHENS, GA — Jacob Eason, the starting quarterback for the University of Georgia at the beginning of a season that would end in the National Championship Game, is leaving the team.

Eason made the widely anticipated news official on Friday, posting on Twitter that his time as a Bulldog is over. Eason, a sophomore, suffered a knee injury in the season-opener against Appalachian State and was replaced by true freshman Jake Fromm, who led the team to a 13-2 record, an SEC Championship and a Rose Bowl win over Oklahoma.

"Thank you UGA for an incredible two years," Eason wrote. "The memories and relationships I have made will truly last a lifetime. I will miss suiting up in red and black, but Athens will always be a place I can call home."

Eason, a native of Lake Stevens, Washington, is widely expected to transfer to University of Washington. His post Friday did not mention his future plans.

Eason started for Georgia his freshman year, throwing for 2,430 yards and 16 touchdowns en route to an 8-5 record and win over Texas Christian in the Liberty Bowl. This year, he only played in three games, throwing for a total of just 28 yards.

Fromm's performance, along with Georgia's recent signing of five-star quarterback prospect Justin Fields out of Harrison High School in Kennesaw, had made it apparent that Eason's future at UGA was probably almost over. Even so, many around the program praised the way he handled being relegated to second-string status.

After Georgia's 26-23 overtime loss to Alabama on Monday in the championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, cameras caught Eason waiting for Fromm to approach the tunnel leading to the team's locker room and throwing an arm around the freshman's shoulders before the two walked off the field together one last time.

At Washington, Eason would join four-year starting quarterback Jake Browning, who plans to return for his senior season, and two incoming freshmen who were top-100 recruits 2014 — Jacob Sirmon and Colson Yankoff. Under NCAA rules, he would have to take a redshirt season before taking the field.

Photo via GeorgiaDogs.com