The QB quandary continues. First Rogers and Lopina out, Ocho Rojo in. Now Ocho Rojo out until next summer, Lopina back in. But now, Jack Thompson Levenseller has emerged and is looking like the backup to Lopina. At the rate these QB’s have been going down, J.T., keep your helmet on and stay loose.
So what is there to know about Levenseller? Obviously he’s the son of Mike, the former Cougar great WR and longtime assistant. Oh, and the J.T. stands for Jack Thompson, a great friend of Mike Levenseller. Great. But what else? Well, he was a hell of a high school QB in Pullman. Per his bio at Scout.com:
Grayshirted in 2007. Enrolled at WSU in January 2008. Was 23-2 as a two-year starting quarterback at 2A powerhouse Pullman High. First-team all-league quarterback and second-team all-league defensive back in 2006. His senior season he completed 74 of 150 passes for 1,283 yards with 14 tds and 4 ints. He also carried the ball 117 times for 712 yards with 13 rushing touchdowns.
As a junior in 2005 he passed for 1,880 yards and 27 TDs as he led Pullman to a perfect 14-0 season and the 2005 Class 2A state championship; earned first-team all-league and second-team 2A All-State plaudits at quarterback. Son of Washington State offensive coordinator Mike Levenseller. Named after WSU quarterbacking legend Jack Thompson. Also a standout basketball player.
Alrighty then. Looks good so far. State champ, that’s great. But what else? Well, he’s not a huge guy, at 6-1, 195, but that’s big enough. If/when we ever actually do implement the Sturdy offense as seen in Cheney last year, you know that size isn’t that big of a deal. What is impressive are his quicks, as he has reportedly run between a 4.6 and a 4.7 40-yard dash. Not lightning in a bottle, but that’s pretty fast for a QB. The 712 rushing yards in 2006 are impressive, and if you aren’t fast you don’t usually see that from the QB spot. And WITH THIS OFFENSIVE LINE!? You’re gonna need those legs kid.
That said, young Levy didn’t exactly burn up the recruiting wars. He basically chose WSU over Eastern and, later in the process, Hawaii came calling. But it is what it is, and who really cares about all that stuff now? He’s in the program, and with Ocho Rojo’s significant injury, he’s your backup.
The good news is that Wulff has actually talked up J.T. earlier this year. Twice on radio shows, I heard him say that the staff thought he was really coming along and improving by a huge amount since camp. It remains to be seen if he’s ready to actually play in a game, but we sure are close to finding out.
Our own Longball took in some practices this summer, so I will let him comment further on what HE saw with his own two eyes. Longball did speculate that the kid would see the field in some capacity, be it at QB, WR, or even at defensive back, an acknowledgement of the kid’s athleticism.
I found this article on JT at the Evergreen of all places, back after he signed with the Cougs in early 2007. Interesting read. A tough kid and a winner, hey, this could be a great story. Local kid grows up dreaming of playing in Martin Stadium in Crimson, and it sure looks like he is going to get that chance. And in a season heading to hell in a hand basket, we sure could use a good story couldn’t we?!?
We’ll be back tomorrow for the radio show recap. You can be sure the QB situation will be topic 1-A tonight. I’m sure Wulff will address the crappiness of the state of the program as well, and how there is a plan and they are sticking with it. I’m sure he’s sick and tired of being sick and tired. We all are. How many times can he say it? I can’t imagine there is anyone more frustrated than Wulff right now.
Enjoy your Tuesday, and GO COUGS!
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