MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Quarterback Jarret Doege announced that he is transferring from Bowling Green to West Virginia on Thursday, adding a somewhat surprising extra body in the Mountaineers quarterback room.
Doege was one of the best passers in the Mid-American Conference as a sophomore in 2018. He finished second in the MAC in passing yards (2,660), completion percentage (62.2 percent) and touchdowns (27).
He is purely a pocket passer. Even with the 29 sacks Doege took in 2018 removed from the equation, he rushed for 34 yards on 32 carries.
https://twitter.com/DoegeJarret/status/1129084191260446720
Doege, a native of Lubbock, Texas, already has a family connection with West Virginia head coach Neal Brown. Doege’s older brother, Seth, played at Texas Tech when Brown was the Red Raiders’ offensive coordinator in 2011 and 2012. Seth was an assistant coach at Bowling Green last season before head coach Mike Jinks was fired.
Jarret Doege practiced as Bowling Green’s quarterback in spring before deciding to transfer. Illinois, Western Kentucky, Florida Atlantic, Texas State and Louisiana-Monroe were among the other schools to contact him in the portal. Per NCAA rules, Doege has to sit out this year and is eligible to play two more seasons.
Seth Doege, who is now a quality control coach at USC, spoke to MetroNews about his younger brother’s transfer on Thursday night. According to Seth, Jarret saw West Virginia as the best opportunity to have a shot to play at the Power 5 level in a system where he’d feel comfortable. Bowling Green was Jarret’s only scholarship offer out of high school, including Division II programs.
The Mountaineers already have three scholarship quarterbacks on the roster. Austin Kendall transferred to WVU from Oklahoma in January, and is seen as the favorite to win the starting job in training camp. Junior Jack Allison previously transferred to WVU from Miami, while redshirt freshman Trey Lowe is the lone quarterback to actually sign with West Virginia out of high school.
WVU has just one scholarship remaining in this year’s class, but it won’t necessarily be used on Doege. West Virginia could defer his scholarship until after the fall semester, making him part of the 2020 recruiting class. That tactic was used last year with transfers VanDarius Cowan and Isaiah Esdale, both of whom practiced with the team but are considered members of the incoming class.
Brown previously stated that the Mountaineers are seeking additional depth along the offensive and defensive lines, and recently used one of its two remaining scholarships on junior college offensive lineman John Hughes.
-Allan Taylor contributed to this story.