Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener posts apology, joins Bulldogs bowl practices
Fresno State coach Jeff Tedford is back and now, so, too, is quarterback Jake Haener, who had entered the NCAA transfer portal at the start of a topsy turvy week and a half for the Bulldogs football program only to withdraw his name and rejoin the team.
The quarterback was in practice Thursday and will be available to play in the Dec. 18 New Mexico Bowl.
“First and foremost, Red Wave, fans, teammates, coaches, everybody that’s in my corner and has been in my corner the past two and a half years here at Fresno State, I want to sincerely apologize for the actions I took and the actions I thought that were at the time best for me and my future,” Haener said, in a social media post through the Fresno State football accounts.
“Everything I had in my mind and everything at the time was a mix of emotions and true confusion with me and my family. I had the things going on in my life that as a 22-year-old man, trying to make a decision for his future was I guess you could say chaotic and uncertain. I didn’t know what direction Fresno State was going to go with their coaching staff, their offense, terminology and system. Everything was up in the air and I knew exactly what I had with coach (Kalen) DeBoer and coach (Ryan) Grubb. My original plan was to enter the transfer portal and open my options to possibly going back to the University of Washington, where I knew exactly what I was getting.
“A lot of you might ask, why did I do it before the bowl game? I decided to go enter the transfer portal before my bowl game because at the time, our team had no idea when that bowl game was. We had heard that it was Dec. 31, Dec. 24, Dec. 22, and with me going to the University of Washington, which is (on) a quarter system, the quarter starts Jan. 3 and there was a lot of things that needed to be straightened out in my life, in my academic life, that needed to be looked at and instructed and entering the transfer portal at that time gave us the best opportunity to weigh all my options out.
“With that being said, Fresno is my home. It’s made me who I am. I can’t wait to play with coach (Jeff) Tedford in 2022 and take on the Mountain West with the rest of my teammates and pursue a championship. It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do here, and just play one more season as a Bulldog. I can’t imagine myself anywhere else and this is where I want to be. So, Red Wave I’ll see you in 2022. Go Dogs.”
Haener removed his name from the portal on Wednesday, shortly after Tedford was introduced as the Bulldogs’ coach at a press conference. It obviously is a huge get for the Bulldogs and for Tedford, who while at Fresno State has struck it big with transfer quarterbacks Marcus McMaryion, Haener and now, again, Haener.
McMaryion was a graduate transfer from Oregon State and the Dinuba product went 21-4 as a starter, leading the Bulldogs to two Mountain West title games and a championship in 2018.
Fresno State offensive production returning in 2022
Haener will have a chance to get there next season, back with an offense that will return running back Jordan Mims as well as wideouts Jalen Cropper, Josh Kelly and Zane Pope, tight ends Raymond Pauwels Jr. and Tre Watson. That is a healthy portion of the Bulldogs’ offensive production – their second-leading rusher, three of their top four wideouts and two of their top three tight ends.
Haener is second in the Mountain West in passing, averaging 317.5 yards per game. He has thrown 32 touchdown passes with nine interceptions and has a passing efficiency rating of 158.81, which is the best in the conference and 15th in the nation. It also is higher than record-setting quarterback Derek Carr in his senior, junior or sophomore seasons – 156.29, 155.94 and 144.51.
This story was originally published December 9, 2021 at 3:35 PM.