Arriving on The University of Tennessee at Martin campus earlier this year on Jan. 7, former West Ranch and College of the Canyons quarterback Wyatt Eget enrolled for the Spring semester in the hopes of being able to begin classes early and begin training with the football team.
Setting foot on campus, Eget admits it took some time to get accustomed to the differences between the Golden State and the Volunteer State, but with the help of his teammates he was able to figure things out quickly and get adjusted.
“Definitely at first, it’s a culture shock moving out to Tennessee because things are just different,” Eget said. “The first week was probably the most difficult, learning to cope with being away from the family, but as time went on it’s basically home to me. I have a lot of great teammates who have helped me with whatever I need to achieve..”
A student of the game, Eget has never turned down a challenge. Entering his sophomore year at Canyons, Eget had only attempted one pass and was second on the depth chart behind starter Andrew Brito.
After Brito went down with an injury ahead of the fourth game of the 2018-19 season, Eget made his first start of his JUCO career and did not disappoint.
Notching the first win under his belt, Eget finished with 245 yards, two touchdowns and one interception on 19-of-35 completions in a 26-9 win over Golden West College.
Eget currently sits third on the depth chart on a Skyhawks roster that features seven quarterbacks, but under the tutelage of former Mississippi State quarterback Jade Simpson and UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson, Eget is soaking up all the knowledge he can.
“He’s been there just giving me tips and tricks and advice that he used because he wasn’t the tallest of quarterback either,” Eget said. “It’s just like the little things: throwing mechanics and footwork type stuff. He’s given me a lot of good advice on what to do because he has been in my shoes before.”
Spending two full seasons at Canyons, Eget amassed 2,084 yards, 14 touchdowns and four interceptions on his way to winning 6-of-7 starts and believes that his time under head coach Ted Iacenda and quarterbacks coach Seth Oseransky prepared him for to play at the Division 1 level.
“It’s not too far off of what we did at COC and that credits COC in everything that they have done for me,” Eget said. “What we do there is a replica of what D-1 schools do. I don’t think there’s a program out there that gets you ready like they do. D-1 is a different monster and I’m just picking up the speed day-by-day. It’s only a matter of time until I become fully accustomed to it.”
Anxious to get the season underway, Eget relishes the chance and opportunity to go up against high-level competition like powerhouse programs The University of Florida and The University of Kentucky, amongst others.
“As a kid, you think of these guys as superstars and when you grow older and have a chance to play them, it’s amazing to me,” Eget said. “I think it’s just the experience of playing the ‘big guys’ like that.”
Returning home for summer break until July, Eget had the opportunity to attend Canyons’ Student-Athlete Academic Achievement Dinner on Thursday getting the chance to reunite with some of his old Cougars teammates. Among them was recent Eastern Michigan commit linebacker Tariq Speights.
“All these guys that are choosing their schools, it just shows you how hard we work,” Eget said. “There’s not a program in the country that works as hard as we do. Coach I and all the coaches make sure that’s stated and I like to say that we live up to the hype in that fashion.
“We have been out there busting our butts together and it’s so nice to see your brothers get out and get the opportunity to play at a higher level as well. It’s really awesome to see that and I’m really happy for them.”
The Skyhawks open up the season against Northwestern State at home at Hardy M. Graham Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 29. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
