philbert said:
In fact, I heard a TV announcer say that when Haener transferred to Fresno St., it was originally to play for Kalen Deboer. He kept his commitment when Tedford was named to replace Deboer.
If a TV announcer said that, then he didn't have the facts quite right.
When Haener transferred from UW to Fresno St. for the 2019 season, Tedford was the head coach, it was Tedford's third year at Fresno St. DeBoer was the OC/QB coach at Fresno St. in Tedford's first two years there, 2017-18, but he left to go to Indiana as OC/QB coach for the 2019 season. You can't say Haener went to Fresno St. to play for DeBoer, since Tedford was HC, had been for two years, and DeBoer had just left his OC/QB coach job to go to Indiana. Haener then had to sit out 2019, since that was in the dark ages when players had to sit out a year even for their first transfer.
Tedford resigned after the 2019 season, DeBoer got hired as HC, and Haener was the starting Fresno St. QB for the two seasons DeBoer was HC at Fresno St., the (glorified exhibition) 2020 season, and the (real) 2021 season, not having (yet) been able to play when Tedford was HC. When DeBoer left for UW at the end of November 2021, a day later, Haener entered the portal, with indications he was going back to UW to follow DeBoer. When Tedford was named to replace DeBoer, however, Haener announced the same day that he would stay at Fresno St., where he spent a third season as starter in 2022, his fourth year at Fresno St. overall, two Tedford years sandwiched around two DeBoer years.
I'll always be thankful to Haener (and Chris Peterson) for the 2018 Cal victory over UW. Browning had been somewhat ineffective, so Peterson yanked him after a three-and-out on UW's second drive of the second half to "shake things up." Haener's first drive ended in the Weaver pick six to put Cal up 12-7. His second drive included his only completed pass for 11 yards, but had just the one first down and ended with an incomplete knocked down by Kunaszyk. So Browning went back in. On the second drive back in when UW returned a punt to the Cal 22, after losing 10 yards on a TFL on a run, Browning got a 23 yard pass to the 9, but after a run, incomplete, and incomplete, Peterson decided to kick the FG on 4th and goal from the 9. Cal ran the clock out (mostly Garbers and Laird), and won the game. Peterson's 2018 production of "The Two Jakes" was even less successful than the 1990 film.
Without the Weaver pick six thrown by Haener, Cal likely never wins the game, so I am grateful. Yes, Jake Haener, even if you never play again after the PED suspension, we'll always have 2018.