Joshua Wood, SBLive's state player of the year in Washington, announces he will sign with Fresno State

With his football recruiting stock suddenly climbing north, Graham-Kapowsin High School's Joshua Wood decided to cash in - and go south.

A week after de-committing from Eastern Washington University, the Eagles' quarterback announced Monday that he will be signing next week with Fresno State University.

Wood, SBLive WA's state player of the year, chose the Bulldogs over Nevada after the two universities were the first ones to offer scholarships the day after Graham-Kapowsin defeated then-No. 7 Collins Hill (Ga.) in a nationally-televised bowl game in late December.

In the end, Wood couldn't turn down the opportunity to play in an established, quarterback-friendly offense steered by longtime coach Jeff Tedford, for an up-and-coming offensive coordinator in Kirby Moore and behind one of the nation's top returning signal callers in Jake Haener.

"It's everything a quarterback could ask for," Wood said.

In fact, when Wood went down for his official visit to Fresno State on Jan. 14, his host was Haener. Wood tagged along with the team's offensive leader wherever he could.

"I was with him every night when I was down there - every dinner, and I would be talking to him the whole time," Wood said. "After dinners, we hung out and was able to talk the same things - life and football.

"Knowing he will be a top (NFL) draft pick, and having that conversation, it felt great for me."

After a whirlwind first day of campus visits, Wood said after a couple meetings with Tedford and Moore on the second day, he knew this was going to be the place he called home.

"My parents were comfortable with the whole environment, too," Wood said.

When he returned from California, Wood felt so comfortable that he canceled throwing sessions for Cal, Nevada and WSU. He had thrown in front of UW coaches the week before heading down for his visit.

It's been a crazy 10 months for Wood, who went from first-year starter last spring to Gatorade state player of the year after leading Graham-Kapowsin to its first Class 4A title.

Wood went undefeated in all 20 of his varsity starts, and passed for 2,496 yards, rushed for another 613 yards and totaled 45 touchdowns as a senior.

But Wood's recruiting fortunes took a turn after his performance for the Eagles in the GEICO State Champions Bowl Series victory over Collins Hill in Las Vegas.

Wood threw the game-winning 32-yard touchdown pass to Stephen Mars with one second remaining in the Eagles' 40-36 victory. He finished with 274 passing yards and four touchdowns, adding another 78 yards on the ground.

"It has been crazy," Wood said. "It's really anazing. If I was told that at the Northwest 9 (in 2020) going into my junior year about all this happening, I would have said ... I believed you a little bit. But also, there is a part of me that said, 'No way!.'"

(Featured file photo by Jann Handry)