PULLMAN, Wash — When Nick Rolovich got some good news on Wednesday night.
That's when he tweeted an Ol Crimson GIF on Twitter, indicating the Cougs had snagged a commit.
"First of all, the offense," said Xavier Ward to KREM on Thursday answering why he committed to WSU. "They throw the ball. The new coaching staff there from Hawaii, they develop quarterbacks really, really well. I really, really like that. My biggest goal is to get to the NFL. I feel that they could put me in the best situation to do that. Developing quarterbacks was a really big thing to me. Then when I started to get to know the coaches, what I said about that family environment, it was clear to me that WSU was a place that I would really, really like to go."
On Thursday morning, Ward made his commitment official, well at least verbally, as he tweeted out that he was headed to the Palouse with a Star Wars inspired graphic.
"I'm a little bit of a Star Wars fan, but really my quarterback coach Steve Calhoun, he has this thing where he calls himself Yoda. Yoda trains Jedi. All the quarterbacks that he trains are his Jedi, and I am one of those Jedi. Coach Calhoun being good friends with Craig Stutzmann (WSU's co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach), he had that graphic made for me. It was really, really cool because I became one of his profound Jedi," said Ward with a laugh.
The rising senior is a three-star recruit, according to 247 Sports. He hails from Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Corona, CA and is 6'2,195 pounds.
"I consider myself a pro-style quarterback that can run if I need to and make plays with my feet," said Ward, describing himself as a player. "I throw the ball a lot. I have a really strong arm, a really accurate arm. My mind for the game is top notch. I think about the game a lot especially as a quarterback. I love the game of football so I think about it a lot. It's really big for me to be able to throw the ball but to also make plays with my feet because that's the love of the game, being able to do every single aspect of the game and be able to perform in every way. That's what I feel like is my style of play, being able to make plays whether they go how they're supposed to or something goes wrong and I fix the play or adjust or do something to turn nothing into something."
Last year he was named first-team all-CIF and received his offer from WSU after a stellar outing at the Top 100 SoCal Showcase on June 7th. He committed to the Cougs just four days after.
"This is the best opportunity. This college made me feel at home," said Ward of his quick commitment. "I know it's soon, but I wasn't even thinking about that. It was just this is where I need to go, this is where I want to go. Doesn't really matter how soon. If I know, I know, right?"
According to an article on 247 sports, WSU watched Ward via a video stream from that camp and immediately called right after and offered.
"I was ecstatic after it," said Ward of getting an offer from WSU. "I got on the phone with Craig Stutzmann, and it seemed like it had been forever because I had been interested in these guys since March. Finally I was getting the phone call, like we're going to give you a scholarship offer. I was super happy. I couldn't stop smiling. It just made me feel like this is why I've been putting work in."
Ward also had offers from local schools Idaho and Eastern Washington. In the Pac-12, he also had an offer from Oregon State and had received interest from Colorado, Stanford, and UCLA.
Ward is still only 16 years-old heading into his senior year, and is expected to have another growth spurt.
To see Ward's highlights on Hudl, watch below: