Dale Denton | The Legacy | Rookie Year

[Agent]

damn that's a disappointing freshman season without taking a single snap. He knew that going in with Notre Dame though. No hopes on getting the starting job next season?

[six7]

bring on the transfer portal

[The JZA]

That tenure at Notre Dame sure was short-lived. Back on the road we go.

Captain Canada, Short-lived? Didn't even start Man's brain saw more play time in class than his body did on field

damn that's a disappointing freshman season without taking a single snap. He knew that going in with Notre Dame though. No hopes on getting the starting job next season?

Agent, Wasn't that he knew or not, but he failed to grabbed the QB2 spot. Which he only had one shot at the whole season. Next season is very doubtful. CJ Carr just finished his sophomore year. There could be the chance he transfers, but I highly doubt it with the successful season he had. So it's a risk. Waste to years on the bench for a possible early leave? Or just go to another school. Another program just seems the best route.

bring on the transfer portal

Google[Bot], I had a house rule in place with staying at a 5-star program, barring access to the portal. But since they dropped down to a 4-star program, gloves is off

[The JZA]

[The JZA]

[The JZA]

[The JZA]

[The JZA]

[The JZA]

Chapter IV: Talk To Me Nice

The door didn’t slam behind Dale, but it might as well have. Every step he took leaving Coach Freeman’s office felt like a break in the chain that had been holding him back. The decision was made. No turning back. Later that night, he made it official. Hopped on his tablet, logged in to the NCAA compliance portal, and typed in his name.

Dale Demetrius Denton.

Quarterback. Freshman. Notre Dame.

Transfer portal: active.

The second he hit submit, it was like lighting a fuse. His phone lit up like the Vegas strip. DMs, emails, missed calls. Coaches, coordinators, recruiters—everyone suddenly remembered who Dale Denton was. Programs he hadn't even thought about since high school started hitting him with the same sweet nothings they whispered back when he was the prize. But this time around? Dale wasn't wide-eyed and green no more. He'd seen what promises looked like when they came with no receipts. He wanted substance, not seduction. Concrete over charisma.

West Virginia came first, quick with the love. New OC, new offensive scheme. They sold him a dream about a spread-heavy attack tailored for a mobile QB with a cannon arm. Sent him a breakdown of their offensive film, showed him how his skillset fit like a glove. Sounded nice, but when Dale pressed for clarity—"Am I your guy?"—they danced. Told him he’d have to earn it. Dale wasn’t mad at it, but he wasn’t impressed either.

Texas A&M was slick about it. Sent an assistant to reach out through back channels. Told Dale the quarterback room was open, and with a strong spring showing, the job could be his. But "could be" sounded a lot like "maybe," and Dale was done living on maybes. He didn’t just want opportunity—he wanted commitment. Ain’t no more taking back seats. Not after sitting behind greatness for a whole damn season.

Boise State brought the whole nine. Sent game film, charts, a breakdown of every pass their QBs missed that season and how Dale could’ve made them. It was a tight package. Respectable. They even had the offensive coordinator get on Zoom with Dale’s pops. Told them Boise was a place where stars were born from the ground up. Dale respected the hustle. But deep down, he couldn’t shake the feeling it was too small a stage. He wanted the spotlight, not just the script. The world needed to see him shine, not just the Mountain West.

TCU came with energy. Told Dale they needed a spark, that he could walk in and lead the squad. Their program was hungry, their fans loyal, their offense fast-paced. They had talent, no doubt, but the vibe felt rushed, like they were just scrambling for a savior after a 4-8 losing season. Dale wasn’t trying to play Captain Save-A-Team. He wanted to lead a program, not rescue one.

Then came Washington. And this one? This one made Dale pause.

Washington had Matthew Leo-Ioane after Demond Williams Jr. had transferred to Texas, but they didn’t come at Dale with smoke and mirrors. They came with real talk.

"We like Leo-Ioane, but we love what you can bring to the program. We want competition. If you're ready to ball, we got a jersey for you. Spring game will decide who walks into the fall as QB1. Nothing promised. Everything earned."

It wasn’t the guarantee Dale wanted, but it was the closest thing to a shot with teeth. They wanted a dog fight. And Dale was raised in the kennel. He called them back the next day. Got on the phone with their quarterbacks coach, a dude named Coach Jimmie Dougherty who used to coach QBs at San Diego State, San Jose State, Arizona, now on his second tenure with Washington. His voice was sharp, clipped, like he ain’t have time to waste—but he made time for Dale.

"We don’t sugarcoat it out here," Coach Dougherty said. "You want the job, you come take it. You put in work, you’ll see the field. You want politics, stay East. You want a legacy, come West. In 2024, we had 10 athletes get drafted in the NFL. Earn your keep here and you'll be top of the class when you graduate."

Dale liked that. He didn’t need his hand held. He needed a shot.

Still, he took a couple more days, sorted through the noise. Spoke with his mom. Chopped it up with his pops too. They both said the same thing—"make the decision that lets you sleep at night." By the weekend, Dale packed his bags and booked a ticket.

Next stop: Washington.

He didn’t come for the coffee culture or the space needle. He came to write his name into the city’s story like graffiti on train cars. With a second shot on the horizon, he knew he had to make this work. This wasn't an arrival, this wasn't a "new beginning", this was do-or-die. Come spring, Dale had all intentions of earning his new nickname: QB1

[Captain Canada]

Won't lie, them boys in South Bend cooked all season until SMU messed things up

Washington should be an interesting next destination. Let's see if it works out