Eastern Washington wide receiver Jaxon Branch breaks out in big way at Red-White Game
May 1-One of the more obvious statistical shortcomings of last year's Eastern Washington football team was its lack of a dominant No. 1 receiver.
During Friday's Red-White Game at Roos Field in Cheney, redshirt sophomore Jaxon Branch made a case for filling that role in 2026.
The 6-foot-3 wideout caught nine passes for 140 yards and three touchdowns in the Eagles' final scrimmage of the spring, dominating a series of cornerbacks who tried to slow him down.
"I'd probably say (my favorite was) the first touchdown, because that's my roommate," Branch said of his long touchdown catch over redshirt sophomore cornerback Ambrose Marsh. "So when I go home, I'll talk some trash to him."
Late in the scrimmage, one cornerback proved able to stop Branch. That distinction belonged to Dre Greeley, the redshirt senior who intercepted a pass intended for Branch in the end zone.
"Jaxon had three touchdowns. Somebody had to cover him," said the 5-foot-11 Greeley, "so I dropped back and got a pick. I'll take it."
Staked to a 29-0 lead at the start, Eastern's defense won the scrimmage 56-28. Greeley's interception earned the defense four points in the modified scoring system. They also were awarded points for fourth-down stops.
In addition to Branch's three scores, sophomore tight end Zander Turner reached the end zone. He finished with three catches for 15 yards.
Redshirt senior Cole Pruett caught five passes for 50 yards, and redshirt freshman Trenton Swanson had three receptions for 30 yards.
Kevin Allen III, a redshirt sophomore, was the only running back to dress for the scrimmage. He carried 18 times for 76 yards and caught four passes for another 12 yards.
But the day belonged to Branch, who last season caught 14 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns.
"His mindset after last season has been different," EWU head coach Aaron Best said. "He's taken this offseason and said, 'I want to be the No. 1.' "
In Eastern's two-player competition for the starting quarterback position, redshirt junior quarterback Nate Bell had the better day statistically. He completed 17 of 28 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns, while redshirt sophomore Jake Schakel finished 12 of 23 for 114 yards and one score.
Best said the coaching staff will evaluate the whole of Bell and Schakel's spring performances in order to name a No. 1 and No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart heading into preseason practices. He cautioned, though, that the order coaches set later this week wouldn't automatically set the depth chart when the Eagles open the season at Northern Arizona.
"When we name whoever it is, that is for July 28," Best said. "That has nothing to do with August 29 (in Flagstaff). It might or might not ... So I don't want to look too far down the rabbit hole when we get to that decision."
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