Former ECU QB Gardner Minshew Announces Transfer to Washington St.

Former East Carolina Pirates quarterback Gardner Minshew announced Tuesday he's going to join the Washington State Cougars as a graduate transfer for the 2018 college football season. 

Minshew, who told Bruce Feldman of Sports Illustrated last month he planned to commit to the Alabama Crimson Tide, confirmed his new choice on Twitter:

Minshew completed 57.2 percent of his throws for 2,140 yards with 16 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 10 appearances for the Pirates last season.

Washington State will be the latest stop in a long-and-winding collegiate journey for the Mississippi native.

The Brandon High School (Miss.) product originally committed to the Troy Trojans as a 3-star prospect in the 2015 recruiting class, per 247Sports.

He instead opted to attend Northwest Mississippi Community College for one year before joining East Carolina in 2016.

Minshew withdrew from the Pirates program in January to handle a family matter at home.

While he didn't provide a reason for his switch from the Tide to the Cougars, he told Feldman last month what he could bring to a team for his senior season.

"I'm a leader," Minshew said. "I was a team captain in my second year at East Carolina. On the field, I feel like I'm accurate and I make good decisions. Being able to prepare mentally for the games is something I really take pride in."

He should compete for the starting job at Washington State. He likely would have been a distant third on the Alabama depth chart behind Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts.