‘He’s going to be a star’: Derek Ganter Jr.’s patience rewarded in second season with Eagles

One of the positives to come out of Eastern Washington’s 2023 football season was the opportunity for a handful of true freshmen to play a handful of games.

The idea was to maximize the NCAA’s rule that allows players to participate in up to four regular-season games while still maintaining their redshirt.

Safety Derek Ganter Jr. was one of those players. He started three of his four games, made 12 tackles – the most among the team’s true freshmen – and broke up a pass on the final play of Eastern’s eight-point win over Weber State.

“The journey was a little frustrating, sitting on the bench for the first time in my life,” Ganter said this week. “but that’s just a part of going to college.”

Because of those games, Ganter said, this year he hit the ground running – and without a doubt, that’s exactly what he’s done.

“He’s going to be a star,” redshirt junior cornerback DaJean Wells said earlier this season. “His knowledge of the game is way older than you would think an 18- or 19-year-old would have. I just love playing with him.”

The Eagles (1-4, 0-1 Big Sky), who come off their bye with a game Saturday at Sacramento State (2-3, 0-1), haven’t experienced the defensive turnaround they hoped for this year under first-year coordinator Eric Sanders. But the play of Ganter has been one of the bright spots.

Through five games, the redshirt freshman safety leads the Eagles with 37 tackles, five more than redshirt junior safety Kentrell Williams Jr. The Eagles like to rotate safeties, but Ganter has been a near-constant presence on the defense.

“He’s really good at talking the game,” Sanders said of Ganter. “He can see things, recognize them. He can make the calls. He’s got a really good football IQ, and he’s really fun to coach. And (all) that leads him to making more plays.”

Sanders, who last year was – and this year remains – the Eagles’ linebackers coach, was promoted to coordinator during last offseason. He installed a defense that is designed to maximize the skills and stamina of the team’s roster by using a wider variety of formations and personnel groupings.

The results haven’t been much better. The Eagles are allowing 495 yards per game, 41 more than last year’s full-season average. Nineteen times an offense has reached Eastern’s defensive red zone, and 17 of those drives have ended in touchdowns.

That inability to stop teams on short fields has been particularly magnified in Eastern’s three one-score losses, and it was one aspect EWU head coach Aaron Best highlighted on Tuesday.

“We’ve got to find a way to get them to kick field goals in the red zone and (force turnovers),” Best said during his media availability.

That second one – forcing turnovers – has also been an issue. Eastern’s defense has just two turnovers , both interceptions by Williams. One came at the end of the Eagles’ lone victory, 42-27 over Monmouth. The other came on the final play of the first half against Nevada on a last-hope heave to the end zone.

Eastern hasn’t forced a fumble; every other Big Sky team has forced at least two. Sacramento State has forced 10.

One of the things Sanders said the Eagles addressed during the bye week was the disappointment the team feels toward its performance .

“We’re all disappointed: the young players, the players who were on (the defense) last season. We’re all in this together,” Sanders said. “We all want to be better. And the wonderful thing about this group of young men is they have really given themselves over to the team concept.”

Ganter is not the only redshirt freshman playing significant snaps on defense. Tylin Jackson has started four of five games at defensive end, recording 10 tackles and one of Eastern’s seven sacks. Linebacker Samarai Anderson has 16 tackles, eighth most on the team. Cornerback Zion Jones has 14 tackles and two pass breakups.

They are part of a 2023 recruiting class that could well form the foundation for Eastern’s defense the next three seasons.

Sanders said the team’s younger players aren’t at a particular disadvantage because of their age; the defense was new to everyone last winter. If anything, that helped the redshirt freshmen compete for playing time earlier, Sanders said.

“Progress is not a straight line,” Sanders said. “As long as everybody continues to work hard on defense, they will improve. (Everyone) can go out there and work, and they can improve with the work.”

What ails the defense, Sanders said, isn’t so much the schematics as the fundamentals: getting off blocks, tackling well and taking smart angles in pursuit of the ball carrier. That’s been a large focus during the team’s recent practices.

“We just made it known (we need) to get back to the fundamentals,” Jackson said during media availability Tuesday, “cleaning up the little stuff that we need to clean up to get better.”

“Something that we’ve got to do better is finish plays,” Ganter said. “We’ve got to execute the end of the play.”

That was on display in last week’s 52-49 loss to Montana, particularly on third and fourth downs when the Grizzlies’ offense went a combined 9 for 16. Montana had 11 drives, and on all but two it advanced into Eastern’s territory.

While Eastern didn’t use every day over the past two weeks to prepare directly for Sacramento State – players and coaches took a few days off from practices – the extra time helped the Eagles get healthier.

As they prepare to face the Hornets, the Eagles are trying to take advantage of every chance they get – on the field, in the film room, in meetings, in the weight room – to get better.

“Whatever opportunities we have to lock in and focus will lead to small, little improvements, and those will add up,” Sanders said. “And I do believe that our kids still believe.

“They haven’t lost faith in our defense. They know what they can do. … They just want to chip away at the imperfections through hard work.”