Timeline: Arizona QB Jayden de Laura's life on, off field from high school to UA

On the football field, Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura has produced touchdowns and upset victories.

Off the field, before his time in Tucson, de Laura encountered legal trouble on two known occasions.

Late Wednesday, an incident involving sexual assault from his high school days in Hawaii became public. De Laura agreed to settle a civil lawsuit in the case after pleading guilty in juvenile court to a sexual-assault charge, court documents say. 

Here’s a timeline tracing de Laura’s football career to date, from St. Louis School in Honolulu to the UA:

Oct. 27, 2018: According to a civil lawsuit, De Laura and St. Louis teammate Kamo'i Latu, who's now a starting safety for Wisconsin, sexually assaulted a girl, who was about 17 at the time, in a parking structure connected to the school following the Crusaders' win over Punahou at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. All three were minors. The lawsuit claims de Laura admitted in a text message to sexually assaulting the plaintiff and that he apologized to her. She filed a police report in December 2018. De Laura and Latu were ordered to write an apology letter to the plaintiff, according to the lawsuit.

Oct. 2, 2019: De Laura commits to Washington State over USC, San Diego State, BYU and Hawaii. 

Nov. 3, 2019: Ohio State officially offers de Laura a scholarship two days after assistant coach Mark Yurcich flew to Honolulu to visit the star quarterback. 

Dec. 6, 2019: De Laura is named Hawaii Gatorade Player of the Year after leading St. Louis High School to a Division I-Open state championship. 

Dec. 18, 2019: De Laura signs with the Cougars to play for then-head coach Mike Leach, who would leave to take the Mississippi State head-coaching vacancy less than a month later. The Cougars name former Hawaii head coach Nick Rolovich as the new leader of the program. 

Nov. 7, 2020: De Laura is named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week after passing for 227 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in Washington State’s 38-28 win over Oregon State in the truncated, pandemic-influenced season. 

Feb. 8, 2021: De Laura is suspended by WSU after he was arrested for suspicion of DUI. He is not allowed to participate in spring practice.

July 29, 2021: De Laura is found not guilty of the DUI charge. 

Oct. 18, 2021: Washington State fires Rolovich for not adhering to a vaccine mandate for Washington state employees. Through his attorney, de Laura releases a statement: “Words cannot express our profound sadness and disappointment in the termination of our coach, Nick Rolovich. Playing for him was a great honor that all of us will cherish forever. He put trust in me and allowed me to grow as a man both on and off the field. … But we also understand that Cougar football has always been bigger than any one person. We are a band of brothers who play and sacrifice for each other, no matter who the head coach is.” Defensive coordinator Jake Dickert is named interim head coach. 

Nov. 26, 2021: De Laura completes 27 of 32 passes for 245 yards in WSU’s 40-13 win over Washington to win the Apple Cup for the first time since 2012. It's also the Cougars’ first win over the Huskies in Seattle since 2007. De Laura plants a WSU flag on the UW logo in the middle of the field. 

Nov. 27, 2021: Dickert is named WSU’s full-time head coach. 

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

Dec. 2, 2021: The plaintiff in the Hawaii case files her civil complaint against St. Louis School, de Laura and Latu. The complaint states that de Laura and Latu pleaded guilty to second-degree sexual assault on an unspecified date. Specifics of the original case are unavailable due to all parties being minors and the criminal case being handled through juvenile court.  

Dec. 7, 2021: De Laura is named named Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year. 

Dec. 8, 2021: WSU hires Incarnate Word head coach Eric Morris as offensive coordinator. Quarterback Cameron Ward leaves Incarnate Word the next day. 

Dec. 28, 2021: De Laura arrives late at Washington State’s pre-Sun Bowl practice at Eastwood High School in El Paso, Texas, after inclement weather delays his flight from Honolulu to Seattle.

Dec. 31, 2021: During the first half of the Sun Bowl, de Laura suffers an ankle injury and mutually agrees with the WSU medical staff to sit out the second half after taking an X-ray. Moments after Washington State’s loss to Central Michigan, Ward tweets that he has received an official offer from the Cougars. 

Jan. 7, 2022: De Laura enters the NCAA transfer portal. 

Jan. 10, 2022: De Laura commits to the Wildcats. Ward pledges to the Cougars hours later. 

Sept. 3, 2022: Arizona beats San Diego State 38-10 in the season opener behind de Laura’s four-touchdown performance. De Laura is named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week. 

Oct. 28, 2022: In a partnership with local car dealership Jim Click Auto, and facilitated by "Friends of Wilbur and Wilma," the UA's NIL program, de Laura posts a photo on Instagram of himself standing in front of a new white Dodge Challenger. De Laura and star freshman receiver Tetairoa McMillan each have NIL endorsements with Jim Click Auto. On3.com values de Laura's NIL at $178,000 annually. 

Nov. 12, 2022: After leading Arizona to a win over No. 12 UCLA, the Wildcats’ first win over a ranked opponent of the Jedd Fisch era, de Laura is asked about playing his ex-team the next week. “Just watch,” he says. "This game, it's personal."

Nov. 19, 2022: De Laura is intercepted a career-high four times, including once for a touchdown, in Arizona’s 31-20 setback against his former team.

March 13, 2023: Fisch compliments de Laura's maturity and growth as a quarterback during spring ball following one season in the UA system. Says Fisch: “Now I feel like we’re in a place that we can take this program and take this team and build it to be even better and let Jayden really, really blossom.”

May 2, 2023: Hawaii News Now reports de Laura and Latu reached a settlement that's still pending for an undisclosed amount with the plaintiff in the sexual-assault case. Wisconsin athletics releases a statement saying Latu's involvement in this case "was not known to UW Athletics officials. ... Based on the information available to the UW-Madison Office of Legal Affairs and UW Athletics officials, the matter being reported that involved Latu prior to his time as a college student does not violate the UW Athletics Student-Athlete Discipline Policy, university misconduct policies, or reporting or disclosure requirements. Latu remains a member of the Wisconsin football team." The UA has yet to comment on de Laura.