CHENEY, Wash. - Call it compensation. Eastern Washington, which lost its football coach to Washington State less than two years ago, is now taking an erstwhile WSU quarterback.

J.T. Levenseller, who had secured his release from the Pullman school Sunday, has transferred to EWU and will be eligible to play this season, Eagles coach Beau Baldwin announced Thursday.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound sophomore will be one of six quarterbacks on the EWU roster, and Baldwin didn't rule out switching the Pullman High graduate to receiver. The Eagles had recruited Levenseller out of high school two years ago, when Baldwin was their quarterbacks coach.

"We're going to see how it goes," Baldwin said. "We have to see J.T. on the practice field and see his capabilities. When we first recruited him, he was an outstanding quarterback but we also thought he was athletic enough to be a receiver for us as well. We'll start him out at the quarterback position and see where he stands."

The Eagles' original recruitment of Levenseller took place under the watch of Paul Wulff, who became Cougars coach in December 2007. By that time, Levenseller had signed with WSU, where his father Mike Levenseller has been an assistant coach for 18 years. The younger athlete grayshirted and enrolled at WSU in January 2008.

The Eagles' stable of QBs includes four-year starter Matt Nichols, freshmen redshirts Jeff Minnerly and Scott Burgett, true freshman Anthony Vitto and walk-on junior Nick Gauthier.

Minnerly and Burgett are competing for the backup job behind Nichols, but have yet to throw their first collegiate pass. As a true freshman last season, Levenseller saw action in four games and completed 17 of 34 passes for 134 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns.

"It's a competition right now for that No. 2 spot, and I don't have an answer right now of who that will be," Baldwin said. "J.T. definitely adds to that mix, but the other luxury is that he also is available to redshirt and have three years left to play. We'll let it all play out during camp and we'll have a better idea once we start the season."

Levenseller will join two former Pullman High teammates - linebacker J.C. Sherritt and receiver Ashton Gant - who helped him win a Washington state 2A title in 2005.

Alfred Named to Rimington list

PULLMAN - Washington State senior Kenny Alfred has been named to the fall watch list for the Rimington Trophy, awarded annually to the nation's top center.

The winner will be honored at a banquet at Lincoln, Neb., on Jan. 16.

Alfred is one of 12 repeaters on the list and one of three Pac-10 centers. He has started 32 of WSU's last 33 games.