Heading back from his daughter’s weekend soccer tournament in Dallas, Justin Jones had two hours to kill on the drive to Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon.
It was the perfect time to tune in to what was going on with one of his former Norman North (Okla.) High School quarterbacks making his collegiate debut at Washington State University - redshirt freshman Owen Eshelman.
Although the Cougars lost to Pac-12 Conference co-leader Oregon State University, Eshelman was one of the highlights in the defeat - passing for 289 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 136 yards and another touchdown.
Eshelman’s 136 yards were the second-highest total in program history by a quarterback.
“I did watch it - it was awesome,” Jones said. “As a coach, they become like your kids. And his first touchdown, I am not going to lie, brought tears to my eyes. It was really cool.”
And not surprising in the least.
“He’s one of those players that can face a ton of adversity,” Jones said, “and keep thriving.”
Owen Eshelman's unexpected opportunity at quarterback
When Eshelman arrived in the Norman North program as a ninth grader, the team already had two future NCAA Division I quarterbacks ahead of him in Gavin Frakes (New Mexico State, Virginia, Northwestern) and Kamden Sixkiller (McNeese State, Campbell).
So, Eshelman focused most of his time on the defensive side of the ball at safety.
Late in Eshelman’s sophomore season in 2022, Sixkiller - who was the senior starting quarterback - went down with a broken collarbone during the final game of the regular season.
“I pulled Owen off the defensive bench to play quarterback, and we ended up winning the game (52-32 over Enid),” Jones said. “It was his first duty in a big game, and he did a great job.”
The next week, in the opening round of the playoffs, Eshelman got the start at quarterback against eventual state champion Owasso.
The Timberwolves lost, 41-34, but Eshelman threw for 303 yards and three touchdowns.
Jones knew right then that the teenager was the guy moving forward to guide his offense.
“He is very, very bright,” Jones said. “He competes the right way. And he is really, really tough. That is what we saw with him at the helm for us.”
As a junior, Eshelman started the whole season at quarterback. Jones noted that his running skills were a little further ahead in his development than his passing.
“What he’s always brought to the table is his ability to run,” Jones said. “And in the heat of the moment, he was always throwing his body around (on scrambles). But I don’t know if he ever missed a (repetition) the whole time he was here.”
By the time he was a senior, Eshelman really came into his own as a passer. And yet, his recruiting was underwhelming. He ended up signing with South Dakota State as part of that program’s 2025 class, finishing his prep career with 6,666 yards of total offense and 79 touchdowns as a starter.
“He was probably under-recruited as a quarterback and more as an athlete,” Jones said. “I had several conversations with (Power Four) coaches who were hesitant on him because he had not played quarterback his whole career.
“I was pretty shocked South Dakota State was all he had.”
Why Owen Eshelman chose to stay at Washington State
When Jimmy Rogers took the WSU coaching job from South Dakota State last season, Eshelman followed him to Pullman.
After the season, Rogers left to go to Iowa State. Jones said he received a phone call from Eshelman about whether or not the quarterback should head there.
“I asked him, “What is best for you?’” Jones said. “And he said he loved WSU and had made good inroads there with football and school … so he stayed.”
As far as Eshelman’s leadership skills, Jones relayed a team-related exercise he does every year at Norman North where he asks his players to write down the name of a teammate that they can 100 percent trust and rely on.
When Eshelman was the starter for two seasons, he received 90 percent of the votes.
“He is not a limelight guy. He always wants to prop other guys up,” Jones said. “When he took charge of the offense, even in dire circumstances, he was able to get them through.”
Sounds much like what Eshelman is facing at WSU now.
“People have plans written for them,” Jones said, “and this is it for him.”
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