‘I’ve been dreaming of this moment’: EWU quarterback Jake Schakel readies for first start at No. 2 Montana

As early as when he was in fourth grade, it was clear to those around him that Jake Schakel was going to be a quarterback.

It was ordained in the way it so often is: The more he played, the better he got, and the more everyone around him played at their spots, the more their chemistry grew.

And, according to Adam Schakel, Jake’s father, he was good at it.

“He threw well at a young age, but it was the other things: getting other kids organized and being a leader and being serious at practice,” Adam Schakel said this week. “At quarterback you need a good leader there. He could throw well, but his leadership stood out.”

On Saturday, Jake Schakel’s skill, leadership and mettle will be tested, when it is expected that he will make his first start as Eastern Washington’s quarterback.

And as far as FCS venues go, he could not have picked a greater crucible for the setting: Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula, home of the second-ranked and unbeaten Montana Grizzlies (9-0, 5-0 Big Sky).

“I’ve been dreaming of this moment, and there is no reason to be nervous or for me to fear failure,” Schakel, a redshirt freshman, said on Monday. “I’m super grateful and super blessed. I’ll be walking into the stadium with a smile on my face.”

Schakel is expected to replace redshirt sophomore Nate Bell, who was injured in the second quarter of Eastern Washington’s 35-13 loss to Sacramento State last week in Cheney. Bell left that game favoring his right arm and was later back on the sideline with that arm in a sling.

On Tuesday, when discussing Bell’s availability, EWU head coach Aaron Best said “it’s probably a ‘no,’ but not a definitive ‘no’ at this point.”

But, he added, “We’re not going to put anybody out there that’s damaged to further damage them.”

Redshirt senior Jared Taylor, who started the Eagles’ first two games this season before suffering a head and neck injury against Boise State, has not yet been cleared to return after missing the Sacramento State game, Best said.

Even if Taylor were healthy, he switched from quarterback to running back last month, and Schakel has been listed as Bell’s backup.

All signs, then, point to Schakel becoming the third player to start at quarterback this season for the Eagles (4-5, 3-2) when they kick off at noon in Missoula.

“I told Nate that, ‘hey, I didn’t want to start because of an injury to you,’ ” Schakel said. “I would rather start because I earned the spot. He was in the same spot with Jared. It’s just how football goes.”

After redshirting last year, Schakel has appeared in three games this season, with his most significant playing time coming last week in relief of Bell. Against the Hornets he completed 24 of 38 passes for 201 yards. He was sacked four times and did not throw an interception or a touchdown.

He did not lead the Eagles to victory, and in his nine full drives Eastern scored just three points. But Best said he hoped Schakel could build on the performance.

“Everybody is a play away, but it’s not real until it’s real,” Best said. “I do think that helped with Jake’s preparation, the lack of mulling things over in his head and taking it in knowing that it’s just, ‘go play, kid.’ ”

Schakel has proven before that he can play. In four years at Emerald Ridge High School in Puyallup he was 26-11 as a starter, and as a senior in 2023 he threw for 3,012 yards and 39 touchdowns.

Adam Schakel was head coach of those Emerald Ridge teams, but he kept his distance from the offense, giving that side’s coaches full authority to decide on the team’s starting quarterback.

“But (Jake) was a player-voted captain for three of those four years, and it wasn’t a hard sell,” Adam Schakel said. “He was good and the kids saw it. I said ‘no, he’s not ready,’ and the coaches said, ‘coach, you said we get to decide.’ ”

The Schakels traveled as far as West Virginia and Texas during what Jake said was a “hectic” and “chaotic” recruiting process – he spent some time at Montana’s football camp, too – but Eastern Washington was in that sweet spot of being not too far and not too close to home. And it had a rich history of quarterback play.

So Schakel ended up in Cheney, fourth on last year’s depth chart and now suddenly at the top of it one season later.

Looking at his performance last week, Schakel was quick to point out what he needed to do better: execute the calls, get the ball to open receivers, drive the offense.

“It starts with me,” he said.

Adam Schakel said he booked a flight for this week’s game quite a while ago, but the change in circumstances changed his travel plans: Instead of him flying, the whole family is making the drive.

He said watching his son play now is a lot different than watching him when he was coaching, and he better understands what it’s been like for Kelly Schakel, his wife, to watch games from the stands.

“I was always in coach mode. I wasn’t very emotional,” he said. “But when you go back to last Saturday? I know how it feels now.”

Soon, Jake Schakel will know how it feels to start a game, likely in front of 26,000 fans who are mostly interested in making his day as difficult as possible.

“It’s exciting, but no different than other weeks,” Schakel said. “I’ll be prepared.”