Brock Osweiler is trading a snowy winter in Montana for a warmer one in Tempe.
The ASU quarterback recruit from Flathead High School in Kalispell, Mont., plans to graduate high school early and enroll at ASU in January.
Osweiler said he wants to get a jump on the ASU football team’s quarterback position which he feels will be up for grabs next season.
“When I look at next year, the job looks wide open,” Osweiler said. “The way I see it, everyone is going to have an equal chance at the position.”
Osweiler’s coach at Flathead said it’s the quarterback’s athleticism that makes him a great talent.
“He’s very athletic for a guy who is 6 feet 8 inches [tall],” said Osweiler’s coach, Russell McCarvel. “He’s one of the top seven rushers in the state and its passing leader by a wide margin.”
Osweiler is Flathead’s leading rusher this season, according to McCarvel.
His coach said Osweiler’s success is not a result of talent alone.
“He’s a kid that loves the weight room,” McCarvel said. “He’s not arrogant enough to think he is just going to go in and get handed the [quarterback] job. He’s very competitive and very excited for his opportunity.”
Osweiler said in addition to getting a head start on learning the ASU offense, coming to school early will give him a chance to get acclimated to the college environment before the season starts.
“It will be nice to be able to get used to things while we’re not in season,” Osweiler said. “By the time football season starts, it will feel like I am a sophomore already.”
Osweiler said a proven coaching staff was one of his main reasons for choosing ASU.
“Coach [Dennis] Erickson is a proven winner,” Osweiler said. “He’s won national championships and has been a winner everywhere.”
While Osweiler is now focused on becoming a Sun Devil quarterback, he thought he would be donning a different uniform and playing a different sport two years ago.
The 6-foot-8-inch athlete was a prized basketball recruit and committed to Gonzaga as a 15-year-old sophomore in high school.
Osweiler attributed the early commitment to youthful exuberance.
“I was young and at the time it was the only offer out there, so I took it,” Osweiler said.
He said he can’t picture not playing college football.
“In the end it came down to following my heart,” Osweiler said. “I love the sport of football and I couldn’t imagine not playing in college.”
Coming to ASU early will mean a busy final semester for the high school senior.
In addition to a full schedule on campus, Osweiler is taking two online classes as he attempts to earn his diploma.
McCarvel said Osweiler is poised to move on to the college game.
“He’s very mature emotionally for this stage in his life,” McCarvel said. “He’s been a two-year captain and has played [on the varsity team] since he was a freshman, so he’s ready for the next level.”
McCarvel, who plans to visit Tempe in the spring to watch Osweiler practice, said the quarterback has created a host of new ASU fans in Big Sky Conference country.
“It’s a big story for us out here,” McCarvel said. “There are a lot of new Sun Devils fans out here in Montana.”
Reach the reporter at nkosmide@asu.edu.
