Shoemaker finds his niche as starting safety

It’s not in Javid Shoemaker to lie or be lied to.

That’s why the former Bethel High School quarterback is a big-play whip safety for the Eastern Washington football team.

“I do miss touching the ball a little bit, but when I touch it now I try to make things happen,” the 5-foot-10, 200-pound senior said. “It’s expected if you’re a quarterback. As a defensive guy you do your job, but making a big play is a way bigger rush because you don’t get to touch the ball 50 times a game.”

That’s all he misses about being the quarterback, a position Eastern coaches – or Shoemaker – never expected him to play.

“They didn’t lie to me. They gave it to me straight up,” he said. “I didn’t see myself as a Big Sky-type drop-back quarterback. Others told me what I wanted to hear to get me to go to school, and they would have moved me anyway. (Eastern) gave me the truth. I thought that was awesome.”

There was one simple reason.

“I could have said I played quarterback at a lower level or I played Division I college football,” he said.

So when he arrived in Cheney five years ago he was a wide receiver. He switched to safety, then linebacker, then back to safety.

“Javid is a playmaker because he’s so competitive, he’s a good athlete and he’s worked very hard,” Eastern defensive coordinator Jody Sears said.

Shoemaker is one of the players who has to come up big if the 21st-ranked Eagles (6-3) are going to upset the 11th-ranked Cal Poly Mustangs (7-1) in the 2 p.m. home finale at Woodward Field on Saturday.

“His last two years here he’s played very well,” Eastern head coach Paul Wulff said. “He’s extremely aggressive, he’s tough and he has very good speed. That combination allows players to make plays.”

It wasn’t easy to get into that position.

Midway through his first spring practice after redshirting, injuries forced the coaches to move Shoemaker to safety and he contributed as a freshman.

“I played a little bit but I shouldn’t have been in there,” he said honestly.

He thought he found his position, but midway through the next spring injuries sent him to linebacker, where he was going to backup roommate Jessie Hanson.

“They told me they were choosing from a couple of guys and that I was physical enough,” he said. “I learned a lot from Jessie, but I didn’t play much. I was disappointed I wasn’t going to play, but I’m a team guy. I’ve got to do it because they’re paying for my school.”

Entering his junior season, when Sears came on board, Shoemaker surprised everyone by returning to school stronger and much faster.

“When I made my first evaluation of the players on film, I thought he might be a step slow,” Sears said. “He had a great summer. He made his legs a lot stronger. He was a step faster. He was a totally different guy. The whole staff was surprised. I have no trouble putting him in man coverage.”

Under Sears, Hanson’s new position was left safety. Shoemaker was a backup at right safety but getting a lot of playing time.

Three games from the end of the season, Shoemaker hurt his shoulder.

“I finally showed them I could play,” he said. “Against Sacramento State I hurt my labrum and rotator cuff, but I didn’t tell anybody because I was getting to play.”

The next game he returned an interception for a touchdown, but he had surgery after the season and missed spring practice. By the time fall practice rolled around, he was third string.

“I went from starting all the way down the depth chart because of the injury,” he said. “I was third string. They proved themselves in the spring. They deserved to be on the field. We talked about a medical redshirt, but when it came down to it I didn’t want to sit out. It was my turn to get out there and make some plays.”

Sears said, “I didn’t expect him to come back any different than he was before. I knew he would be in the mix and I thought he would be a starter sometime.”

Shoemaker has started every conference game and quickly proved his big-play capability. At Portland State, the Eagles were up 14-7 when Shoemaker scooped up a loose ball and raced 38 yards for a touchdown to start a rout.

“When we changed our defense two years ago, he just really fit in to the new positions we added at safety,” Wulff said. “He has to do multiple things. His temperament allows him to play the position well. He’s a guy we ask to be involved in the run game so he has to be a physical player. At the same time we ask him to cover the inside receiver in man situations. He’s done a great job fitting that mode with his athletic ability. Credit him, he worked very hard.”

To Shoemaker it’s just doing his job.

“You have to be in the spot you’re supposed to be in, doing what the coaches tell you. They’re setting you up to make big plays,” he said. “If you touch the ball, you better do something with it or the guy behind you will.”

And that’s the truth.