Roots of Chargers QB Justin Herbert’s athleticism goes beyond Oregon

He’s not just the prototypical passer. For Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, dual-threat quarterback isn’t even the right classification for what Justin Herbert can do.

“Justin could play tight end in the National Football League,” Harbaugh said. “He could be an edge rusher. He could do all these things because of his speed, strength, his agility, his athleticism. It’s off the charts.”

After rushing for three high-reel plays last week against the Tennessee Titans — a four-yard touchdown, an ankle-breaking juke and a defender-defeating pump fake — Herbert is only beginning to reveal his athleticism on a national stage.

The quarterback, who set NFL passing records in his first four seasons, has passed and rushed for a touchdown in a game 11 times, trailing only Hall of Famer John Hadl (12) in Chargers history.

Before Sunday’s primetime game against the Cincinnati Bengals, national reporters have been teasing Herbert’s teammates about his seemingly secret athleticism, but for the former three-sport star at Sheldon (Ore.) High, it’s been hiding in plain sight all along.

The rivals classified him as a dual-threat quarterback on his recruitment profile. If Oregon hadn’t offered him a football scholarship, Herbert has said he might have tried the MLB draft. Scouts came to Sheldon’s games to catch a glimpse of Herbert’s cut fastball that “drove the guys crazy,” said former Sheldon baseball coach Stan Manley.

The sound of Herbert’s bat in the cage caused Manley to cower behind the screen. Oregon State coaches were immediately intrigued by the 6-foot-6 sophomore shortstop. When Herbert moved to first base, Oregon’s coaches also returned to watch him pitch in the bullpen.

On the basketball court, he was an onrushing power forward who relied on sheer athleticism to score in transition as a sophomore on Sheldon’s state runner-up team. He grew into the team’s leading scorer as a senior.

As if Herbert playing all three sports wasn’t impressive enough, former Sheldon basketball coach Daniel Clark emphasized the way the teenager improved in all three despite minimal offseason training as he bounced between seasons.

“Some people just have this incredible ability to get their bodies to learn to do athletic things,” said Clark, now an assistant at The Bishop’s School in La Jolla. “He has really great movement intelligence, so he can figure out how to maximize what he has as an athlete.”

Herbert was always the one Manley wanted on the mound at the end of a game because of his competitiveness. As a junior, Herbert was the winning pitcher in the state championship game, pitching the winning run.

In the bottom of the seventh inning with a runner on second in a tied game, Herbert hit a slow ground ball on what should have been a routine play. When the shortstop reached the ball and looked up, Herbert had almost reached first base. The panicked player rushed his throw and the winning run scored on an error.

“He just made the play,” Manley said. “It’s Justin.”

So Manley isn’t surprised to see Herbert still making the same hustle plays in the NFL.

Herbert scored his first rushing touchdown in more than a year last week when he improvised on a fourth down in the red zone that was called for the quarterback to run wide to the right side. With an unblocked defender blowing up the play in the backfield, Herbert cut back to the left and slipped through the defense for a four-yard touchdown.

With every rushing pitch that Herbert finds, offensive coordinator Greg Roman just sees his playbook open up more and more.

“There are times when things get covered,” Roman said, “and when you can make them pay with your feet, it adds a whole new dimension to what you can do offensively.”

Finally healthy from a high ankle sprain in Week 2, Herbert tied his career high with six tackles against the Titans, according to Zebra Technologies, which partners with NFL Next Gen Stats. He has attempted a scramble run on a career-high 5.8% of his dropbacks this season, while averaging 8.1 yards on such carries, the second most of his career.

Herbert knows he has to be smart about when to leave. The last thing the Chargers need is their star quarterback, who missed the end of last season with a hand injury, on the bench. But he doesn’t want to play conservatively either.

“If there’s any yards we’ve gained, whether it’s giving up a carry or continuing to run up the field, I’ll do what we need to do,” he said.

Herbert knows all too well the risk that comes with running. He broke his leg as a junior at Sheldon on a 35-yard run, ending a promising season that included 10 touchdown passes in the first three games.

Before the injury, Sheldon football and baseball assistant coach Scott Wright thought every college football coach in America would soon be coming to their small town to start courting their quarterback. With little interest from major schools, however, Herbert considered going to Montana State, where his older brother Mitchell was a receiver, or pursuing professional baseball.

Coaches gave him opportunities to participate in major showcase baseball events that could have boosted his profile. He could have dominated passing tournaments all over the recruiting circuit to boost his ratings. None of that mattered in terms of winning

“I’ve never known anybody in my life — and I’ve been coaching baseball and football now for 20 years — that cares more about winning,” Wright said.

The drive doesn’t stop at sports. Herbert will participate in any competition. Manley sometimes arrived at the ballpark early to catch the star pitcher organizing a bracket for a Putt-Putt golf tournament with his teammates, who would use their bats to put balls to different corners of the batting cage.

They passed the time during rain delays by playing pétanque with a rosin bag, and Herbert had to win these contests as well. In the Chargers’ locker room, equipped with ping-pong, shuffleboard and a golf simulator, Herbert will win everything, linebacker Troy Dye said.

“And he’s going to talk crap to you all the time with it,” said Dye, who played with Herbert at Oregon. “His competitive nature just brings it out on the team.”

The Chargers get a jolt of energy when their quarterback takes off to run. Defensive teammates watching on the sidelines crane their necks toward the big screen. They jump off the bench as Herbert dives for the first time.

Roman, watching it all unfold from the press box, feels the same excitement, but always questions for a moment if it was worth it.

As he watches the $262 million quarterback stand back in front of roaring fans and energized teammates, the answer is clear.