Jon Eastman begins his fourth season as a member of the University of Sioux Falls coaching staff, including his third as quarterbacks coach. Previously Eastman, who starred with the Cougars at quarterback in 2010, coached tight ends and the offensive line.
In 2015, the nationally ranked Cougars was one of the best in the nation, ranking in the top 20 in 10 individual or team offensive categories. As a result the Cougars finished 9-3 for a 22nd straight winning seasons. USF's offensive unit helped the team to continue its run of 23 consecutive weeks ranked nationally on the way to earning a second straight appearance in the postseason. For the first time in school history, USF earned a berth in the NCAA DII playoffs (23-16 loss to Henderson State). The Cougars, which finished ranked #17 in the D2football.com poll and #21 in the AFCA final polls, are 20-4 in his two seasons as OC. USF was ranked as high as #4 by D2football.com.
Eastman's mentorship of the quarterbacks has produced a two-time Harlon Hill candidate in seniorLuke Papilion, who is a two-time All-NSIC pick, All-American and All-Distrct Academic honoree. In total offense, the Cougars ranked 19th in DII and third in the NSIC at 472.1 yards per game. The offense helped USF finished 17th in DII and third in the NSIC in scoring offense at 39.3 points per game. USF was 16th nationally and second in the league in first downs with 28l.5.
For the second straight year Papilion was the NSIC total offense leader as he also ranked 10th nationally at 336.5 yards per game. He was 10th in the nation and first in the NSIC in rushing yards per carry at 7.0 and eighth in DII and first in the league in points responsible for with 222. He also was 16th nationally and first in the NSIC in points responsible for per game at 18.5. In passing TDs, Papilion ranked 12th in the country and first in the league with 30 while his passing yards of 3,184 ranked 19th in DII and third overall.
In 2014, sophomore Papilion benefited from Eastman’s tutelage as he was named the NSIC Offensive Player of the Year while earning All-NSIC first-team honors at QB. Papilion had a great season, leading an offense that ranking seventh in scoring nationally (42.7 ppg) and number one in the NSIC. Papilion completed 227-of-361 passes for 2,779 yards and 26 TDs with a completion percentage of .634 and a pass efficiency ranking of 145.89. He also rushed for 804 yards on 153 carries with six TDs for an average of 67.0 per game. In fact, he rushed 1,090 yards net but had 176 yards in losses. Papilion finished the season with seven straight 200-yard passing games.
With Papilion leading the way, the Cougars were second in the NSIC (17th nationally) with 483.2 yards per game. USFÂ ranked 13th nationally with 292 first downs and were 32nd nationally in rushing (213.3 yards per game) and 40th in passing (269.9 yards per game).
In 2013, he served as an assistant offensive line coach. The Cougars had an all-league offensive lineman Derek Delaney, who was selected to the second team. Eastman helped coached an offense that ranked sixth in scoring (33.0 ppg), was seventh in passing (222.0 yard per game) and fourth in rushing (246.3 yards per game). USF was third in total offense wat 468.3 yards per game and ranked fourth in first downs with 274. In addition, the offensive line, led by Delaney, allowed just 19 sacks, a total that ranked sixth.
Eastman coached tight ends as he helped the Cougar offense rank sixth in the NSIC in passing offense (253.50) and efficiency (141.78), and seventh in scoring (31.3) in 2012.
Before becoming a coach, Eastman played one season of football at USF. In his only season (2010), Eastman stepped in to the starting QB position and led USF to a third consecutive national championship berth. While under center, USF's offense nationally ranked third in scoring (577 pts) and fourth in passing offense (3,821 yds). They also dominated the conference ranks, where USF held first-place rankings in passing (271.5 ypg), scoring (41.2 ppg), and total offense (432.6 ypg).
During the 2010 season, Eastman connected with Jon Ryan for 24 TDs. Ryan's total was a school and NAIA record for touchdown receptions in a single season. Eastman also made his mark with 45 TD passes, a total which ranks second all-time at USF for a season. He had 3,465 passing yards, a total which is fourth all-time at USF. Eastman was named first-team all-conference and a College Fanz All-American. He also earned GPAC player of the week honors twice. He ranks 9th in career passing yards with his one-year total of 3,465 yards. In that season, he completed 65.1 percent of his passes, which is a career total that is second only to Chad Cavender (67.3 percent in 2006-07). Also, Eastman's 45 passing TDs ranks fifth for a career total. In guiding his team to the national title game, he directed a team that finished 13-1 with 577 points or 41.2 per game.
Prior to USF, Eastman played the 2009 season at Colorado State University. In six games he completed 62.3% of his passes for 494 yards and two touchdowns. In his only start, he completed his first 9 passes, finished 22 for 30 for 185 yards, with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception against the University of Wyoming. He also led the Rams on their longest scoring drive of the season (15 plays, 85 yards, 9:14 time) at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
From 2007-08, Eastman was a standout QB for Snow College (Utah). Named team captain for 2008, he completed 60 of 89 passes for 804 yards with 8 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions. Despite missing the first nine games due to a foot injury, he led the Badgers to the National Junior College Athletic Association championship game, where they fell 37-30 to Butler Community College in double overtime. In 2007, he played in seven games, completing 98 of 167 passes for 1,647 yards with 15 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.
Eastman prepped at Hillcrest (Utah) where he was named the regional offensive player of the. He was a recipient of the U.S. Army Scholar Athlete award and served as team captain.
He received his bachelor’s in Business Administration and Public Accounting from the University of Sioux Falls in December of 2011.
Jon and his wife Jaygan reside in Sioux Falls.
