Just over a year ago, quarterback Jake Luton sat in a Mexican restaurant outside of Seattle with his mother, Heather, and his private quarterback coach, Taylor Barton, trying to decide how much he wanted to bet on himself and whether he was ready to walk away from a full scholarship at Idaho.

His dream had always been to play in the Pac-12, but that seemed far-reaching since he played in a high school offense that averaged 11 pass attempts a game. With those numbers and a lack of game-throwing experience, his recruitment had mostly stalled.

Still, growing up 40 miles North of Seattle, Luton was a diehard Huskies fan. The possibility of playing at Washington had almost come true during his senior season when Steve Sarkisian's Washington staff said it would come by his school the week after the Apple Cup to offer him a spot as a preferred walk-on. That same week, Sarkisian left for USC.

Luton was left with that one scholarship offer -- Idaho -- and as a redshirt freshman in 2015 he would take his first collegiate quarterback snaps with Idaho against Sarkisian’s USC team in a 59-9 loss. For Luton, it was a slice of what he had always wanted -- to share the field with a Pac-12 team.

But, he had always hoped he’d be on the same sideline.

"That was the first time I stepped on the field. Just growing up, a fan of the Pac-12, that was a big moment for me," Luton said. "That was the level that I’ve wanted to play at since I was a kid."

After seeing "the writing on the wall," as his mom put it, in terms of quarterback depth, Luton was left to decide if he wanted to stay at Idaho, where he had a full-ride scholarship and little chance to play. Or, if he wanted to give that scholarship up, transfer to a junior college where he’d have to pay his own way and bet on himself that this would be the right path for him as a quarterback.

"You weigh the pros and cons, the risks and rewards," Barton said. "But you make this the right decision."

Luton decided to gamble on himself, enrolling (and paying for classes) at Ventura Community College, where for the first time in his playing career, he let loose with his arm. He averaged 42 attempts a game and finished the season as both the season- and career-record holder for passing yards (3,551) and passing touchdowns (40).

So, when Oregon State coach Gary Andersen called to offer Luton, it was a no-brainer. The gamble that he had taken before the season -- in giving up a scholarship, in taking on school payments, in the move, in the risk of injury -- had paid off.

Not only was Andersen a Pac-12 coach, but he had also not yet found his post-Sean Mannion era quarterback in Corvallis. In 2015, when Luton had taken snaps against USC, Andersen played two true freshmen and a redshirt freshman. In 2016, when Luton was in junior college, Andersen had experimented with a transfer, a freshman and a redshirt sophomore.

He hadn’t found his answer yet. And Luton, feeling more mature after his moves and difficult decision, felt like he could be that answer.

"When the path is easy, you don’t have to do a gut-check ... and find out who you are," Barton said. "But when you go through adversity like he has had to, that’s where you have to figure out ... am I really built for this?"

With the Beavers well into spring ball, Luton has tended to take the earliest first-team snaps, but then shares the practices' duties with Marcus McMaryion and Darell Garretson.

But, after 2,400 miles that have taken him from Marysville to Moscow, Idaho, and Ventura, California, to Corvallis, those in the Luton family know they are closer than ever to seeing their eldest son realize the dream of starting for a Pac-12 football team.

"It’s an exciting nervousness," Heather said. "It’s going to be a dream come true if that happens. It’s going to be a proud moment."