WATCH: Former Western Michigan QB Kaleb Eleby's brother Kyren chats about how he "scares the defenders" as an unlikely 285-pound quarterback

Before Kaleb Eleby made a name for himself at the college level, he was a standout at Pattonville High School. His younger brother, Kyren Eleby, is now creating a buzz at St. Louis University High School. But unlike his brother, Kyren's journey has been a bit unconventional.

"I've been playing quarterbackisince I was five," Kyren said. "When covid hit, that's when I put on a lot of weight but I still stuck with it. My brothers played it, I play it and I'm good at it.

"It kind of scares the defenders, like they see me back there and they see me running at them. They don't want to really want to tackle me. So it's kind of an advantage for me."

Kyren’s ability to stretch the defense with deep throws provides the program's offense with a vertical threat, but not everyone believed in his skills from the start.

"Even the teachers Friday night, they said they didn't when they heard I played quarterback, they didn't believe me. But then they saw me on the field and like my talent speaks for itself," Kyren said.

Kyren, the son of Kenyatte Eleby and Milton Stith, spent two years honing his skills under Marco Sansone at the JV level. SLUH head coach Adam Cruz is excited to see his quarterback take the reins this season.

"He's a big fellow who can move, and where guy's on our side and I was really happy that not only he got that game winner on Friday but he got the game went on the ground," Cruz said.

"You know, we were playing up in Chicago week one, and they hit him, they hit him low, and then he's like, 'Coach they hit me low.' I mean, buddy, I would."

Despite limited varsity experience last year, where Kyren completed 10 of 18 pass attempts with one touchdown, his dedication is what impresses coaches the most.

"What I like the most about him is not that he doesn't make mistakes, but he can always tell us why he's made that mistake," Cruz added. "He's very much of a student of the game."

SLUH began the 2024 season with a tough 56-21 loss to Saint Ignatius on August 30 but rebounded with a 24-17 win against Hillsboro on Sept. 6. However, they dropped to 1-2 following a 23-3 defeat by De Smet on Friday. Kyren will look to lean on juniors Zach Allen and Will Schulte for their next big matchup against Christian Brothers on Sept. 20.

A sneak peek into Kaleb Eleby's high school career

As a senior at Pattonville High School, Kaleb Eleby earned Class 5 Missouri Player of the Year honors, along with first-team all-state, all-district and all-conference recognition. He completed 184 passes for 2,831 yards and 27 touchdowns that season.

Throughout his high school career, Eleby graduated with every passing record at Pattonville. His total stats include 9,735 passing yards and 95 touchdowns, with a 64% completion rate. His consistency and leadership also earned him his school’s prestigious Elite Student-Athlete Award.

Kaleb Eleby’s high school success led to his enrollment at Western Michigan on Aug. 8, 2018, and he continued to build on the strong foundation laid at Pattonville.