QB Jalyn Gramstad grew up wanting to be a Husker and placed a bet on himself by showing up to Nebraska's post-graduate camp
Quarterback Jalyn Gramstad is a winner.
He’s accomplished everything you can at the NAIA level, playing in arguably one of the top conferences that current Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer once walked the sidelines in.
RELATED – QB Jalyn Gramstad, NAIA player of year, works out at Nebraska camp
Gramstad grew up an avid Nebraska fan, and on Monday, he wanted a new challenge. The only person he told his plan to was his father, Kjert. Gramstad wanted to see if he had what it takes and see Nebraska’s current quarterbacks in person.
So he got in his car and drove to Lincoln. He didn’t even let his Northwestern coaches know of his plan. It didn’t take long, though, for word to travel that the top player in NAIA football was throwing in Lincoln.
“This was something I just gave a shot on my own,” Gramstad said. “I just registered for it. It was something I did on my own.
“I always dreamt of playing at Nebraska. I wanted to out of high school. I never really had that opportunity. I never camped down there as a kid. This was something today where I wanted to take a risk and see if I could catch the coach’s eyes a little bit. I’ve accomplished a lot at the level I’m at. I’ve always dreamt of playing at Nebraska as a kid.”
Gramstad grew up in Hawkeye country, but he and his family were always avid Husker fans.
“Lester is the town I’m from,” Gramstad said. “It’s a population of 250 people. It’s a small community. I went to West Lyon High School.
“Where I’m from, it’s all Hawkeyes. Me, my grandpa, my dad, and my brother, we’ve always been Husker fans. I’ve always dreamt of playing at this level and wanted to play big-time college football. I feel like I’ve been able to develop my game. I think there’s still a lot more out there as far as the resources I learned about today at Nebraska. My game can continue to elevate. I think I’m only scratching the surface.”
Gramstad is a proven winner at all levels
When you consider Gramstad’s background, adding him to the Huskers’ thin quarterback room would make sense.
NU currently has just three scholarship QBs. Gramstad could offer a full season plus a possible redshirt year with four games.
He’s won at every level. In 2019, he led West Lyon to a state championship, producing 2,400 yards, and 30 touchdowns.
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At Northwestern, he threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns, ran for 156 yards, and scored once on the ground in the 2022 national championship game. In 2023, he took his team back to the title game, as they fell short. He was still named the NAIA national player of the year.
Gramstad has 6,237 yards passing and 60 touchdowns, with 1,822 yards rushing and 30 scores on the ground over the last two seasons. He’s been voted a three-time captain at Northwestern.
“I’ve been able to get it done wherever I’ve been – high school and college,” Gramstad said. “I’ve heard Coach (Matt) Rhule say that he’s looking for winners. I’ve been able to win everywhere I’ve been. Just with my mindset and the way I handle myself, I think I can impact the team.”
After touring the facilities and spending time with NU’s support staff, he hopes to learn more about his fate in the coming days.
If he gets a phone call to join the Huskers in Lincoln, he’ll be there as soon as possible. If not, he’ll be back at Northwestern chasing another national championship in 2024.
“I’m still kind of waiting to hear back from a little bit,” Gramstad said. “Things kind of moved so quickly after the camp was done. I talked to Sean Padden, and he kind of took me aside and we kind of toured the facilities. One of the analysts said he was going to look through some of my film and hopefully get back to me, and hopefully, they have a plan for me.
“It was a little bit of a surprise to my coaches. I told my dad, obviously. I was hoping to maybe talk to them after the workout. It was going to catch a lot of people off guard that I was down here. I’ve kind of accomplished everything, though, and I wanted to give this a try and take this risk.”
