Jalyn Gramstad fulfills dream, making fourth-quarter debut as Nebraska quarterback

The nerves were nothing new for Jalyn Gramstad. He usually got butterflies before games as the quarterback of Northwestern College, so when Nebraska quarterbacks coach Glenn Thomas told him he was entering the game in the fourth quarter of the Huskers’ blowout win over UTEP, the feeling was familiar.

The circumstances weren’t. Gramstad wasn’t in Orange City, Iowa. This wasn’t NAIA ball. The Memorial Stadium crowd of more than 80 thousand people had thinned out by the time he stepped onto the field, but his first snap marked the realization of a dream. He was a Nebraska quarterback, in the box score for the team he watched as a kid after his circuitous route to the Big Ten.

“It’s been a lot of hard work, just the summer grind, fall camp grind,” Gramstad said. “If you would have told me three months ago that I was down here on the team doing this, I would have thought you were crazy, but it’s been a great ride, I’m grateful for it all.”

Gramstad transferred to Nebraska over the summer after attending a coaching camp and a post-grad camp, bringing four years of small college experience with him. Before the game Saturday, he joked with receiver Isaiah Neyor. Neyor and the rest of the starters better play well, Gramstad said, because he wanted to play.

Neyor held up his end of the bargain with six receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown, and Gramstad got his shot with 5:38 left in the game. The Lester, Iowa, product had spent the first three quarters sending signals from the sideline before he got the news from Thomas. Gramstad played catch with fellow backup quarterback Daniel Kaelin to loosen up his arm and entered the game.

He tried to remain calm, tried to control his emotions. His parents, grandparents and siblings all watched from the stands, along with some aunts, uncles, cousins and family friends.

“Coach talked to us a lot this week about once we get in that ready room the hour before the game or 20 minutes before the game,” Gramstad said. “Get that nervous energy out of there because (there’s) really nothing to be nervous about when you’re playing alongside your teammates and they got your back.”

Gramstad completed his first attempt, a short pass over the middle to Roman Mangini for 11 yards. He followed with a pair of incompletions, and Nebraska ran only running plays for the rest of his two series.

As Gramstad ran off the field, he stopped to hug his parents. Life as a Nebraska football player has felt more normal in recent months, but Saturday was significant. It was the latest stop on an unexpected ride, one he never expected to board.

“(I) Grew up as a kid just watching a lot of games, watching the great quarterbacks come through here,” Gramstad said. “and it was just fun to be out there and be a part of it.”