Jalyn Gramstad is “Grandad” to his Nebraska teammates.
You’ve no doubt seen that on social media. It was among several light moments during offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen’s news conference Thursday.
“Jalyn Gramstad is … (we) call him ‘Grandad,’” Holgorsen said, drawing the laughter that’s made him a media favorite interview subject. “It’s coincidence what the last name is. He really does act like a grandad. He’s a great leader. He’s got a ton of experience. I’m glad he came back.”
Gramstad’s experience didn’t come at Nebraska, of course, certainly not game experience, anyway. He’s made one brief appearance as a Husker, against UTEP last season, his first at Nebraska. He went one-for-three for 11 yards passing and carried the ball once for 2 yards.
His experience came at Northwestern College, an NAIA Christian school in Orange City, Iowa. Gramstad was a defensive back his first two seasons then moved to quarterback. That’s when Nebraska’s “grandad-to-be” excelled big-time. In 2022, he led Northwestern to an NAIA national championship. And in 2023, he directed the Raiders to a runner-up finish. He was the NAIA Player of the Year in 2023 and finished his career there 438-of-647 passing for 6,237 yards and 60 touchdowns while rushing for 1,822 yards and 31 touchdowns.
With a year’s non-game experience at Nebraska, “he gives us another guy that knows the offense, smart kid, got a lot of reps last year in … December,” said Holgorsen.
“He got a lot of reps because he was No. 2, you know?”
Gramstad was the top back-up to Dylan Raiola for the Pinstripe Bowl because Daniel Kaelin had announced his decision to enter the transfer portal. Gramstad “throws a good ball,” Holgorsen said. “He knows the offense. He knows the terminology. And the kids like him.”
Raiola, in particular, likes Gramstad, “Grandaddy, the old man,” said Raiola. “I love it.
“When I talked to him at the end of the season about coming back, it was kinda, ‘I don’t know.’ I told him, I said, ‘Dude, I need you to come back.’ That’s kind of my guy to bounce things off of. He’s seen it. He’s obviously been really successful at playing quarterback, so it’s a conversation every day.”
Holgorsen’s comments about Gramstad were in response to a question regarding the second-string quarterback in the spring. “I feel comfortable with him,” Holgorsen said.
Other quarterbacks include freshman TJ Lateef and redshirt freshman Marcos Davila, a transfer from Purdue. They “have a lot of talent. They just need to learn it,” said Holgorsen. “It’s going to take ‘em a year to learn it, so how much they progress … they’re going to get better every time they go line up. We’ve got a long ways to go. We let those guys compete and practice.”
For now, at least “it obviously would be Jayln, just based on the fact he understands everything.”
And he has a connection with Raiola, which has made him an important part of the team.
“I’m very grateful that I have him,” Raiola said. “I can talk to him, approach him, and it’s the same back. It kind of betters ourselves on the field and off the field. We just have a lot of fun.”
Gramstad couldn’t have better endorsements.
