LINCOLN, Neb. — In an alternate version of the football season he’s living in, Jalyn Gramstad could start at quarterback Saturday in Memorial Stadium for Northern Iowa.

Gramstad, the reigning NAIA Player of the Year, won 24 of 25 starts over the past two seasons at Northwestern (Iowa) College and a national championship in 2022. In June, he decided to pursue something bigger following his final season of college eligibility.

Instead of offering his services — suitors reportedly called from the Division II and FCS levels — Gramstad looked only at Nebraska. He arrived unannounced in Lincoln in June, paid $25 to attend a post-grad tryout camp, and joined the Huskers later in the summer, along with junior Heinrich Haarberg and freshmen Dylan Raiola and Daniel Kaelin.

Gramstad established himself as the Huskers’ scout-team QB this month. He filled in for Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders in practice last week and has continued to give the defense great looks, coach Matt Rhule said Thursday as No. 23 Nebraska prepares to take on Northern Iowa on Saturday night.

With a possible future as a coach, Gramstad is realizing his dream as QB for the Big Ten team he grew up watching in Lester, Iowa.

“He’s just a basketball player,” Rhule said.

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What does Rhule think overall about bringing in a player with Gramstad’s experience and “moxie,” as wide receivers coach Garret McGuire called it last month, to head up the scout team?

“He’s unbelievable,” Rhule said, “a guy I can’t wait to have as a coach someday. You know who he is? He’s a tough guy. Players respond to him. I really like quarterbacks that have it. He has it.”

Gramstad, who stood 5-foot-10 and 194 pounds in the summer, played in the fourth quarter of the Huskers’ 40-7 season-opening win over UTEP, leading two drives and sharing a postgame snap with Raiola, the former five-star prospect who threw for 423 yards in two starts.

“Both of our dreams came true,” Raiola said.

Gramstad said of Raiola: “He’s much better than I was as a freshman.”

Jalyn Gramstad (19) led the NAIA in passing yards and completion percentage in 2023 at Northwestern (Iowa) College. (Mitch Sherman / The Athletics)

Gramstad also attended Nebraska’s spring coaching clinic in April with his brother, Korbyn, the defensive coordinator at Sheldon (Iowa) High School, and their father, Kjert. When the 22-year-old Jalyn returned for camp in June, several of the Nebraska coaches recognized him.

They took notice. Shortly after Gramstad joined the program in July, he was nicknamed Jalyn Football in the coaches’ offices.

“He’s obviously had success at his other stop,” Nebraska quarterbacks coach Glenn Thomas said. “And that success gives him credibility in our room. He’s got a great personality, great character. He’s humble. He just wants to fit in and help in any way he can.”

Coaching can wait.

“Now that I’m here as a player, I want to play,” Gramstad said.

As Rhule watched Gramstad play in practice on Thursday, equipment manager Jay Terry turned to the coach and noted that Gramstad’s dominance against NAIA competition must have been a sight to behold. After playing defense for two seasons at Northwestern College, Gramstad’s passing numbers were gaudy. In two seasons, he threw for 6,192 yards and 60 touchdowns on a 68 percent completion percentage.

If he appears in four games or less this season, Gramstad could return to uniform next year. He said he is not sure he wants to play after this season.

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The QB said he’s learning a lot from Thomas, who worked as an offensive assistant for the Pittsburgh Steelers last year and was a coach for the Atlanta Falcons from 2008 to 2014. The quarterbacks went to Thomas’ house on the Thursday night before the Aug. 31 season opener.

“He’s great at his job and makes it easy for us,” Gramstad said. “It’s been great getting to know him.”

Gramstad is amazed at the attention to detail in Rhule’s program. For example, he said, players face consequences for being late for a meal, just as they do for a meeting.

“The way you do one thing is the way you do everything,” Gramstad said.

Three months ago, Gramstad had a dream. He hadn’t imagined this, he said. Saturday night, there could be a chance to play a second game in three weeks.

“I believe Jalyn Gramstad can move our team and score,” Rhule said. “I believe that with all my heart.”

(Photo: Dylan Widger/USA Today)