Feature story on Football's Ryan Jansen

September 7, 2006


Senior QB Ryan Jansen (7) completed 15-of-22 passes for 215 yards and two TD in Saturday's 19-7 Tommie victory. (Photo by Mike Ekern)

(Editor's Note: This story was penned Sept. 1 prior to the UST season-opening game vs. Central)

By GENE McGIVERN
Tommie Sports Information

Ryan Jansen's college football career has been similar to an amusement park thrill ride. Now the St. Thomas quarterback is ready to jump back into the driver's seat for another season expected to bring twists, uphill climbs, highs, lows, excitement and fun.

Teammates and coaches say Jansen has the focus, hunger and talent to drive the Tommie offense to a special place in 2006.

"When your best guys work the hardest, then you have a chance to be pretty good," said UST head coach Don Roney. "Ryan works extremely hard and is one of our best role models.

"We're fortunate to have two very good, experienced quarterbacks in Ryan and David Sauer. Ryan knew he had to battle for the job in fall camp, and he just came out and took the job by the horns. He doesn't get rattled out there. He's the kind of leader you like -- confident, but not cocky."

Roney likes the fact that Jansen doesn't beat himself. He's thrown just seven career interceptions in nearly 300 attempts. There's also this stat -- the CoSIDA Academic All-American candidate is 7-4 as a starter on his career.

Teammates like Jansen's poise and passion.

"Ryan is the most competitive person I've ever met," said teammate P.J. Theisen, "whether it's football, or in the classroom, or in intramural basketball. He always gives 100 percent and wants to do everything perfectly. He's the ultimate gamer. When the game is on the line, that's when he's at his best.

"He has a toughness about him. Maybe it comes from growing up on a farm and baling hay on 100-degree days on the weekends."

As a freshman, Jansen piloted the UST junior-varsity team to an unbeaten season. As a sophomore, he broke into the starting lineup and played a huge role in the Toms' memorable 2004 six-game winning streak and 7-2 overall record. Then he watched from the sidelines for much of 2005 after a season-ending injury incurred in the fourth game of a 4-5 season. He had surpassed 300 passing yards on the day when he broke a bone in the closing moments of a loss at St. Olaf.

"It was a difficult situation to sit and watch last year," Jansen said. "But the team played well when I was out, and it was nice to see us get some wins. It definitely feels good to be back in practice and on the field helping the team."

The Electrical Engineering major has an unblemished 4.00 grade-point average -- one of a handful of St. Thomas' 600 student athletes with such an impressive record. He landed a summer internship in aerospace engineering at Honeywell and hopes to work someday as an engineer. He sees graduate school as a strong possibility.

Jansen was in high school when St. Thomas added majors in mechanical and electrical engineering -- a rarity for a private college. Now he's one of 19 Tommie football players with that major. Jansen looked at football and engineering at Minnesota-Duluth, but liked what St. Thomas could offer.

"I'm really happy I came to St. Thomas," Jansen said. "I'd do it again in a second. This has been a great chance to play college
football and focus on my schoolwork at the same time.

"Engineers have to be focused. There's a lot of class work, a lot of labs, and a lot of out-of-class study. You have to really want it."

Perhaps a theme for the Toms' 2006 season has been born --"You have to really want it."


---

Four-Year Tommies

Ryan Jansen is one of 13 Tommies who enrolled three years ago from the high school Class of 2003 and have played all four consecutive seasons in the St. Thomas football program.

(Three teammates are fifth-year seniors from the Class of 2002 -- Jimmy Mullen, Nick Navarro and Luke Rezac)

Here's the complete list of UST's 2003 recruiting class who are still on board:
.Josh Bettes, Edina
.Sam Friederichs, Totino-Grace
.Mike Hara, Totino-Grace
.Ryan Jansen, Foley
.Nick Johnson, Burnsville
.Drew Langfeldt, Minneapolis Southwest
.Kyle Lemke, Robbinsdale Armstrong
.Ian Lewis, Coon Rapids
.Matt Linder, United South Central
.Justin Nwadiashi, St. Paul Johnson
.Mike Rouse, Mounds View
.Eric Saucier, Prior Lake
.P.J. Theisen, New Prague