By Frank Rajkowski, SJU Writer/Video Producer
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - A sense of community.
That, perhaps more than anything else, is what
Aaron Syverson said convinced him Saint John's University would be an ideal landing spot after the quarterback spent the past two seasons at Division I Colorado State.
"I had a couple of buddies who went here," said the 6-foot, 190-pound Syverson, who has been named the Johnnies' starting quarterback for the team's season opener against Aurora (Ill.) scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday in Clemens Stadium.
"So I was familiar with the football program and I knew they were really good. When I came back from Colorado State at Christmas break last year, and I was looking to transfer, I scheduled a visit. And the coaches were all super-nice. This school really stresses a community feel, and that became very evident through how the coaches interacted with me when I was up here.
"It just felt right. It felt like this was the place I wanted to be."
Syverson said his new teammates also extended a warm welcome, especially when he was able to join them during an extended spring practice period that included the Red and White spring game last May.
And perhaps no one was as supportive as fellow quarterback
Chris Backes, the senior out of St. Cloud (Minn.) Tech High School who was the top backup to All-American Jackson Erdmann as the Johnnies advanced to the NCAA Division III national semifinals in 2019.
Backes, of course, aspired to earn the starting job this fall as well. But Syverson said that didn't stop him from generously sharing all he could with the newcomer.
"Chris has been so great," said Syverson, a 2019 graduate of Minnetonka (Minn.) High School who led the Skippers to Class 6A state tournament appearances as both a junior and senior – including a state runner-up finish in 2017.
"If you ask anyone on this team, no one will have anything even remotely negative to say about him. He's just a fantastic individual on and off the field. He did everything he could to help get me up to speed, and I know that probably wasn't easy or fun for him.
"But he couldn't have been nicer to me and we've become pretty good friends."
Backes said his top goal is making the team be as successful as possible, no matter who is on the field.
"I saw his tape from high school, and I knew he'd been at Colorado State, so it was pretty obvious when he came in that I had my work cut out for me," Backes said. "I think I played probably the best football of my life in practice last fall and spring. But (Syverson) turned out to be just as good as we all thought he was. And he ascended pretty quickly.
"That was tough. But I've gotten to know Aaron and he's a great guy. He makes it hard not to root for him. Our goal here is always to win a national championship. And to do that, we have to put the best team on the field we possibly can. If he gives us our best shot at doing that, then I'm going to help him out any way I can."
SJU head coach
Gary Fasching '81 had high praise for both quarterbacks.
"(Syverson) has so much athletic ability," Fasching said. "The thing that maybe jumps out at me the most is his release. He has such a quick release as a passer. And he connected with our guys right away. Like a lot of quarterbacks, he's very personable and our guys really rallied around him. They were able to get comfortable with him pretty quickly.
"And Chris is just the consummate team player. There is probably no one on our team who is a better team guy than he us. He's been like that the past three years. He's just a positive guy who always does what's asked about him. And he's a real team leader. He's still one of the more vocal leaders on this team. He's someone the other guys look to.
"There are definitely times where he'll see action this season as well."
But it will be Syverson under center to start against Aurora, a team the Johnnies edged 51-47 at Clemens Stadium in a wild shootout in the first round of the Division III playoffs in 2019.
Erdmann, a four-year starter who also transferred to SJU from the Division I level after redshirting as a freshman at Penn State in 2015, threw for 481 yards and four touchdowns in that game.
He ended his career in possession of most of the program's career passing records, leaving some pretty big shoes to fill.
But Syverson said he can't worry about that. All he can do is focus on being the best quarterback he can be.
"Jackson was obviously a phenomenal player," said Syverson, who redshirted at Colorado State in 2019 and was part of the travel roster last fall, but still has four years of eligibility remaining because of an NCAA ruling allowing athletes a COVID-19 exception due to the impact the pandemic had on the 2020-21 school year.
"But, at the end of the day, it's up to me now. I have to go out there and play the best game I possibly can."
Both Aurora and SJU had their fall seasons wiped out due to COVID in 2020. The Johnnies, who elected not to play a shortened spring schedule and instead focused on practice, enter Saturday's game ranked No. 6 in the D3football.com Division III national poll.
The Spartans, who went 3-0 in play last spring, are ranked No. 23. Aurora still boasts quarterback Gavin Zimbelman, who threw for 432 yards and six touchdowns against the Johnnies in 2019 and finished the season with 3,614 passing yards and 57 touchdowns.
So Syverson knows his team is in for a challenge in what will mark his first start since his senior year at Minnetonka in 2018.
"I'm not somebody who gets a lot of butterflies before games, but if I was going to get some, I'd guess this game would probably be it," said Syverson, who lived in nearby St. Joseph this summer and worked at Viking Coca-Cola in St. Cloud. "I haven't played a full game like this in three years. But I feel like I'm pretty well-prepared and I'm excited to get out there.
"I can't wait to experience the atmosphere of a gameday here."
