Though he's only been at St. John's for nine months, Jackson Erdmann knows all about the craziness that engulfs the campus when the Johnnies play St. Thomas. "It's all anyone is talking about," the freshman quarterback said. "There's so much hype, I'll probably have some butterflies. But I have to stay calm and composed."
He's already proven he can handle that. Going into Saturday's home game against the fourth-ranked Tommies, Erdmann, of Rosemount, has thrown for 12 touchdowns in his first three college games. His unflappability — and an offense more willing to pass after the graduation of all-time leading rusher Sam Sura — has led St. John's to a No. 6 ranking in the d3football.com poll and made Erdmann one of the top passers in Division III.
That same serenity carried Erdmann through something far more fearsome than the Tommies' defense. In late 2013, Erdmann developed acute cerebellar ataxia, a condition that left him unable to walk, stand or sit upright. Before his senior season, while his Rosemount teammates hit the weight room, he spent his days in a school hallway learning how to walk in a straight line again.
He recovered in time to have a brilliant senior season, one that earned him a place as a walk-on at Penn State before he transferred to St. John's last January. Erdmann said he feels lucky, grateful and blessed to continue his football career — and the Johnnies feel the same about his choice to do so in Collegeville.
"We figured we were going to have to throw the ball a little bit more this year," Johnnies coach Gary Fasching said. "That was predicated on the quarterback being able to get the job done. And Jackson's come in and done that for us.
"He's a very steady kid who doesn't get rattled. He's overcome a lot of things, and that says a lot about him. He's a fighter. He comes out and competes hard. And with his composure, that's a great combination to have at quarterback."
Erdmann did not play last season at Penn State but left with no ill will. With great depth of talent ahead of him, he decided to transfer to a place where he could get significant playing time, and he had been impressed with St. John's when Fasching recruited him in high school.
He doesn't run the ball much — "I'm not fast enough," he said with a laugh — but Erdmann has connected on 40 of 56 passes for 627 yards. He ranks second nationally in Division III in passing efficiency, is tied for second in touchdown passes and has yet to throw an interception. Though the Johnnies still run the ball about twice as often as they pass, they are averaging 235.3 passing yards per game and 233.7 on the ground.
