St. John's quarterback Aaron Syverson makes third time a charm

Aaron Syverson's first two seasons as St. John's starting quarterback ended in disappointing fashion, for widely different reasons.

The 2021 Johnnies were 6-0 and rated No. 5 in Division III when they went to Gustavus Adolphus on Oct. 23. Syverson ran a quarterback draw early in the second half and suffered a broken leg.

"That was the only designed run we called for me that season,'' Syverson said. "The first Gustie wrapped me up at the waist and another tackler came in. I didn't hear a snap on the leg, just a very weird feeling."

Midschedule broken legs end a season.

Senior Chris Backes stepped in, the Johnnies beat the Gusties 37-7 and stayed unbeaten until a 31-28 home loss to Linfield (Ore.) in the second round of the NCAA playoffs.

The 2022 Johnnies were 10-1, first losing a regular-season game to Bethel, then winning a rematch for the MIAC title. They were rated No. 4 as they played No. 12 Wartburg in another second-rounder at home last November.

Wartburg was very underrated, as it turned out, and collected five turnovers in a 23-20 upset. A Syverson pass was intercepted on the Johnnies' first play and also their last.

"You look at those outstanding seniors, guys like Michael Wozniak, playing their last game, and it's really tough,'' Syverson said. "You can't get over the feeling that you let the team down.''

That hasn't been the case this fall. The Johnnies are at Gustavus on Saturday, and Syverson will arrive with these tremendous numbers:

Completing 169 of 251 passes (67.3%) for 2,121 yards, 26 touchdowns and three interceptions.

Last Saturday, Carleton's improved program under coach Tom Journell came to Collegeville. Syverson was 31 for 42 for 448 yards and six touchdowns, turning it into an old-fashioned Johnnies-Knights rout — 63-7.

What's going on here, Aaron?

"Gary came to me a while after the Wartburg game and asked, 'How do you feel about your preparation during the week before games?' " he said. "That was telling me, 'You could prepare better.' And more preparation never hurt anything.''

In addition to the strong hint from head coach Gary Fasching, St. John's also brought in young Graydon Kulick as its first QB-specific assistant.

"We've had great quarterbacks here, from Jackson Erdmann at the end of last decade, back to [Tom] Linnemann in the 1990s, and before that,'' Fasching said.

"When it comes to pure throwing, the ball coming out of his hand, Aaron might be the best. And now the work he's doing, the preparation, is off the charts. He's in there with Kulick three, four hours before and after practice.''

That comes from a combination of commitment and time. This is Syverson's fifth year of college, and he has a degree in accounting finance wrapped up, which leaves him with one class this semester to remain a student.

Syverson was the quarterback for Dave Nelson's Minnetonka High teams in 2017 and 2018.

"Aaron was outstanding for us,'' said Nelson, now part of a trinity of veteran coaches at Holy Family Catholic in Victoria. "We won a lot of games in those years, but Eden Prairie …

"Beat us in the Prep Bowl in 2017, and then we got 'em in the quarterfinals in 2018 and lost again.

"Aaron's a great kid … very sharp.''

The Minnetonka coaching staff had a connection to Colorado State, and Syverson went there as a recruited walk-on. One year as a redshirt, another in a season reduced to four games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and he was ready to come home.

Division I football did serve as the main source for Syverson's senior research paper last spring: the impact that Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) is having on college sports.

"I talked with dozens of sources, and my conclusion was NIL had created a wild, wild West in recruiting and keeping athletes — and it's gotten even wilder since I submitted the paper last spring,'' he said.

"The NCAA might think it has a rule that NIL can't be a direct payment for athletic performance, but that's what it is … and the NCAA has no control, no real standard.''

The Johnnies (5-1) will be back at Gustavus (3-3) on Saturday. It could be a shootout, with Syverson throwing to 6-foot-7 tight end Alex Larson and some excellent wideouts, and a Gusties attack featuring receiver Jake Breitbach.

"That guy's great,'' Syverson said. "He's catching 12, 15 passes a game. This should be a fun game.''

More fun than last time he was in St. Peter to play the Gusties, when Syverson broke his leg.