“I have wanted to play in the National Football League since I was 3-years-old. I am going to the Steelers Mini Rookie Camp with the plan to prove to them I deserve to be under contract. I haven’t put in all this work for all these years to go up there and not believe I can make the team." “
UTC All-American football player Jacob Huesman, an unsigned free agent, as he prepares to attend the Pittsburgh Steelers Mini Rookie Camp this weekend.
Mother’s Day is Sunday and for Amy Huesman at the top of her bucket list consists a Pittsburgh Steelers jersey with the name Huesman on the back and a copy of an NFL contract with her son’s name at the bottom
While Jacob Huesman - the oldest of her four kids – will skip church, the big family dinner and a Mother’s Day hug, he will be forgiven as he will be chasing his dream of being an NFL quarterback.
The UTC All-American quarterback will be in his third of three two-a-days on Sunday at the Steelers Mimi Rookie Camp in Pittsburgh with his sole intention of signing a pro contract at camp’s conclusion.
“For the Steelers to think highly enough of me to invite me to mini-camp is huge,” said Huesman Monday at UTC. “They did not take a quarterback in last week’s draft and not everyone gets this opportunity for an NFL tryout.
”The Steelers were the only team I heard from before and during the draft and I feel they are excited to have me in camp but not nearly as excited as I am.”
For the 23-year-old Signal Mountain resident, his opportunity “to play at the next level for as long as I can” started before he could spell “Terrible Towel”, Mean Joe Green or The Steel Curtain.
Ironically, Huesman grew up a Cincinnati Bengals fan – his dad’s family is from Cincinnati – and, to say the least, not a Steelers fan.
“There are more times than I can count, the Steelers beat the Bengals to break my heart,” stated the three-time Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Year and former TSSAA Mr. Football while at Baylor School.
“But I am now all in as a Steelers fan and a friend of mine even loaned me a “Terrible Towel” to take with me on the trip.”
Even his girlfriend Hannah Thurley has a Pittsburgh connection as the UTC grad is a sports psychologist at the Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Complex in Bradenton, Fla.
20-Year-Old Dream: “I have wanted to play in the NFL since I was 3-years-old, as I had the football sheets on my bed as a kid, collected the plastic figurines of NFL stars such as Dan Marino and Terry Bradshaw and even at Halloween going trick or treat I always dressed up as a football player.”
Attending the camp as an unsigned free agent is the most important treat of his football life dating back to the Elmore Park Packers at age six or the Bartlett Panthers at age nine (both in Memphis) where he first became a quarterback. So being unsigned has given Huesman added incentive to prove he is worthy to be on the team.
“I do have a chip on my shoulder about not being drafted or a signed free agent and I will go to camp to show the Steelers that they want to sign me.”
Huesman’s Strength: “I feel my strength is my consistency as a quarterback and I feel I will have plenty of opportunities this weekend to show the Steelers what I can do."
As a quarterback who can run well (4.051 career rushing yards and 43 touchdowns), he also has the ability to play defensive back (did so while at Baylor School) or H-Back, but his main intention is to prove he can be the guy under center or in the shot gun in the NFL.
So the dreams of a young boy with the Elmore Park Packers to an accomplished college quarterback who now hopes to play against the Packers at Lambeau Field, the Bears at Soldier Field and the Bengals in Paul Brown Stadium could become reality this weekend.
While unsigned free agents are usual long shots to make a roster, remember the grocery store checker turned Super Bowl champion named Curt Warner.
No Backup Plan: “I have been asked what is my backup plan if I don’t make it in the NFL,” said Huesman.
“I don’t have a backup plan as I haven’t put in all this work to go to rookie mini-camp to not make the team.”
Hopefully by Sunday night, the All-American can text his mom a copy of a signed contract as he waves a Terrible Towel signifying he is a member of the Steelers ready to play out his dream in the NFL.
And a follow-up message - Happy Mother's Day, Mom!
contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net