Hans Grassmann '20 Recruiting Profile

I have loved football since I was 6 years old. I would watch the boys practice with their Placer High School green and gold helmets on my way home from elementary school. At our senior football dinner this week, Mr. Packheiser, my freshman coach told the story of how he asked me to speak to the team before our rival game against Del Oro. I hate public speaking. I stood up and said to my team, "kill them." After the game (we won!), Coach asked me to stand up again. I said, "We killed them!" At the dinner, everyone laughed. I am a really good football player. I practice hard, work hard, study film, and never miss a practice. I am a good teammate and friend. Public speaking is not my strength. Over the last four years, I have had to learn how to not just lead on and off the field with my work ethic but also with my voice. I'm pretty humble and don't like the public attention. I have come a long way since that Del Oro game where Coach Packheiser asked me to speak. Our head football coach, Mr. Joey Montoya, at the end of each game has a tradition of saying, "I have a guy..." When I get picked, I always remember to stand up and tell the team how well they did and that I love them. This can be a pretty emotional moment after a long game where I have left everything on the field for 48 minutes. I have learned during interviews whether on KAHI (our local radio station), the Sacramento Bee, Auburn Journal, or other newspapers, to always recognize our team first. I am successful partly because of my work ethic but I never forget that it takes a team to win football games and our coaches who teach us to be men, to play our positions, and to remember that my brothers are friends for life.  The accolades are special and I am grateful for the honors but the memories with my friends will last a lifetime.