GILROY—Gavilan quarterback Drew Fryhoff signed his letter of intent to play for Colorado State University-Pueblo on Saturday, and by Monday, he was already on campus.
“It was overwhelming at first, everything happened so quick,” Fryhoff said. “I’m really excited about where I landed and I’m excited to see what to see what comes from it.”
The Pioneer High graduate joins the defending Division II National Champion ThunderWolves who shutout Minnesota State 13-0 on Dec. 20. CSU-Pueblo had barely finished celebrating when it reached out to Fryhoff.
“It’s hard to say no to an opportunity where you can go and win a national championship at this position. …It just felt right. I went with my gut,” he said.
Fryhoff threw for 1,849 yards and 16 touchdowns for Gavilan this season. He rushed for three more TDs and earned an honorable mention in the All-Golden Coast League for it.
Fryhoff also helped the Rams start the season 2-0 for the first time in a decade, recording wins over Shasta and Mendocino by 63-50 and 64-22 finals, respectively.
“He was a leader both on the field and in the classroom and weightroom and off the field as well,” Rams head coach Spencer Gilford said. “He really was what you want from that position in terms of his work ethic and what he’s able to do on the football field.”
While the Rams season started strong, they finished 3-7 overall. But the record, Fryhoff said, didn’t diminish his experience at Gavilan. If anything, he said it helped him mature. He was also able to demonstrate his abilities for the first time as his high school team was more of a run-heavy offense.
“I learned how it feels do real well and win great games and also what it feels like to lose some close ones,” Fryhoff said. “It was all part of the growing process for me and I loved my time at Gavilan. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
While he was only a part of Gavilan’s program for a year, Fryhoff said he gained valuable knowledge, especially from Gilford and Offensive Coordinator/Wide Reciever and Quarterback Coach Mike Dovenberg.
“I learned a lot about being a leader this year from Coach Gilford and Coach Dovenburg,” he said. “I thank them for that and for always standing by me. I’m going to miss them out here in Colorado.”
Fryhoff will start practicing with the ThunderWolves next week. From there, the competition for the starting job begins—but he’s no stranger to that.
Since the day he joined the Rams, he was in consistent competition for his job—even after he’d earned it. Because of that, Gilford said he’s confident the QB will be successful in Pueblo.
“That’s what we believe in is competition at all positions all the time,” Gilford said. “That’s what’s going to make us better as a team and make those individuals better, get them to play to their potential.”
Fryhoff agreed, noting the competition prepared him for his transition to CSU-Pueblo.
“Just getting the job wasn’t enough for me, I wanted to put it to work on the field and do well,” he said. “I’m just really glad they gave me the opportunity to get on the field for them.”
