Gangwish considers life after Nebraska football
With his college career reduced to one final game, Jack Gangwish has begun examining his post-Nebraska options. His first choice is a popular one among players – Gangwish would love to play professionally, especially in the NFL.
But if that doesn’t work out, Gangwish’s fallback plan is a bit unorthodox – the senior wants to be a part of a NASCAR pit crew.
“I grew up on the farm building hot rods and working on cars,” Gangwish said with a smile. “I always liked that stuff and the idea of being a part of a team like that and continuing to train athletically and working on specific techniques, that’s something that’s appealing to me. When I think about that type of job, I think that would be exciting.”
But that’s just plan B. Ideally Gangwish wants to continue his football career and plans on working out at Nebraska’s pro day this winter. Though his production (34 career tackles, 2.0 sacks) doesn’t suggest the NFL is in his future, his work ethic, determination and raw strength could catch the eyes of talent evaluators, and his personality will make him a very strong interview with teams.
If not the NFL, Gangwish says he would strongly consider going north of the border to play in the Canadian Football League, where both Mike Riley and offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf have connections. The defensive end just wants to keep playing football in whatever form it presents itself.
“I would definitely play in Canada,” Gangwish said. “I love the game, I love sports and I love training. I’m not ready to give it up. I would go to Canada or Antarctica or wherever. I just want to play ball.”
To make himself more attractive to NFL squads, Gangwish has been practicing long snapping with former Husker snapper Gabe Miller. Gangwish, who never played any skill positions growing up and “hasn’t spent much time with the ball in my hands”, readily admits the first few sessions were rough, but he thinks he’s improving. If Gangwish were to vie for an NFL roster he would primarily contribute on special teams, and any additional skills he brings to the table will only help him latch onto a roster.
But reaching the NFL remains a long shot, so Gangwish is keeping his eye on NASCAR. He’s not a huge fan of the sport and doesn’t have a favorite driver. But former Husker Graham Stoddard used to talk about being on a pit crew, and former strength coach James Dobson planted the seed in Gangwish’s mind about the new potential career option.
Former Nebraska defensive end Nick Covey followed that road and is now the jackman on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s crew. Gangwish has never met or spoken with Covey but has heard of his success.
“Hopefully I can follow in his footsteps,” Gangwish said. “I think working on cars, traveling the country... I think it would be a new experience and something I’d like to do.”
With their career finales just 10 days away, it’s tempting for all of Nebraska’s seniors to start gazing into the future. But despite his brief discussion about his post-college plans Tuesday, Gangwish says he’s remained locked in on preparing for the Foster Farms Bowl.
Knocking off UCLA is his main concern at the moment, and his future will still be there after the game.
“At this point I think the best thing for me is to stay focused on the process and on the goal, which is beating UCLA,” Gangwish said. “After that I’ll be focused on the pro day and trying to make an opportunity for myself in athletics. It’s going to be a big transition and it’s going to be a lot of new stuff for me, but I really can’t afford to think about it right now.
"Right now I’ve got to focus on this team and what we have to do.”