Iowa State football's Jake Remsburg 'never wavered' from leadership role despite injury

AMES — This season has not gone as planned for Iowa State right tackle Jake Remsburg.

The redshirt junior from West Des Moines Valley felt good heading into the summer. He made it through spring practices and the summer offseason healthy and felt confident when fall camp started that he could earn back the starting role he had before.

But an injury – the second of Remsburg’s college career – changed those plans.

Instead of lining up alongside his teammates in the season opener against Southeast Missouri, Remsburg watched from the sidelines, nursing a lower leg injury he had sustained during fall camp. Grant Treiber stepped into his place, and Remsburg waited for his turn to get back on the field.

That moment didn’t come as soon as Remsburg hoped.

He would suit up for the game, participate in pregame warmups … and then not play. Either he or the training staff felt he wasn't ready, and the Cyclones operated under a better-safe-than-sorry policy with their right tackle.

“Just trying to do everything in our power to get him back right instead of getting him back too fast to where there was potentially a setback,” head coach Matt Campbell said of the decision to wait. “This isn’t like when (he) got injured the first time, when you kind of lose everything. It was just giving him reassurance that when you get back, you’re gonna be in, you’ve already proven you can play here.”

More:Peterson: More questions than answers when it comes to Iowa State football’s offense

And Remsburg trusted in the coaching staff to know that was the right decision.

He missed being in those game situations, especially when he saw the offense was struggling. Remsburg knew there wasn’t much help he could provide from the sidelines. But he also understood from his first injury that he would be no help to Iowa State if he wasn’t at full health. He was hurt during the 2020 Big 12 Championship game (upper body injury) and missed the bowl game that year. He returned in 2021 and played in all 13 games.

“Having the first injury, that one’s really hard because I never really was injured before that,” Remsburg said. “Then having a second injury, I’ve been here before, I know what I need to do, I know I need to live in the training room to get back on the field.”

Remsburg credits the support of his teammates and the coaching and training staffs for helping him get back to football form fast. And while he was waiting to be back playing in a game, Remsburg did everything he could to not only keep himself prepared but help the players who took over his spot.

More:Iowa State's Matt Campbell gives injury update for Jirehl Brock ahead of Texas matchup

He acknowledged that Treiber stepped up and played well in his absence. Remsburg also noted that he did what he could from the sidelines, advising Treiber on things he saw in hopes that it would help his replacement improve his game.

Remsburg shrugged and said “it was whatever” when asked about his contributions on the sidelines. But it wasn’t just “whatever” to Campbell.

Iowa State’s head coach understands what a healthy Remsburg means for the Cyclones. While one missing player isn’t to blame for the offense’s shortcomings this season, losing some protection from an experienced tackle can expose some flaws in the system.

Remsburg took the initiative to help the team in whatever way he could.

“A lot of guys in his boat would not have been helping Grant Treiber," Campbell said. "(They) would not have been sitting down and studying the game plan and making sure that everybody was ready to go."

Remsburg saw some snaps against both Kansas and Kansas State, the first two games he’s played this season. Getting back onto the field was a bigger moment for Remsburg than most could imagine.

“That first game back it’s like, ‘All right, we’re back, so I gotta get my feet back in,’” Remsburg said. “Saturday, I really felt like I found myself again on the field, found my swagger a little bit, which I haven’t felt in a couple years. So that was good to feel and so hopefully we can build on that.”

More:Peterson: Iowa State football fans wonder about the offense and Matt Campbell's postgame comment

A healthy Remsburg is essential to the success of Iowa State’s offense. One thing is certain: Campbell is happy with what the junior right tackle has given to this program.

“He has such a giving heart,” Campbell said. “We talk all the time about give more than you take. If Jake never played another play in this program, he’s already given way more of himself than he’s ever taken from the program.

“He’s a great leader, and really that never wavered even though it was hard for him not being able to be on the field early in the season. He was really helping and guiding those offensive linemen to go play, and we’re really proud of him.”

Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Injuries don't hold back Iowa State football lineman Jake Remsburg