Tell me about your football career.

I started playing when I was eight years old. Ill have been playing for 15 years by the end of the season. Collegiately, I played JUCO, or Junior College, before I came here, which was really successful. We were a super good team, nationally ranked at American River College. I redshirted my freshman year there, and my second year I got injured. My third year wasnt a bad year, but a guy whos now at USC played ahead of me, so I didnt have the greatest success. After my third season, I was considering giving up because I had barely played the last season. Luckily, Luther had a recruiter that would not give up. He was super persistent. So I said, screw it and came out here for a visit. I came legitimately wanting to hate this place, and it slowly just won me over. That was over a J-term, and I committed the next day. I went from living in Sacramento with a job to moving out here within two weeks.

Describe your role on the team.

As a captain, my impact is just like being a big brother to a lot of the guys, especially because we have a really young team. The majority of our roster is freshmen and sophomores, with few juniors and even fewer seniors. I always preach that players play, coaches coach. Its not our job to chew guys out, as I see it. Trying to lead by example, doing all the right things, so guys can have a reference for how they should carry themselves.

How do you prepare for games?

Obviously, we practice every day as a team. But for me personally, Friday nights I try to settle in. Look over our notes from meetings. We always have a quiz to complete. I like to imagine myself in the game and create a mental image of myself in there, going through good and bad scenarios. On the actual game day, I just have laser focus. I dont look at social media. I send out a thank- you to people saying good luck, but other than that I dont do anything but focus. About an hour before the game, I get super intense and create a small goal for myself. Five tackles or a sack, something like that.

Do you usually accomplish your goals?

Depends on the game. Usually my bare minimum goal is five tackles and a sack, and if I get one or the other then Im happy. Then Ive had bad games as well. When those happen, the most important thing is that I gave it my all. Thats the one thing I care about more than anything. My position isnt super glorious, and when I do make a tackle its cool because I had to fight off a big, fat offensive linemen. If I do my best, I can live with it.

What are your thoughts on this season so far?

For our team, its been disappointing. Nobody likes losing. But we have a lot of room to grow. As I said, we have a lot of young players that are developing mentally and physically. Moving forward for the next few seasons, its gonna get better and better. If they do the right things, they will do big things in the future. For myself moving forward, we only have about three games left and this is my last season. My ultimate goal is to finish strong. I dont want to look back and say, man, I should have worked harder. When I dont work my hardest, it eats at me. When I was at JUCO, I almost gave up. Luckily, I was given this opportunity to finish strong here, and thats what I want to do. Win or lose, I just want to finish strong.

How has the team grown since you arrived at Luther?

We have a very young team, and Ive seen a few players step up and go in the right direction. Ive also seen young players with a lot of room to grow, which is okay since they have time. I thought our camp was much better this year in terms of keeping the game as the focus. Theres improvements and growth, but it will take time for it to show.

What are you looking forward to during the rest of your time at Luther?

Im looking forward to enjoying myself as a student for once. Ive played since I was eight, and I dont think Ive ever had a moment where Ive never played a sport before. With our next semester, I wont have that football commitment. It wont be easier, but it will be an interesting feeling. Itll be sad because I wont be doing what I love, but Ill get to experience something new and Im excited for that. Because I was a transfer, I have a bunch of freedom for what I can take, so Im very excited for that. Im excited to get involved in new things, as Im now freed up to do a little more.

Who is an athlete you look up to?

Theres a guy I played in JUCO with, and he recently got signed by the Carolina Panthers. Hes a linebacker, and his names Jordan Kunaszyk. We werent super close, but I knew him pretty well. He was a captain at my JUCO, and I admired the way he carried himself and his work ethic. A lot of the times when people talk about college athletics, they talk about genetics. He had a solid frame, but his work ethic alone is why hes at where hes at. And he made the actual team. He didnt get cut and he plays. His accomplishments and his work ethic are what I admire.

Whats a fun fact about yourself that isnt related to football?

I have club thumbs and people say they look like toes.

Photo courtesy of Luther FootballSefried hails from Lodi, CA.

See more here:
Norse of the Week: Tyler Sefried ('20) - Luther College Chips

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