Thursday, March 28, 2024

Sayler thankful to play for U

September 27, 2000
Jace Sayler (80) runs during the Sept. 9, football game against Marshall at Spartan Stadium. Sayler had 11 tackles in Saturday —

Jace Sayler is many things. He’s a two-year starter, a preseason All-Big Ten selection and one of the most meticulous athletes you’ll ever meet.

But mainly he’s a family man.

If you don’t believe it, just check out his enormous left arm.

Donning the arm is a tattoo of the family name, Sayler, with the initials J.T.J. surrounding it. The initials pay tribute to the most important people in the senior’s life - father Jay, mother Trisha and 24-year-old sister Jenny.

“My dad, my mom and my sister mean everything to me,” the 6-foot-5, 300-pound defensive tackle said. “They’ve stuck through everything with me. Anytime I have a problem I look to them, and my problems don’t seem so bad.”

The three family members haven’t missed a game in Sayler’s career, traveling from State College, Pa., to Hawaii and everywhere in between.

Trisha Sayler said she has enjoyed every moment of following her son on the road, adding they fly to cities exceeding seven or eight hours from the family home in McHenry, Ill.

“It’s been one of my best life experiences,” she said. “So few people have the opportunity to share this with their family - it’s just been thrilling.”

Mrs. Sayler said she tells her daughter that attending every game isn’t necessary, because she has a social life too.

“But (Jenny) says she’d be miserable if she wasn’t at every game,” Trisha Sayler said with a chuckle.

Routine, routine, routine

When it comes to football, Sayler is in his own world.

His game preparation has endured the same routine since being at MSU.

It begins on Friday, and it’s meticulous, very meticulous.

First, the big man gets his hair cut Friday afternoon - either a personal job or at Gary’s Campus Hair Salon, 549 E. Grand River Ave.

“I always need to feel clean for some reason,” he said.

Next is the Friday night meal with the football team in the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center. True to form, the food is consumed in the same order - every single week.

“I eat my salad first, then a potato, then I get a piece of lasagna, a piece of chicken and steak, and I cover it all in ranch (dressing),” Sayler said. “I eat the lasagna first and then the chicken, then the steak, always the same order.”

Always.

“For four straight years I’ve sat at the same table, in the same chair,” he said of the Friday evening meal. “The day of the game I use the bathroom at the same time and eat my breakfast at the same time.”

Always.

There’s more grub the morning of the game, and - go figure - it’s all eaten in the same order.

“A potato first, eggs with ketchup second, and a little steak with ranch third,” he said. “That’s the way I do it before the game.”

Sayler said he loves the walk to Spartan Stadium on Saturday mornings, and, yes, he always does the same thing.

For the past two years, Rage Against The Machine has blared from his portable CD player going from the Kellogg Center to Spartan Stadium.

Back to the field

After being recruited by MSU as a 260-pound tight end, Sayler was moved to the defensive line on the third day of freshman practice. In his three-plus years in East Lansing, the McHenry High School alumnus has gained 40 pounds and turned himself into one of the best defensive lineman in the Big Ten.

“I don’t get a chance to go back (to McHenry) very often, but I get some goofy stares when I walk around,” Sayler said of his added weight. “I kind of stick out above the crowd.”

In 38 games as a Spartan, Sayler has started 20, registering 131 tackles, with 13 of them for losses and seven sacks.

But Sayler isn’t a guy who seeks personal accolades.

“I’m not an arrogant guy,” he said. “If I’m going to be talked about, I prefer somebody else do it.”

MSU defensive line coach Brad Lawing knows the value of having Sayler and junior Josh Shaw anchoring MSU’s defense.

“They’re good strong players, and more importantly they’re accountable players,” Lawing said. “Both Jace and Josh know where they need to be on the field at all times.”

Sayler puts his on-field relationship with Shaw another way.

“We’re like a married couple, and we go hand-in-hand,” he said.

Provin’ your worth in the classroom

After nearly being academically ineligible as a freshman, Sayler has come a long way in the classroom. He is majoring in parks, recreation and tourism and plans on graduating sometime next year. While Sayler’s parents are proud of his on-field accomplishments, they are ecstatic of what he’s done in school.

“Talk about exceeding expectations,” Trisha Sayler said. “He’s been afforded an opportunity that he probably wouldn’t have had without football, and that makes me more happy than any quarterback sack.”

Nearing the end

Sayler loves his football, and he’s melancholy about seeing his playing days close out.

“I feel like one of the luckiest people just to be here,” he said. “It’s been a dream of mine - for my whole life to revolve around football. Just to have the whole college atmosphere, the whole Big Ten atmosphere has been kind of a dream for me.”

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