On The Plains with Jake Kruse: ‘An Auburn man for life’

AUBURN, Ala. – “I never in my life thought I would be in this situation, and it happened. It happened at Auburn.”

That’s how wide receiver Jake Kruse describes his unlikely college football experience. 

The industrial engineering major had no dreams of playing for the Tigers – he had never even played football until his senior year at Helena (Ala.) High School. 

“I played baseball all the time growing up, but at the end of my junior year (of high school), I wasn’t having fun anymore,” Kruse explained. “So for my senior year, my buddies convinced me to join the football team and it was great fun. I always regret not playing football sooner.

“I’ve never been one to think much into the future, so when I graduated high school, I didn’t really know where I wanted to go to college. I had a close group of buddies in high school who were Auburn fans and they were coming to Auburn, so I ended up tagging along with them on a visit. My parents both went to Mississippi State and that was another option, but I toured there and here as well, and it ended up Auburn. I’m definitely happy with that choice. 

“I was coming to Auburn as a student regardless, not because of football, but once I had been here a few months, I heard there was a tryout and I thought it would be fun. I was excited about the chance to make the team, but with the number of guys trying out, it was not an expectation. And then I remember getting the call on the way back from class, and I was so excited.”

Kruse carried that feeling of happiness forward for the next three-plus years. Even without scholarship aid, being part of the Auburn football program has been a highlight of his college career for the honor roll engineering student who will graduate next spring. 

“I’m an industrial engineering major and I’ll be looking for a job next spring,” he said. “I originally was in mechanical engineering, but industrial incorporates a lot more human interaction. It’s been a challenge I enjoy.

“One of the hardest things for me was trying to manage my time between sport and school,” the inductee to Chi Alpha Sigma national student-athlete honorary with a 3.5 GPA, explained. “In high school, it wasn’t that hard to balance because it’s way less of a time commitment.

“What I’m proud of myself for doing is I’ve been able to balance my time between ball and school. I make good grades, but I still come out here every day and I give my all – and I’ve been able to do that for three years. I’m proud of myself for that.

“Walking on is hard. It’s a hard life and it takes love to do this. You don’t always get all the fame or a scholarship or what other guys get, but the first game of this season, Coach (Tanner) Burns let me get in the game on a kickoff and I got my first-ever tackle in a game. I’ve never been more excited than that. That’s my favorite moment of being on the team.”

There have been plenty of other highlights during his time at Auburn. 

“The first-ever game when we were walking down Tiger Walk, I went, ‘Wow!’ I almost started tearing up, it was so surreal,” he recalled. “I never imagined myself to be in that position to be out there on gameday. Running out of the tunnel before the game and looking around and seeing a large body of orange and of blue – it’s crazy.

“Being on the team for the last three-and-a-half years (since spring 2022), the thing I’m going to miss the most is having all the guys on the team around me all day. You don’t know how close you get to them until you think it’s almost over, and I’m going to miss them so much. Not being with them every day doing something we love is going to be sad.”

Even though he’s graduating next semester, Kruse will stay part of Auburn forever. 

“I’m going to be up in that crowd someday and often. I’m an Auburn man for life. 

“War Eagle means no matter what, even in the position our team has been through this year, people still say it and they mean it. 

“The Auburn fans are so loyal and they’re going to show out every time. A lot of schools have fans who are frontrunners, and they only want to be there when the team is doing well. But War Eagle for us means we’re all in it together – no matter what, we’re going to keep pushing – it’s a motto to live by.”

Kruse is thankful for some important people who helped him along this journey. 

“I have to thank my mom, my dad and my three younger brothers. One of my brothers, Cam, is my roommate here and a big help to making this work. He drops me off for practice most days. My family has been with me always.

“I’m thankful for Coach (Marcus) Davis. He’s one of the most genuine coaches that I’ve ever had and he’s very easy to talk to about life. And I appreciate everything Coach Heath (Dedeaux) does. He’s going to do big things in coaching someday. 

“Really, I want to thank everybody – so many people have had a hand in my experience. I never in my life thought I would be in this situation, and it happened at Auburn.”