QB's road from Fremd to the Rose Bowl

Scott Tolzien was the football equivalent of the repeatedly picked over and pushed aside gift that was finally grabbed by a last-minute shopper looking for a bargain.

As a Fremd High School senior, it looked as if he would be left on the shelf as it got closer to college football's Christmas Day. The first Wednesday of February is when colleges unveil the nation's most gifted players who have signed letters of intent.

One of the top quarterbacks in Illinois, Tolzien waited and wondered as big-ticket talents who had wrapped up their future plans prepared for glitzy nationally televised shows and glowing reviews from coaches and recruiting analysts.

Tolzien seemed destined to be cast aside into a discount pile for the overlooked. Even midlevel Division I programs were no longer interested.

Then Wisconsin and offensive coordinator Paul Chryst saw something in Tolzien.

Not the flashy potential of a big-time arm or breakaway foot speed. The Badgers figured there wasn't much to lose on taking a chance on a smart kid who rarely made mistakes. If it didn't work out, well, it was a last-minute flier on a kid who wasn't going to cause any regrets off the field.

So, Tolzien committed and signed with the Badgers with minimal fanfare. For three years he worked to show he was worthy of a shot at leading one of the nation's premier college programs.

When the opportunity came, Tolzien was ready to take advantage. And now, as more high-profile players have been discarded by national analysts, this second-year starter is set for his final game in a Wisconsin uniform on one of college football's grandest stages.

“As a little guy, everyone has that aspiration of playing in the Rose Bowl,” Tolzien said of Saturday's 4 p.m. matchup against Texas Christian University. “I was always a Big Ten fan growing up and on January 1st, I'd sit with my family and watch the Rose Bowl.

“It's a dream come true and it's something I've put a lot of hard work into.”

It's just one of the aspects that hasn't changed with Tolzien as Wisconsin records have fallen and national acclaim has risen.

“The most humble, down to earth, big-time athlete I've ever met,” said Mike Brown, a Fremd football assistant for nearly two decades who will be in Pasadena with his son Patrick to watch Tolzien.

“The most impressive thing about him is the humility he shows,” said Patrick Brown, a star quarterback at Fremd in the late 1990s who came back to work with Tolzien and other quarterbacks at his alma mater. “In such a me-first instead of we-first sports culture, it's pretty refreshing to see a guy like Scott who gets all the accolades and awards and tries to deflect it to everyone around him.”

Those who know him best say Tolzien's confidence comes without arrogance or defiance.