Gridiron Glory 25: where are they now? Season 14 Host – Jaush Huntsberger

Growing up in Logan, Ohio and playing the wide receiver position for the LHS football team, Jaush Huntsberger knew all about Gridiron Glory before he ever set foot on Ohio University’s campus.

“I watched Gridiron in high school,” said Huntsberger. “It was a big reason I wanted to get into sports broadcasting. I wanted to be the host of Gridiron Glory. I watched SportsCenter every morning, and seeing Gridiron Glory doing something like that with schools I watched and kids I knew, it was the best thing ever.”

While Huntsberger was excited about the possibility of learning and growing as a sports journalist while working on Gridiron, he was also excited about being a part of the show because he knew how much it meant to local communities.

“I think after each game, we would go to a local restaurant or a buddy’s house and wait for the highlights. As a player, I always hoped Gridiron got my catch so I could see it on the air. Gridiron gives a name to southeast Ohio football. It lets kids see themselves on TV. To see somebody like Joe Burrow come out of there is awesome, and Gridiron helps in recruiting to give kids opportunities.”

In the summer of 2009, before Huntsberger’s freshman year began, he started working on Gridiron.

“Since I lived so close, I came down a couple of weeks early because the Gridiron crew was already working on getting ready for the first show of the season,” said Huntsberger. “I did whatever they needed me to do. And then once games started, I went along for the ride to help cover games, take notes on storylines, whatever. The rush of being involved on Friday night was just amazing.”

During his sophomore year, Huntsberger became an online reporter and by his junior year, he was the SEOAL conference beat reporter.

“It was a lot of fun to cover my high school,” said Huntsberger. “I would always be the person who would drive to the games because I knew where the schools were located.”

Then, for his senior year, Huntsberger put his name in for consideration to become host of the show.

“I was waiting on pins and needles to find out if I got it,” said Huntsberger. “When the show’s producer called to let me know, I was with my family. It was a pretty awesome moment. And my family was still living in Logan, so the great thing was that they could watch the show every week.”

After graduation, Huntsberger got a job at WTAP TV in Parkersburg, West Virginia as a weekend sports anchor. Even though he loved the job, after two years, he decided to make a change.

“My wife was living in Columbus, so I decided to move there and leave the TV industry,” said Huntsberger. “I’m now a product manager at Ashland Specialty Ingredients. But I do miss the camaraderie of sports. There’s nothing like the sports section of the newsroom environment, live TV, rushing to hit your deadline and then going out and crushing a show. But the lifestyle is just not for me. I’m grateful that I worked on Gridiron because of the skills you gain in communications and broadcast. Those skills have been transitive to every other job that I have had.”

Huntsberger says it’s hard for him to believe that Gridiron is in its 25th season.

“That is insane to me,” said Huntsberger. “But the staying power will be there forever. It’s a testament to the hard work of the people who run the program and the students who are willing to come in to do the work. To see how the show has expanded in the years since I’ve been gone, it’s amazing innovation.”

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