Jayce Gilder graduated from Corvallis in 2015 and had hopes of playing college football. He didn’t receive any offers from Montana State or the University of Montana but he did get an offer from Eastern Washington. He was a preferred walk on but now, the red-shirt junior is an important part of the Eagles’ team.
Eastern Washington will take on powerhouse North Dakota State for the FCS national championship on January 5, 2019, in Frisco, Texas. EW defeated Maine last weekend to advance to the championship.
Although Gilder was a quarterback for the Blue Devils, he now plays tight end. He has scored six touchdowns this year in the Eagles’ quest for a national championship and has nine career touchdowns. He said that North Dakota State is a tough team but he has faith in his team. Even with the Christmas break and three weeks between their last game and the championship game, Gilder will be heading back for practice the day after Christmas. He said his team has a strong work ethic and they believe in each other.
The North Dakota State/Eastern Washington game can be seen on ESPN 2 on January 5 at noon, EST.