FIU quarterback shows incredible strength in face of adversity like almost namesake

FIU quarterback Gunnar Holmberg was once a few ounces away from becoming Magnus Holmberg.

Before Holmberg was born, his parents – Sean and Jennifer – debated the given names of Gunnar and Magnus. Sean preferred the latter, which was in honor of Iceland’s Magnus Ver Magnusson, the four-time winner of the “World’s Strongest Man” competition. Jennifer preferred Gunnar in homage to her husband’s service in the Marines.

To settle the issue, a bet was made. If Baby Holmberg tipped the scales at 10 pounds or more at birth, he would travel through life with the name Magnus. Anything less than that, it would be Gunnar.

As it turned out, Holmberg weighed nine pounds, six ounces, and – with a name like Gunnar – his future as a quarterback seemed preordained.

Holmberg, who was Duke’s No. 1 quarterback last year, transferred to FIU in January, and he is considered the frontrunner in a three-way battle for the Panthers’ starting job. His two main rivals are Grayson James, who has yet to start a college game, and Haden Carlson, who has yet to throw a college pass.

David Cutcliffe, who coached Holmberg at Duke and is now working in the Southeastern Conference’s football office, is a big fan of his former quarterback.

“Gunnar is really athletic and fast, he throws well, and he has great character,” Cutcliffe said. “I’m praying every day that Gunnar has a heck of a run (at FIU).”

Cutcliffe, who was the offensive coordinator at Tennessee, coaching Peyton Manning in 1997 and winning national title in 1998, compares aspects of Holmberg’s game to a pair of his most successful Duke quarterbacks.

To Cutcliffe, Holmberg, 23, has the running skills of Daniel Jones, the New York Giants’ first-round pick in 2019. Holmberg’s quick throwing motion reminds Cutcliffe of Anthony Boone, the winningest quarterback in Duke history.

“Gunnar knows the game, and he’s very inquisitive,” Cutcliffe said. “He takes great notes.

“He is a guy you want to cheer on.”

TRAGEDY STRIKES

Holmberg was just eight weeks old when his father, Sean, had a seizure.

Within a few months, Sean had been diagnosed with brain cancer, which he battled for 10 years. He died at age 40 on Nov. 10, 2009.

“Nothing truly prepares you for something like that,” Gunnar said. “But I tried to be there for my mom and my (older) sister (Torianne, who is now 25).

“It’s just the three of us now. It’s brought us closer together. We lean on each other a lot.”

Sean, who in his youth wrestled at Slippery Rock University, moved his family away from the Pittsburgh area (specifically Mount Pleasant, Pa.) about five years into his cancer diagnosis.

The family relocated to North Carolina, where Sean could be treated at Duke Hospital.

Sean fought valiantly, and the family believes that the move to North Carolina prolonged his life by about one year.

In his last conversation with Gunnar, Sean told his son to take care of his mother and sister.

“Gunnar had to try to be the man of the house,” said Jennifer, a third-grade teacher at Durham’s Lakewood Elementary. “But he was only 10 years old.”

Holmberg would soon grow into an impressive young man, and the transformation began in earnest at Heritage High in Wake Forest, N.C. As a senior at Heritage, he set the school records by passing for 2,730 yards and 26 touchdowns. And in three years as the Heritage starter, Holmberg passed for 6,987 yards and 65 TDs.

He was so good that Cutcliffe offered him a scholarship after just his sophomore season. Holmberg accepted the Duke offer on July 14, 2016.

HOME OF GREATNESS

Holmberg is a proud son of Western Pennsylvania, which has produced six Hall of Fame quarterbacks: Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, Joe Montana, Joe Namath, Johnny Unitas and George Blanda.

In fact, Blanda is Holmberg’s great uncle.

Holmberg’s football heritage, however, extends beyond Blanda, a first-round pick in 1949 who played an NFL record 26 seasons and also set the league mark for career points.

There’s also Rob Holmberg – Sean’s brother. Rob Holmberg, who played at 6-3 and 230 pounds, was a middle linebacker at Navy and Penn State. The Raiders drafted him in the seventh round in 1994, and that started an eight-year career that included 112 games and eight starts.

In addition, Rob’s daughters Gabrielle (Duquesne) and Maddie (Penn State) have starred in track and field; and Gunnar’s sister Torianne played NCAA Division II volleyball at Emory and Henry College in Virginia.

Meanwhile, Gunnar Holmberg started his college career at Duke – the place that cared for his father – in order to create his own legacy.

But Holmberg, who is 6-foot-3, wasn’t immediately ready to be Duke’s starting quarterback, weighing just 165 pounds when he arrived on campus in 2018.

Holmberg redshirted that season and missed all of 2019 due to a knee injury he suffered in August.

In 2020, Holmberg entered spring believing this would be his first true shot at the Duke starting job, competing against equally untested Chris Katrenick.

However, the COVID pandemic forced the cancellation of spring ball, and, by that summer, Chase Brice had transferred in from Clemson. Brice won the starting job that fall and started all 11 of Duke’s games.

Brice, though, wasn’t the answer, tossing 10 TD passes and 15 interceptions as Duke finished 2-9. After the season, Brice transferred to Appalachian State.

Finally, in 2021, Holmberg won the Duke job he had dreamt of for more than a decade. He started 11 of Duke’s 12 games, and the Blue Devils finished the year 3-9.

For the year, Holmberg completed 67 percent of his passes for 2,358 yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Holmberg was especially good in the first half of last season, completing 72.5 percent of his passes for an average of 269 yards per game. He totaled six touchdown passes and four interceptions in those six contests, helping Duke get off to a 3-3 start.

FRESH START

Holmberg, who now weighs a sturdy 205 pounds, transferred to FIU in January and participated in spring drills in March and April.

In June, he spent four days at the Manning Passing Academy in Thibodaux, Louisiana. It was his second consecutive year at the camp, working with quarterbacking legends Peyton and Eli Manning.

This fall, new FIU coach Mike MacIntyre has been tight-lipped anytime he’s been asked about his program’s QB competition.

Holmberg said he chose FIU in part because of MacIntyre’s association with Cutcliffe. Holmberg also liked the targets he has to throw to at FIU, mentioning wide receivers Tyrese Chambers and Jacolby Hewitt as well as tight end Rivaldo Fairweather.

“That really attracted me,” Holmberg said of the talent surrounding him, “and, you know, we’re in South Florida.”

Holmberg praised James and Carlson and said that as the “old head” of the QB group, he has tried to help them out as much as possible.

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Yet, the waiting – with apologies to the late Tom Petty – is the hardest part. Holmberg is obviously eager to be named the starter in advance of FIU’s Sept. 1 opener against visiting Bryant.

“It’s always on your mind when you’re in a (QB) competition,” Holmberg said. “I’m trying not to be an idiot, making too much happen. I’m just trying to play my game.”

Holmberg is not the only one who is anxious about the QB competition.

His mother feels the anxiety, too.

“It’s nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time,” she said. “But Gunnar has been a backup, and he’s been a starter. He’s been a good teammate in both situations.

“Out of all his experiences, he has learned life lessons and made good friends.”

Jennifer Holmberg said FIU represents a second chance for her son.

“He has his Duke degree (majoring in public policy),” she said. “He’s working on his Master’s (in hospitality). He’s got more (football) knowledge now than he used to, and he’s stronger physically.

“I know FIU is building. I would love for him to have success and the team to have success.”

That’s a sentiment a lot of people could get behind, probably even Magnus Ver Magnusson.

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