Game Program Senior Feature: A.J. Natter

With only one game left in his Husker career, senior defensive lineman A.J. Natter still remembers the first time he set eyes on Memorial Stadium.

“My junior year, I began receiving the letters and the visit invites and out of nowhere, I just get this letter from Nebraska,” Natter said. “I really didn’t know much about Nebraska at all, other than their football team. I’ll tell you what, that first time I came up, the game was against Washington and it was a foggy day and all of a sudden I see the walls of Memorial Stadium pop out of nowhere and I’m just in awe and shock, and oh man, I think I was sold right then. It was kind of unfair for the rest of the [college visits] that came after.”

Playing football growing up was mostly a communal thing for the Milton, Wis., native. Despite his first football memory of being planted by a 200-pound fifth grader, Natter has always loved competing and particularly loved competing with his best friends, as they spent their free time looking up to the pro and college players. This communal aspect continued with his move to Nebraska, when he was first exposed to the best fans in college football.

“People say ‘Nebraska nice,’ well, I think it’s a real thing,” Natter said. “People in Wisconsin are the same way, they’ve very genuine people, real and everyone I met out here has been amazing. The people that I played with that aren’t playing anymore, the people that I met that aren’t athletes, just everyone in general. It’s a great place to be, everyone’s just so down to earth and the fans are one of a kind.”

The 6-5, 260-pound defensive end picked up a handful of tackles in his Nebraska football career before injuring the patella bone in his leg last spring. The injury rendered him unable to compete in his final season at NU, but he still played an important role on the team.

“For me, [my goal this season] is mostly supporting everybody else,” Natter said. “There are times where it’s hard. It’s the part of the season you’ve got to keep pushing through and if I had a role, it’s just to keep a good attitude, as cliche as that sounds. Being in the locker room, being able to talk to the guys and trying to maintain those relationships and just keep that positive energy.”

Natter has spent time reflecting on his last five years and all that Nebraska has given to him, and he’s found he can be nothing but thankful for it all. The senior said that as a high school freshman, he never even thought he’d be playing college football.

“One day it just clicked,” Natter said. “I wanted to get a scholarship, like DII or something like that, and it just kept rolling and rolling and it ended up working out for me. That was between freshman and sophomore year. I was like, ‘I’m going to start lifting’, ‘I’m going to start actually putting some real effort toward it’. The end goal wasn’t exactly what I planned, getting hurt and being done for my senior season, but the thing is, I’ve learned so much throughout my time here and that you’ve got to see the positives in all situations. I’ve probably learned more through this situation than I would if I wouldn’t have got hurt. It’s crazy how much I’ve grown over the last year with the challenges I’ve faced.”

The management and marketing major is preparing for his graduation next month and a financial advising internship in Minneapolis next summer, but he knows he’ll miss the Husker team memories and most importantly, the feel of playing at Memorial Stadium.

“Every time you run out of the tunnel, it’s amazing,” Natter said. “It’s an out-of-body experience almost. I think the best experience though, is my first play on Memorial field my redshirt freshman year. It’s such a loud environment, and you wouldn’t expect it, but as soon as you put one foot on that field, there’s no volume. You can hear a guy on the bench talking and… it’s chilling. It’s the best game day experience I’ve experienced.”