Monmouth College Senior Profile: Nate Grull

In a small amount of time, the Greenville grad made a big impression on campus

by Barry McNamara

Monmouth, Ill. (02/24/2026) — Both coming and going, Nate Grull was not on campus as long as most Monmouth College students, but he certainly made an impression during his three semesters.

A junior transfer from McKendree College, Grull was enrolled for the entire 2024-25 academic year, as well as the most recent fall semester. Some dual-credit courses he took in high school allowed him to complete his graduation requirements early.

Grull spent both of his fall semesters on the Fighting Scots football team, leveling up to a starting role on head coach Chad Braun's defense after coming off the bench as a junior. Braun was certainly impressed by Grull's development.

"Nate is an outstanding young man from a great family," said Braun. "He worked really hard to make himself a great player this year. We had a lot of questions going into the year about his position because he was pretty new to it. He was probably our most improved player."

Deciding his future

In between those fall semesters, Grull started a business out of his dorm room, and he's now working at it full-time, which will entail a move to Nashville in the coming months. Grull is a life insurance broker with Family First Life, which partners with carriers such as Mutual of Omaha and AIG. The company focuses on independent contractor agents, offering high commissions and flexible schedules.

"I sat down one day and thought about what I wanted out of my life," said Grull, who'll return to campus in May to walk with other members of the Class of 2026. "I decided I didn't want to climb the corporate ladder for the next 40-50 years. I wanted to have control over my time - to eat lunch when I want to, that kind of thing. Ten years down the line, when my kids are playing sports, am I going to be stuck at the office, or can I watch them play? I felt if I went the traditional route, I wasn't going to get what I wanted."

Braun believes the traits Grull exhibited on the gridiron as a defensive end - which saw him post 26 tackles, including 3.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss last fall - will carry over into his new venture.

"Nate really emerged on defense," praised Braun. "He's going to be really successful in the business world because of his tremendous work ethic."

Grull called his change of course midway through college "one of the best decisions I've ever made in life. The only thing I would change is coming to Monmouth straight out of high school."

Once he did decide in December 2023 to move on from McKendree - where he'd focused on criminal justice with an eye toward the state police or the military - "Coach Braun was the first guy I called."

His reasoning was simple, and it was reinforced by a dinner he shared with Monmouth player Tanner Tomaschke who, like Grull, is from Greenville, Illinois.

"He told me Coach Braun really cares about his guys, and he wins. That's exactly true, and I was ready to win and to be part of a better team culture."

Tomaschke is now one of the newest members of the Scots' football staff, serving as the linebacker coach.

Lessons that last

Grull certainly learned a lot on the gridiron and through "the brotherhood for life" that is Fighting Scots football. But there were plenty of other learning moments, such as hearing from a steady stream of entrepreneurs - several with ties to the college - in one of his classes, reading Hey Whipple, Squeeze This in another, and learning Google and Excel tips and how to crunch numbers in a third.

Perhaps even more impactful was an internship that professor Mike Connell helped him secure.

"I needed to fulfill my community engagement requirement, so Connell helped me get on at the Warren County YMCA," said Grull. "That taught me about as much as any class. I got to interact with the community, and I learned a lot from people like Ralph Whiteman ('52) and (the late) Dan Gulick. Ralph's an incredible guy. He's like 99 years old, and he comes into the Y every day. He'd always talk with me about how football was going."

And it went really well. In particular, Grull enjoyed Monmouth's back-to-back victories against Illinois College, as well as a statement 49-6 victory over Lake Forest. Even the Scots' season-ending loss to Saint John's was memorable, as it came in the NCAA playoffs and was Grull's first-ever snow game.

"It impacted the game more than I expected," he said of the Thanksgiving weekend snowfall. "It was like a hockey rink, basically. But we still dominated our conference. I'm glad I got out of my comfort zone and took that risk to come to Monmouth. I'm really grateful to Coach Braun."

Grull didn't take a direct path to Monmouth, and he left with a torn labrum in his shoulder that required surgery. But he made the most of his time in between as he followed the guidance of Proverbs 3: 5-6, a Bible verse he said has helped him throughout his collegiate experiences.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

Media Attachments