MT. VERNON, Iowa (KCRG) - Thomas Monken is the quarterback for Cornell College. He comes from a long line of football coaches.

His uncle is the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, his cousin the head coach at Army, and many other family members spread throughout the high school level.

“Our family reunions consists of just us talking about football for hours on end,” said Monken.

That obsession came at a cost. Following high school graduation in 2020, he bounced around colleges. Then he had to take a season break from playing.

“I was kind of exhausted from football. I’ve been around it my whole life. I had high expectations. I went to JUCO, COVID came, went to a different school, was in Chicago, wasn’t a big fan of the city, and kind of just fell out of love with the sport,”

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