When UW-Stout’s Mason Olson began his journey to becoming an NFL player, he was doing everything he needed to do. That included training, more training, and extra training.

With the NFL in his sights from day one, he knew what that lifestyle would look like. But what he, and the rest of the world didn’t see coming, was COVID-19.

COVID-19 would put his NFL dreams on hold.

Olson, a Becker native, attended two-year school the North Dakota State College of Science right out of high school for welding. He didn’t necessarily know what his plans would be when it came to a four-year institution.
Once he figured out that that was the next route he wanted to go, he red-shirted in his third year at NDSCS to get his credits to play elsewhere and save his eligibility.

With ever changing plans, he eventually found his way to the Oakdale, Minn., area where he would be taking time off from school and working instead.

In addition to that, he started training and working out at ETS Performance, a strength and conditioning facility for athletes of many different ages and sports. ETS Performance is owned by former Blue Devils Heidi and Ryan Englebert.

From there, ETS director Trevor Glomski introduced Olson to UW-Stout’s head football coach Clayt Birmingham and Olson became a Blue Devil.

“He obviously walks in the door and you’re like, ‘There’s a good-looking athlete, big dude, big farm kid,” UW-Stout defensive line coach Jake Schiff told the Leader-Telegram in early April. “He said his goal was he wants to get in the NFL and get in rookie camps. And that’s what he’s doing.”

After having what he called an average first season in 2018, Olson popped back with a much better 2019 season, earning second team All-WIAC recognition, matching the team-high for tackles-for-loss with 9.0 for 38 yards and second on the team in sacks with 3.0 for 23 yards.

With one accomplishment after another, and the NFL dream still something he was striving for, Olson participated in an NFL Pro Day in March at UW-Whitewater where he bench-pressed 225 pounds for 36 repetitions putting him at number one for defensive linemen and third overall for the NFL combines.

“I felt pretty good. It shows the work I’ve put in is paying off. It shows what I can do, and it opens up eyes,” Olson said of his Pro Day.

He said that he also got a great deal of positive feedback from that day that will help him progress even more.

With numbers like that, Olson began getting the calls.

Olson received calls from the Seattle Seahawks, who liked him and liked what they saw, but at the time just didn’t have enough to bring him in yet.

Then came the Minnesota Vikings, who wanted to invite Olson to their rookie camps, which would’ve happened, had COVID-19 not put those camps in limbo

Now the rookie camps, which were set to begin at the beginning of May, are on hold.

And it’s hard to say when, or if, any others will be held. The reality is leaving Olson with an array of emotions.

Frustrated, heartbroken, confused, Olson says he feels it all.

“Every guy dreams to make it this far. It’s a lot of work, hours, dedication, and money, so it’s heartbreaking to have it cut short, and it’s out of your control,” Olson said.

Olson is now back home in northern Minnesota, working on a friend of the family’s farm and doing what he can to stay in shape. He’s been running, cutting wood, and staying in touch with ETS Performance’s Glomski who is sending home workouts.

Olson has one more year left at Stout to finish his degree in construction, so he says he’ll have to see what happens from here with school and football.

He said if the NFL can still work out, even while he’s in school, he’ll take the opportunity to play and find alternative methods to finishing school.

“They’re once in a lifetime opportunities and football is a career in itself,” Olson stated.

Olson said he would consider the CFL and had considered the now-defunct XFL. But whatever happens, football is his goal.

Olson says that during this time of uncertainty, he’s accepted that life is a series of curveballs and you don’t get to have everything in your control. At the end of the day, Olson said, it shows your level of maturity and how you handle those curveballs.

And through it all, he feels thankful.

Thankful for his mother and father for helping him with his transitions, his trainers and coaches for providing him the needed aspects to get this far and to keep going further.

He says life is all about the support systems you have.

“Adversity hits and it shows your true colors and how you handle going through it,” Olson said.

“I’ve given and chased a lot for this dream, but I’ve overcome a lot. It’s just another bump in the road to overcome.”