Jonah Pirsig just wants to be a helper.

With a 6-foot-9 frame that bodes perfectly for his duties as a University of Minnesota offensive lineman, the Blue Earth Area graduate is literally a towering symbol of that very hope. And his on- and off-field ascension has long been under the local spotlight, as Pirsig’s hometown can surely attest.

That was the case once again on Saturday, when the local Golden Gopher was the keynote speaker for a gentlemen’s banquet at Trinity Lutheran Church.

But Pirsig, more than anything, made it a point to emphasize the character and the values beneath a body often known for its Big Ten blocks. Seated next to three of his former BEA coaches, hair pulled into a bun and shoulders resting far above the nearby crowd, Pirsig oozed of gentleness despite an obvious possession of physicality.

Less than two miles from his old Blue Earth Area High School stomping grounds, he proclaimed faith and a resulting drive to help others as his fuel for a journey in football and beyond.

Jonah Pirsig, left, poses after speaking at a June 11 gentlemen’s banquet at Trinity Lutheran Church in Blue Earth.

“I just want to be remembered for never saying no to someone who needs help,” he said.

As a starter for a beloved college football team, Pirsig does enough as an athlete alone to warrant recognition as a helper. His job protecting the quarterback and paving space for others requires perhaps the most humility of any position on the gridiron. And the sacrifices that make it all possible require further dedication.

“Sometimes, we’re going from 7 a.m. to nine at night for football,”?Pirsig said.

When he is not making efforts to fulfill a daily intake of 6,000 calories, he is pushing himself in the weight room.

“The O-line lifts take about two hours,” he said. “Heavy weight and a lot of reps.”

Relentless training to man the trenches as an all-conference right tackle, however, has not hindered Pirsig in his everyday walk of life. Things like integrity, perseverance and a commitment to his Christian morals supersede any milestones at the line of scrimmage.

“I?just fall back on how I?was raised,”?Pirsig said, “not doing anything I?would be afraid to tell my mom and dad about.”

Playing on a national stage, the redshirt senior is not oblivious to potential onslaughts of scrutiny, but an embrace of those childhood standards ensures that, at least on the inside, Pirsig is practically the same person he was when he left Blue Earth in the wake of Jerry Kill’s beckoning.

“The only thing different about me,”?Pirsig said, “is there’s an ‘M’ on my chest instead of a ‘BEA.’ Playing football gives you a platform, and people are reading the papers and see your every move good or the bad. Living under that microscope is the way you should live even if you aren’t in that situation, because God’s always watching.”

Why, though, does he take so much pride in avoiding the me-first mentality that so often plagues modern-day athletes?

For one, Pirsig has drawn a great deal of motivation from his friends, family and teammates.

“There’s not a chance I?would be here if it wasn’t for my family,”?said Pirsig, the son of David and Kristin. “I?think my size and frame gave me an opportunity to go and experience what I?have, but a lot of it has to do with family and my support system.”

Part of that support system has been Jon Christenson, his fellow Gophers lineman until 2015, who led a discipleship group that became “one of the most consistent things” in Pirsig’s life.

On a grander scale, that fellowship with Christenson, his family and countless others in between spilled over into a prioritization of his faith.

“Running out on the field is always a high moment,”?Pirsig said. “But when you’re talking to God, it’s pretty special.”

The trials that have tested his character have shaped his progression, too.

“No one’s ever lived a perfect life, but you grow more in the challenges,” he said.

That he did, and in Pirsig’s case, the growth came not only as a household name in the locker room?but, more importantly, as a respected man in the world.

“Two years ago, I?had a tough practice, and it seemed like I?couldn’t do anything right,”?he said. “I?told my dad he might as well not come to my scrimmage the next day. I played okay, but it put it all in perspective. I?get to play a game and go to school, and I should be thankful.”

Backing away from responsibility would have been the easy route. That, of course, would never have meshed with Pirsig’s attitude.

“Once you quit for the first time,”?he said, “it’s easier to quit the second time, and then it’s just a snowball effect.”

For Pirsig, there is a similar effect when it comes to helping people, albeit with conversely positive results.

One act of service can go a long way, and Kim Jacobson, director of youth and family ministries at Trinity, said Pirsig took hold of that notion long ago.

“The thing that always stood out to me,”?she said, “was how he always wanted to help.”

It is no surprise, then, that Pirsig is still set on pursuing elementary education, which he studied in college.

“I’m almost looking forward to teaching more than this upcoming season,” he said, recalling his first days visiting a fourth-grade classroom for school.

“I?got to hang out and just be a helper, and I?fell in love with it,”?he said. “It only took a week or so, and I?knew exactly what I?wanted to do.”

Never mind the fact that one of the first things kids usually ask him to do is touch the ceiling a feat he accomplishes with ease.

“It seems like I’m in a distant galaxy to them,”?he said.

Never mind, too, the fact that Pirsig and his skyscraper of a frame could be on the NFL’s radar. Because while a professional football career would “absolutely” draw his interest, he knows that his heart lies in the classroom for the long term.

And what else would anyone who knows Pirsig expect?

He really wants to be a helper.