Nearly 25 years have passed since Jesse Palmer threw his final college football touchdown pass, yet the former Florida Gator has never relinquished his signal-calling skillset to view life through a quarterback’s perspective.
As a former QB, the ESPN college football analyst can expertly assess the pregame locker room energy that both Ohio State and Notre Dame will feel in Monday night’s CFP National Championship Game.
Although having never played in a national championship contest himself, his experience in Florida’s 2000’s SEC championship against Auburn is a close example of what both teams are facing on Jan. 20. Palmer says attempting to keep your mind focused on your game plan as pregame hype and hysteria is surrounding you may feel like “hurricane in your head.”
His advice for the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish: Soak it all in and enjoy the moment.
“In the locker rooms I’ve been in, I’ve seen pure focus and adrenaline,” he says. “But it’s an opportunity for a few moments for everybody to really think about the journey—not just this season, but in their lives—of what’s brought them to that moment. I think [the players] understand they’re on the precipice of potentially doing something that is lasting, and [the game] is an opportunity to win a championship and be remembered forever.”
While his football knowledge has been a valuable asset for fans tuning into ESPN broadcasts since 2007, his inability to leave his work at home oftentimes has led to some awkward moments in his living room, he admits. He’s working on it, he says.
“I look at everything through the eyes of a quarterback, game planning and broadcasting,” he says. “That’s how I watch at home. It drives my wife crazy because I’ll be on the couch talking as if I were an analyst. She’ll say, ‘Can you just shut up and let them talk and we can watch this game?’ We often turn down the volume because I talk so much during the game—it’s really hard to switch that off.”
When the game’s over, the Canadian former signal caller continues to prep like it’s gameday. Now, though, his game planning has expanded to the countless off-the-field projects. Besides his ESPN gig, Palmer hectic schedule include his hosting role ABC’s the Bachelor, as well as appearances on Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championships. He’s also added clothing entrepreneur to his résumé as well as TV pitchman for a multitude of products, including his most recent partnership with Heluva Good and Harpoon Brewery.
He says successfully navigating through a rigorous day to day requires maintaining a quarterback mindset.
“It’s like a quarterback mentality, you just have to play the next play,” he says. “Sometimes, if you step back and look at your upcoming schedule, with all these different commitments, it can feel overwhelming. For me, I just focus on what’s next. Prepare as you need to, and take care of your body and mind to be successful that day. Then, focus on tomorrow when it comes.”
Palmer no longer require him to prepare to elude 300-pound pash rushers. However, he still maintains a dedicated training schedule to not only keep on top of his TV career, but also to help chase down his infant daughter Ella. The new father has had to adapt his training to new fitness goals. “I don’t take creatine or phosphagen anymore,” he admits, “but physical fitness is still very important to me.”
Jesse Palmer Has New Reasons to Still Stay Fit
During his 2000 senior season, long before TV ever crossed his mind, Palmer had one purpose: football. Splitting time with Rex Grossman, passed for 11 touchdowns as the Gators finished the season ranked 10th in the nation. “I was single-track football,” he says “I ate, breathed, and trained for football.” The work on the field, film room, and weight room ultimately paid off when he was selected by the New York Giants in the 4th round of the 2001 draft.
He spent two years with the Giants, but during that he eventually earned a career-changing break when he was selected to be part of the fifth season of The Bachelor. “Coach [Tom] Coughlin was our coach when I became the Bachelor,” he recalls. “He told me once in stretch line that he was he was shocked with who I ended up choosing at the end. So I knew he was watching.”
Now, at age 46, can Palmer still re-create the 5-yard TD toss to tight end Aaron Walker in a 2000 loss to state rival Florida State? “Guaranteed,” he says. “It may dislocate my shoulder, but I can get it there.”
These days, Palmer no longer needs to throw the end zone fade route. He’s reconfigured his multifaceted training regimen to prioritize functionality over football-centric strength and power. He still hits the weight room four times a week with two cardio sessions sprinkled in. But the training is a bit more modest than hitting preseason PRs. Now it’s more about mobility and functional strength rather than heavy lifting.
“I’m wearing out the 10-pound dumbbells a lot more than I used to,” Palmer admits. “I’m not racking up a bunch of weight in the squat rack anymore like I used to.”
The main hurdle now is finding the time and consistency to fit in a consistent routine. Having a chaotic travel schedule sometimes makes finding a good workout challenging. This is where his quarterback instincts kick in and calling an audible is required. Oftentimes on the road, he’ll maintain the grind by keeping his main workouts during the weekday. Weekends, especially during football season, are reserved for recovery.
“It might be a body weight workout in the hotel room, but we’re constantly moving,” he says. I have to sleep and eat right to maintain proper brain and body function for all the jobs I’m working on.”
Jesse Palmer Talks the Keys to Multitasking
Palmer continues to work out wearing a Giants logo on his chest. While representing his former team, he’s also showing off his JPalmer collection, in collaboration with Fantatics. “It’s actually my brand,” he laughs. “It still feels weird to say that.”
His evolution into clothing is just part of his post-football evolution. Starring on the Bachelor has continued to help increase Palmer’s global popularity. That breakout role has led to Palmer becoming the face of a wide range of brands. He can be seen on television ads from haircuts to mattresses. And now he’s teaming up with Heluva Good dips and Harpoon Brewery on a limited-edition onion flavored amber ale. The promotion coincides with college and pro football playoffs. “[Heluva] has been a staple in my household and at all my viewing parties. It will be no different this year.”
Adapting to such a variety of projects can be like learning new offensive playbook. That’s oftentimes how Palmer approaches each opportunity. The multitasking may seem overwhelming at times, especially since becoming a new dad. But he looks at this surge of demand as a blessing derived from football. he won’t ever take it for granted. Staying grounded through success and failure is one of those intangibles he picked up under Spurrier that apply to the business world as well.
“I’ve experienced it,” he says. “I think maybe that there were times where I had some success early and start to think things were going to be easy—and then failed. And then I saw the difference. Sometimes we learn a lot from our struggles as well. It’s important to fall down. You got to be able to give yourself back up and move forward again.”
Palmer’s journey from football to TV and staying relatively fit throughout the process also requires a bit of self reflection. The bottom line: Always be goal-driven and honest with yourself at the same time.
“You have to be able to turn the page and focus on the next play,” he says. “But I think at some point too, you also have to be able to self-evaluate. You have to watch the film, look at past performances, and then look at opportunities to try and do things better. The biggest thing about being an entrepreneur or playing quarterback is you’re competitive no matter what. Hopefully that competitive drive helps fuel you to have success.