Former Griz #37 Levi Janacaro Shares Why He Chose Trevin Gradney As The New #37

On Wednesday's edition of The Daily Drive w/Ace Sauerwein, former Griz Linebacker Levi Janacaro called into the show. Janacaro returned to Washington-Grizzly Stadium with his former teammates to accept his 2023 Big Sky Conference Championship ring before the game on Saturday.

"The ring looks great. I mean, those things are awesome," said Janacaro. "They're heavy. Man, they're heavy. It's impractical to wear, but I'm not much of a jewelry guy, so I don't think I'd wear it a lot. It's cool to have in a showcase or something, or your mancave when you're older and have kids."

It was a different experience for Janacaro and his teammates being back at Washington-Grizzly Stadium and not suited up.

"I've been downplaying it a lot with people at work and people that have asked me 'Are you excited for the season?' And I was like 'Yeah, I'm excited to be a fan and go and cheer on the guys, but I'm not going to be too invested. I've had my time, that's done now. I'm just gonna go and enjoy it'...

...

"And boy was that not the case," said Janacaro. "From the first kickoff to the first defensive drive I was, like, edge of my seat, bouncing on the stands, raising my arms, trying to get the crowd going, yelling. I was way more into it than I thought that I would be."

In post-football life, Janacaro enjoyed the summer a tad more than he would have in his last four years at Montana.

"I feel like this summer has been awesome, but also with no football, when you're working, when you're out of school summer goes by quick. I didn't realize that. It was nuts, I was like 'You're living for 1 and a half days on the weekend."

You're preaching to the choir, Levi.

But with no football, Janacaro entered the workforce with the rest of us as a life insurance salesman at Glidewell Insurance. As all 37s do, Janacaro had to pass the legacy on to the next Montanan. It was Trevin Gradney. It had to be.

"I made it a point for the workouts during the summer. You have to be the first guy there and the last one to leave. You have to live up to what this number means," explained Janacaro. "The one guy consistently who was always challenging me was Trevin. Trevin was always there way before he needed to be and was always one of the last guys to leave.

READ MORE: Revisit Montana's All-Time Upset

Did he do it for the glory? Did he do it as an audition for the 37 jersey? Hell no.

"And he didn't do it because he was trying to get anybody to notice him. He was just doing it because he knew he had things that he had to work on outside of our allotted time to practice or lift."

Get our free mobile app

Janacaro's praise for the first-ever Billings native to receive the 37 honor continued. He mentioned Gradney's exceptional on-field play, the leadership he displays and his off-the-field character. Gradney was an easy selection.

To listen to the story of when Janacaro "tricked" Gradney into meeting him at the Mo Club and for the full interview with Levi, check out The Daily Drive below.