Football | 4/25/2026 8:56:00 PM
ATLANTA, Ga. – After months of anticipation and training, former Minnesota State Moorhead quarterback
Jack Strand saw his professional aspirations come full circle on Saturday evening. Strand is signing with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent following the 2026 NFL Draft.
The quarterback will most certainly be regarded as the best to ever play in Moorhead. Strand holds every school passing record (career and single-season) while also securing NSIC career records in passing yards, pass completions and passing touchdowns. In NCAA Division II history, Strand ranks ninth in career pass yards per game (313.4), 10
th in career passing yards (13,161) and is tied for fifth all-time in career passing touchdowns (126).
Strand's accolades match up with his statistical feats as well. He is a four-time All-NSIC selection, earning the league's Offensive Player of the Year Award twice (2023, 2025). In his career, Strand earned eight All-America certificates, including five in his senior season alone. The quarterback was named D2CCA Super Region 3 Offensive Player of the Year as a senior as well. Strand was a three-time nominee for the Harlon Hill Trophy, placing fourth in national voting in 2025.
Beyond the gridiron, Strand has proven himself to be an elite-level academic. He's earned multiple trips to the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence and CSC Academic All-District Team. Strand is a two-time CSC Academic All-American, becoming the first MSUM student-athlete to be named CSC Academic All-America Team Member of the Year in 2025. He was also named a finalist for the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy as a senior, the nation's premier scholar-athlete honor.
Mark Reed (1983) and Ted Nemzek (1930) are the only Dragon alumni who have played in an NFL regular season game. Reed is the last Dragon player to be selected in an NFL Draft (New York Giants, 1981). Strand is the first NFL signee from MSUM since Damon Gibson (Green Bay Packers, 2017).
Offseason OTAs for the Falcons begin on May 18 with mandatory mini-camp running June 16-18.
