If you looked at the Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback room entering training camp, Jack Strand probably wasn’t the first name that caught your attention.

Michael Penix Jr. was the former No. 8 overall pick trying to work his way back from another knee injury. Tua Tagovailoa was the former No. 5 overall pick brought to Atlanta for a fresh start and an opportunity to compete for the starting job. Even when the Falcons needed additional depth, they went out and signed veteran Cooper Rush, who has spent years proving himself as a capable NFL backup.

Then there’s Jack Strand. Undrafted. Division II. Minnesota State University Moorhead.

And perhaps one of the most fascinating players on Atlanta’s roster.

I’m a sucker for stories like this. We spend months leading up to the NFL Draft analyzing five-star recruits, Power Four quarterbacks, combine performances and projected first-round picks. Then every once in a while, someone arrives from a place most football fans weren’t paying attention to and reminds us that talent doesn’t exclusively reside under the brightest lights.

Jack Strand may never become an NFL starting quarterback. He may not even make Atlanta’s 53-man roster when everything is said and done…and if he doesn’t, that would be a disgrace But the fact that he’s here at all is worth talking about.

Because Jack Strand didn’t simply play Division II football. He absolutely dominated it.

From Bloomer to Moorhead

Strand grew up in Bloomer, Wisconsin, a small town of roughly 3,600 people. He was a two-time all-conference quarterback at Bloomer High School, throwing for 2,457 yards and 17 touchdowns during his prep career.

Those aren’t exactly the numbers that trigger a nationwide recruiting war. There was no procession of SEC coaches showing up at his house. No five-star rating. No nationally televised commitment ceremony with four hats sitting on a table.

His college destination was Minnesota State University Moorhead, a Division II program playing in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.

If Strand was going to make anyone notice him, he was going to have to do it the hard way.

That’s exactly what he did.

Strand took over as Moorhead’s starting quarterback during his true freshman season in 2022 and proceeded to spend the next four years rewriting the school’s record book. By the time his college career was finished, he had appeared in 42 games and completed 1,247 passes for 13,161 yards and 126 touchdowns.

Read that yardage total again. 13,161.

That ranks Strand 10th all-time in NCAA Division II history in career passing yards.

By the end of his 2024 season, he already owned essentially every major single-season and career passing record at Minnesota State Moorhead. Then, instead of simply maintaining that production as a senior, he somehow got better.

42 Touchdowns Later…

Strand’s final college season was ridiculous.

In 2025, he threw for 3,546 yards and a school-record 42 touchdowns, leading the Northern Sun in both passing and total offense. He finished his career as the conference’s all-time leader in completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns and was named NSIC Offensive Player of the Year for the second time in three seasons. He also earned First-Team Division II All-American honors.

For a little perspective, Strand threw 126 touchdown passes in four years.

You don’t accidentally do that.

I don’t care whether you’re playing in the SEC, Big Ten, Northern Sun or in someone’s backyard. At a certain point, production is production. Throwing for more than 13,000 yards requires consistency. Throwing 126 touchdowns requires accuracy, anticipation and an ability to process defenses. The thing is, Strand had opportunities chance to transfer to one of those Power Four schools but chose to stay at Minnesota State Moorhead out of loyalty. That’s refreshing.

Yet Strand’s story is about more than football.

He was also an Engineering Physics student who carried a 3.87 GPA, earning recognition from the National Football Foundation as an E. Doug Kenna Scholar-Athlete.

That’s the part of these stories I always appreciate. There was no guarantee that professional football was waiting for Jack Strand. Playing Division II football while studying engineering physics doesn’t exactly scream “NFL quarterback assembly line.”

He simply kept producing. Eventually, someone noticed.

257 Picks…And Jack Strand Wasn’t One of Them

The 2026 NFL Draft came and went without Strand hearing his name called. That’s hardly unusual for a Division II quarterback. The jump in competition alone gives NFL evaluators pause, regardless of how ridiculous the college numbers may be.

But Atlanta had done its homework.

Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski later explained that the organization watched plenty of Strand’s film, spent time with him during the pre-draft process and brought him in for a visit. Stefanski specifically praised Strand’s intelligence and size while acknowledging the obvious adjustment awaiting any rookie quarterback.

Shortly after the Draft ended, Atlanta signed him as an undrafted free agent.

And physically, you can understand the intrigue.

Strand is listed by the Falcons at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds. He’s got legitimate NFL size and above-average arm strength. The Falcons themselves described him entering camp as an intriguing developmental quarterback with raw physical tools.

Suddenly the Division II kid had his foot in the door. That’s all you can ask for. Then things got weird.

Somehow, Jack Strand Became QB1

Think about how surreal this had to be.

You’re an undrafted rookie quarterback from Minnesota State Moorhead. You’ve never taken an NFL snap. You’re entering your first professional training camp surrounded by guys who played at Alabama, Washington, Texas, Georgia and just about every other major program in the country.

Then the night before your first training camp practice, your phone rings. It’s Falcons quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt. You’re taking the first-team reps tomorrow.

Wait…what?

That’s essentially what happened.

Penix still wasn’t medically cleared for 11-on-11 work as he continued recovering from his ACL injury. Tagovailoa was dealing with back tightness. Veteran Trevor Siemian had been released following an injury setback, and Cooper Rush had only just been signed.

For a brief moment, Jack Strand was basically the last quarterback standing. So, Atlanta handed him the offense.

According to the Falcons, Strand handled the vast majority of the team’s full-squad quarterback reps at the beginning of camp. Asked about suddenly finding himself in that position, Strand’s response was essentially what you’d hope to hear from an undrafted rookie: don’t overthink it, attack each day and keep getting better.

That’s awesome.

Imagine telling Jack Strand when he arrived at Minnesota State Moorhead in 2022 that four years later he’d be standing in an NFL huddle calling plays for the Atlanta Falcons’ first-team offense.

Football is weird. That’s why we love it.

The Competition Has Changed. The Football Hasn’t.

Obviously, there is an enormous difference between Division II football and the NFL. Strand isn’t throwing against Northern Sun defenses anymore. NFL windows close faster. Defensive linemen get home faster. Safeties disguise coverages better. Corners recover from mistakes that would have resulted in touchdowns at the college level.

Every weakness gets magnified.

That’s why I’m not going to sit here and declare Jack Strand Atlanta’s quarterback of the future because he had a good college career and earned some first-team training camp reps.

That’s not the point. The interesting question is whether the things that made Strand special at Moorhead can translate. The arm is there. The size is definitely there. The production is undeniable.

And perhaps most importantly for a developmental quarterback, there appears to be something between the ears, too. You don’t carry a 3.87 GPA in Engineering Physics while simultaneously becoming one of the most productive quarterbacks in Division II history without knowing how to process a lot of information.

That’s a pretty useful skill for an NFL quarterback.

And Strand has continued giving Atlanta reasons to keep watching. He’s now battling veteran Cooper Rush for the No. 3 quarterback role, with preseason action providing his biggest opportunity yet to prove he belongs.

What Does Jack Strand Have to Lose?

That’s what makes Strand one of the players I’m most interested in watching this preseason. There really isn’t much pressure here.

Nobody drafted him to become the franchise quarterback. Atlanta didn’t invest a first-round pick in him. Nobody expects him to beat out Penix or Tagovailoa for the starting job.

He’s playing with house money. Make the roster? Incredible. Land on the practice squad? You’re still an NFL quarterback receiving professional coaching every day.

Play well enough in the preseason that another team takes notice? That’s another door.

For Strand, every rep matters because every rep represents another opportunity that wasn’t guaranteed to exist a few months ago.

We’ve seen quarterbacks take strange roads into the NFL before. Kurt Warner went from stocking grocery-store shelves to the Arena Football League and NFL Europe before becoming a Hall of Famer. Tony Romo went undrafted out of Eastern Illinois. Jake Delhomme went undrafted, bounced through NFL Europe and eventually started a Super Bowl.

I’m not saying Jack Strand is the next Kurt Warner or Tony Romo.

I’m saying NFL history gives us plenty of reasons not to assume a quarterback’s story has already been written simply because he didn’t play at a powerhouse program or hear his name called on Draft weekend. I mentioned Warner and Romo, but what about Brett Favre or Brock Purdy being selected 256th?

Sometimes the opportunity is all that matters.

Atlanta May Have Found Something

Maybe Strand’s ceiling is a long career as a backup quarterback. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Backup quarterbacks who understand offenses, prepare well and can step onto the field when needed have made very good careers for themselves in the NFL. Maybe Atlanta develops him on the practice squad for a year or two and sees where it goes. Maybe he surprises everybody.

Or maybe, when the roster gets trimmed down, his time in Atlanta comes to an end and another team decides those 13,161 yards, 126 touchdowns, NFL frame and strong arm are worth another look.

I have no idea. That’s what makes the story fun.

A few years ago, Jack Strand was playing Division II football in Moorhead, Minnesota. He wasn’t a blue-chip recruit. He wasn’t playing on national television every Saturday. He wasn’t appearing in mock drafts years before becoming eligible.

He just kept throwing touchdowns. Then he kept throwing more of them. Eventually, the Atlanta Falcons noticed.

Now the same quarterback who once had to prove he belonged at Minnesota State Moorhead has spent part of his first NFL training camp standing in a huddle with Atlanta’s first-team offense.

The odds are still stacked against him. That’s the reality of being an undrafted quarterback in the NFL.

But Jack Strand has already spent his entire football career beating expectations. Why stop now?

Keep an eye on No. 18 this preseason. The Atlanta Falcons may have themselves a hidden gem.