From lax bro to NFL pro.
NFL teams finalized their 53-man rosters Tuesday ahead of the Sept. 8 start of the 2022 regular season. The Falcons’ list had a surprise name on it: Jared Bernhardt.
The wide receiver out of Ferris State impressed during the preseason, highlighted by a game-winning touchdown reception against the Lions in the opener.
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He also only played one season of college football. You see, prior to his gridiron days, Bernhardt was a lacrosse star at Maryland.
Falcons WR Jared Bernhardt – who won the Tewaarton Award as the best lacrosse player in the country in 2021 – has made the team’s initial 53-man roster.
He started playing WR in May. One of the coolest stories in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/vZ4ww8AO5T
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) August 30, 2022
And when we say star . . .
. . . we mean star.
Bernhardt is one of the greatest players in college lacrosse history. He won the Tewaaraton Award, given to the nation’s best lacrosse player, in 2021, and he holds a host of Terps school records, including most goals (202) and most points (290).
But for all his exploits with a lacrosse stick, football was Bernhardt’s first love. He showed potential as a dual-threat quarterback in high school, enough to earn an offer from the Naval Academy.
Bernhardt ultimately spurned Annapolis for College Park. After playing a pivotal role for Maryland lacrosse’s 2017 national championship team, it appeared as if he had made the right choice.
Still, he always had his eyes on the gridiron.
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Bernhardt’s father, who played football at Hofstra, died in 2019. Fueled by his dad’s passion for the sport, Bernhardt announced his intention to pursue football after his lacrosse career ended.
Bernhardt transferred to Division II Ferris State and turned his one season there into a contract with the Falcons. He then turned his preseason with Atlanta into a spot on an NFL roster.
Ridder 🤝 Bernhardt
Stealing our hearts📺: @nflnetwork | @FOX5Atlanta
📲: Falcons App pic.twitter.com/pHriME3qKK— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) August 13, 2022
Bernhardt isn’t the first former lacrosse to strut his stuff on a different playing surface. Another past Tewaaraton winner, Pat Spencer of Loyola (Md.), is plying his trade in the G League. Hall of Famers Jim Thorpe and Jim Brown famously shined on the lacrosse field prior to their pro football careers.
The 24-year-old rookie figures to be someone to watch in 2022. Maybe we’ll see a lacrosse-related celebration if he reaches the end zone.
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