Bernhardt signs with Falcons
Former Terps lacrosse star became Ferris State QB, won Division II title
Former Maryland men’s lacrosse star Jared Bernhardt has reportedly signed with the Atlanta Falcons.
Bernhardt, who’s expected to play wide receiver and returner, went undrafted after helping lead Ferris State to an NCAA Division II national title last season. He was a star option quarterback in high school but turned down Division I scholarship offers in football to play lacrosse at Maryland.
Bernhardt left the program last year as the Terps’ all-time leader in career points and goals. He was twice a finalist for the Tewaaraton Award, given to the sport’s best player, and won the 2021 award after leading the nation in goals (71) and points (99). Maryland won the national championship in 2017, when Bernhardt started as a freshman, made it to the national semifinals in 2018 and advanced to the final last year.
Bernhardt used his extra year of NCAA eligibility at Ferris State, where he’d initially committed to play football in 2020 before returning to College Park amid the coronavirus pandemic. As a graduate transfer quarterback for the Bulldogs, he passed for 1,322 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions and rushed for 1,421 yards and 26 touchdowns. Ferris State went 14-0 and defeated Valdosta State, 58-17, in the national championship.