Carson Brown Strong (born September 14, 1999) is a former American football quarterback. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022, and was also a member of the Arizona Cardinals and Michigan Panthers. He played college football at Nevada.

Carson Strong
refer to caption
Strong in 2021
No. 12
Position:Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (1999-09-14) September 14, 1999 (age 25)
Vacaville, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:226 lb (103 kg)
Career information
High school:Will C. Wood (Vacaville)
College:Nevada (2018–2021)
Undrafted:2022
Career history
As a player:
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
  • MW Offensive Player of the Year (2020, 2021)
  • 2× First-team All-MW (2020, 2021)
Career USFL statistics
TDINT:1–2
Passing yards:266
Completion percentage:63.3
Passer rating:67.2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early years

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Strong was born on September 14, 1999, in Vacaville, California.[1] He later attended Will C. Wood High School, where he passed for 2,732 yards and 26 touchdowns as a junior. He did not play his senior season due to a knee injury.[2] In June 2017, Strong announced his commitment to play college football at the University of Nevada, Reno.[3] Nevada was Strong's only FBS offer despite being a three-star recruit.[4]

College career

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Strong made his debut at Nevada against Portland State in August 2018, where he rushed for 4 yards in the 72–19 win. He redshirted his first year at Nevada. Strong was named the starting quarterback for the 2019 season.[5][6] In 10 starts, he completed 237 of 374 passes for 2,335 yards with 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions.[7]

He returned as a starter in 2020.[8] Despite a shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Strong and the Wolf Pack finished with a 7–2 record and won against Tulane in the 2020 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. Strong started 9 games that season, completing 249 of 355 passes for 2,858 yards, 27 touchdowns and 4 interceptions, winning the Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year award.

In 2021, Strong led the Wolf Pack to an 8–4 record in his best season at Nevada. Strong completed 366 of 522 passes for 4,175 passing yards, 36 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, winning the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year award again and becoming the fifth player in conference history to win the award in back-to-back years.[9] On December 14, 2021, Strong announced his intention to opt-out of the 2021 Quick Lane Bowl and to declare for the 2022 NFL draft.[10]

College statistics

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Season Games Passing Rushing
GP GS Record Cmp Att Pct Yds TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg TD
2018 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 1 4 4.0 0
2019 10 9 5–4 237 374 63.4 2,335 11 7 121.8 54 6 0.9 0
2020 9 9 7–2 249 355 70.1 2,858 27 4 160.6 33 95 2.9 0
2021 12 12 8–4 367 524 70.0 4,186 36 8 156.8 51 208 4.1 0
Career 32 30 20–10 853 1,253 68.1 9,379 74 19 147.5 139 305 2.2 0

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span Wonderlic
6 ft 3+38 in
(1.91 m)
226 lb
(103 kg)
32 in
(0.81 m)
9+18 in
(0.23 m)
22[11]
All values from NFL Combine[12][13][14]

Philadelphia Eagles

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On April 30, 2022, Strong signed an undrafted free-agent deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.[15] It included a $20,000 signing bonus and $300,000 base guarantee.[16] He was released on August 30.[17]

Arizona Cardinals

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On December 13, 2022, Strong was signed to the practice squad of the Arizona Cardinals.[18] He was released one week later.[19]

Michigan Panthers

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On March 19, 2023, Strong signed with the Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League (USFL).[20] He was placed on injured reserve on May 16, 2023.[21] He was not part of the roster after the 2024 UFL dispersal draft on January 15, 2024,[22] and was waived on January 29.[23] Two days later, Strong announced his retirement from playing, citing recurrent knee issues.[24]

USFL statistics

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Year Team Games Passing
GP GS Cmp Att Pct Yds Y/A TD Int Rtg
2023 MICH 4 0 31 49 63.3 266 5.4 1 2 67.2

Coaching career

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On July 21, 2023, Strong joined Colorado State University's coaching staff under Jay Norvell as a volunteer assistant.[25]

A week after starting at Colorado State, Strong joined his alma mater Nevada's coaching staff as an assistant coach.[26]

References

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  1. ^ Matt Mumme [@CoachMattMumme] (September 14, 2020). "Happy Birthday from the Wolf Pack family" (Tweet). Retrieved May 28, 2023 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ Murray, Chris (April 24, 2018). "Carson Strong shows up early in effort to be Wolf Pack's quarterback of the future". Reno Gazette Journal. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  3. ^ Murray, Chris (June 6, 2017). "Pack lands commitment from three-star QB Carson Strong". Reno Gazette Journal. Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  4. ^ Hummer, Chris (September 16, 2021). "From one offer to NFL Draft's QB1? Nevada's Carson Strong is here to dominate". 247sports.com. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  5. ^ Ritenhouse, Duke (August 29, 2019). "Three years removed from a meaningful pass, Carson Strong ready to lead Pack offense". Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  6. ^ Sieger, Matt (August 29, 2019). "Will C. Wood grad Carson Strong ready for football season to begin at Nevada". The Reporter. Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  7. ^ Santoro, Joe (January 7, 2020). "Joe Santoro: Nevada Wolf Pack's Carson Strong has just scratched the surface". www.nevadaappeal.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  8. ^ Santoro, Joe (October 28, 2020). "Nevada Wolf Pack's Carson Strong: 'Teams should be pretty scared, actually'". www.nevadaappeal.com. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  9. ^ "MW Announces 2021 Football All-Conference Teams and Individual Honors". Mountain West Conference. November 30, 2021. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  10. ^ Schlabach, Mark (December 14, 2021). "Nevada Wolf Pack quarterback Carson Strong will skip Quick Lane Bowl to prepare for NFL draft". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  11. ^ Koons, Zach (April 25, 2022). "Wonderlic Scores for Seven of This Year's Top NFL QB Prospects Are Out". si.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  12. ^ "Carson Strong Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  13. ^ Brugler, Dane. "NFL Combine: Official measurements for every NFL Draft prospect in Indianapolis". theathletic.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  14. ^ "Carson Strong, Nevada, QB, 2022 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Archived from the original on March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  15. ^ Kempski, Jimmy (May 1, 2022). "Analyzing the Eagles' reported 2022 undrafted free agent class". PhillyVoice. Archived from the original on May 6, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  16. ^ "Romeo Doubs, Cole Turner both drafted; Carson Strong signs with Eagles". Nevada Sports Net. April 30, 2022. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  17. ^ Easterling, Luke (August 29, 2022). "Eagles to waive rookie QB Carson Strong". The Draft Wire. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  18. ^ Urban, Darren (December 14, 2022). "Kyler Murray, Rondale Moore Go To IR, Cardinals Sign QB David Blough". AZCardinals.com. Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  19. ^ Rice, Wills (December 20, 2022). "Cardinals sign QB James Morgan to practice squad, release Carson Strong". Arizona Sports. Archived from the original on December 23, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  20. ^ @USFLPanthers (March 19, 2023). "Welcome to the Panthers, @CarsonStrong_‼️" (Tweet). Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via Twitter.
  21. ^ @USFLPanthers (May 16, 2023). "Transferred Player to Injured Reserve List" (Tweet). Retrieved May 17, 2023 – via Twitter.
  22. ^ "2024 UFL Team Rosters". TheUFL.com. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  23. ^ @UFL_PR (January 29, 2024). "The United Football League has announced the following transactions" (Tweet). Retrieved January 29, 2024 – via Twitter.
  24. ^ "Member of 2022 NFL quarterback class surprisingly announces retirement at age 24".
  25. ^ "Ex-Nevada star QB Carson Strong joins Jay Norvell's coaching staff at Colorado State". nevadasportsnet.com. July 21, 2023. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  26. ^ Murray, Chris (September 12, 2023). "Back at alma mater, Nevada's Carson Strong ready to tackle new challenge in coaching ranks". Nevada Sports Net. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
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