Nevada quarterback Carson Strong, who was named the Mountain West Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year in each of the last two seasons, is skipping the Wolf Pack’s bowl game to begin preparations for the 2022 NFL draft.
Strong, a junior from Vacaville, California, announced his intentions on his Twitter account on Tuesday. He is rated the No. 6 quarterback available for the draft by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.
In his Twitter post, Strong said that Nevada was the only FBS team that offered him a scholarship out of high school.
“It is my hope over the next few months that there’s at least one NFL team that believes in me the same way that Coach [Jay] Norvell, Coach [Matt] Mumme, and the entire Nevada coaching staff did back in 2018,” Strong wrote.
In 12 games this season, Strong completed 70% of his passes for 4,186 yards with 36 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
The Wolf Pack plays Western Michigan in the Dec. 27 Quick Lane Bowl (11 a.m. ET, ESPN and the ESPN App).
Norvell left the Wolf Pack on Dec. 6 to become Colorado State’s coach. Nevada hired Oregon co-defensive coordinator Ken Wilson as Norvell’s replacement. Running backs coach Vai Taua will serve as interim coach.