A two-time national champion between Maryland and Ferris State, and being second all-time in points and goals for Maryland lacrosse, former Bulldog Jared Bernhardt has had quite the career.
Beginning at Lake Brantley High School in Altamonte Springs, Florida, Bernhardt was the starting varsity quarterback, racking up over 4,000 all-purpose yards and 30 touchdowns. He was also an All-American midfielder in lacrosse, where he scored 434 career points on 236 goals and 198 assists.
Being the third-ranked recruit in his class of 2017 in lacrosse, Bernhardt committed to Maryland and made a huge impact in his freshman year, helping lead the Terrapins to a 2017 national championship.
Bernhardt spoke about his decision to go to Maryland and what it was like during his time there.
“I think my decision came down to the program itself,” Bernhardt said. “The history of Maryland lacrosse speaks for itself, but my brothers went to Maryland as well and that was a huge factor, but I was familiar with the program, and I think the people there just kind of sold it to me.”
In his final season at Maryland, Bernhardt had the greatest offensive season the Terrapins had ever seen and took home the 2021 Tewaaraton Award, which is given annually to the top male and female lacrosse players across the country.
Bernhardt had 99 points, 71 goals and 28 assists, securing his spot atop Maryland’s career points and goals at the time of his final season.
Bernhardt was not done yet. With his time as a Terrapin being up, he decided to take advantage of the NCAA’s “Five to play four” rule. This rule allows athletes one year of eligibility in another sport after they have exhausted eligibility in their primary sport, so Bernhardt took his talents to Ferris State.
Not wanting to be a part of the real world yet, Bernhardt decided to send emails across the country to schools of all levels, and Ferris was one of the schools that reached out to him.
“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after school, and I wanted to maybe prolong my real world experience, and playing football sounded pretty good to me,” Bernhardt said. “I was sending out emails and seeing if anyone would give me a chance, and Ferris ended up being one of those programs.”
That decision ended up being a great one for Bernhardt. During the 2021 season, he threw for 1,322 yards and 11 touchdowns, while adding 1,421 yards and 26 touchdowns on the ground en route to the first national championship in the program’s history over Valdosta State.
Former Bulldog quarterback Mylik Mitchell spoke about Bernhardt as a teammate.
“I always looked at it as a blessing to be around a guy who has taken his path in multiple directions and been successful in those transitions,” Mitchell said. “Jared always was a more reserved person who did his talking on Saturday, and so being able to pick things from his play style and way of thinking were big for me while at Ferris.”
With his college eligibility all used up, Bernhardt was able to participate in Maryland’s pro day, but he went undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft. Shortly after the draft concluded, he was signed as an undrafted free agent with the Atlanta Falcons and made the team’s initial 53-man roster out of training camp.
In October, he was placed on injured reserve with a groin injury and eventually announced his retirement from the NFL in May of 2023.
Shortly after his retirement, he was hired to be the director of player development for Maryland lacrosse. In June of 2025, he signed with the Denver Outlaws of the Pro Lacrosse League, in which he was named PLL First Team-All Pro and helped the Outlaws make a run to the championship game, which they lost to the New York Atlas by a score of 14-13.
Associate athletic director Rob Bentley is incredibly proud of Bernhardt and his career.
“He was an unbelievable story,” Bentley said. “He was going to come here, then COVID-19 hit. Then he came here, and nobody knew what to expect, and then he stepped on the field, and in his first game, he had a couple of big touchdown runs. He was just an incredible player; he was swift and incredibly shifty. He did an outstanding job of orchestrating and leading the offense.”
Only a month after signing with the Outlaws, Bernhardt was hired to be the assistant head coach for the University of Florida women’s lacrosse team, which made it to the NCAA Semifinal against the University of North Carolina last season.