Jace Evan Sternberger (born June 26, 1996) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

for the Birmingham Stallions of the United Football League (UFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College,

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

, and

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

, where he was named a consensus

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

in 2018 with the latter. Sternberger was drafted by the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

in the third round of the

2019 NFL draft The 2019 NFL draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville. The first round was held ...

. He has also been a member of the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

Washington Football Team The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

, and

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

Early life

At Kingfisher High School in

Kingfisher, Oklahoma Kingfisher is a city in and the county seat of Kingfisher County, Oklahoma, Kingfisher County, Oklahoma,. The population was 4,903 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the former home and namesake of Kingfisher College ...

, Sternberger played various positions in

, both offensive and defensive. He initially played

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

. After a shoulder injury during his sophomore season, his coaches moved him to

. In basketball, Sternberger played

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers and are typi ...

. His experience in basketball put him in a better position to excel at tight end in football. As a junior, he was part of the state championship team that compiled a 14–0 record. As a senior in 2014, he made 42 receptions for 390 yards and eight

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

. Sternberger received scholarship offers from various colleges, including Texas State, Kansas, New Mexico, and Sam Houston State. He chose to enroll at

as part of then-head coach David Beaty's first recruiting class.

College career

During the 2015 season at

, Sternberger took a

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Sports * Redshirt (college sports) Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically ...

. In 2016, as a redshirt freshman, Sternberger recorded only one reception for 5 yards over 10 games. He was second on the depth chart behind Ben Johnson, who recorded 10 receptions for 112 yards and one touchdown that season. Kansas' offensive scheme did not provide enough opportunities for Sternberger to showcase his skills. During the 2016 season, Kansas tight ends only amassed 11 receptions. Due to the limited need of tight ends at Kansas and around the country, Sternberger transferred to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. During the 2017 season at the junior college, he had 21 receptions for 336 yards and six touchdowns. Due to his junior college performance, Sternberger was recruited by several programs, including

Boise State Boise State University (BSU) is a public research university in Boise, Idaho, United States. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has been awarding baccalaureate and master's degrees It ...

and

Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

. He was ranked as the 53rd-best junior college player by Rivals.com. During his recruitment, then-Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher accepted the same position at

. Sternberger chose to commit to Texas A&M due to Fisher's tight end-heavy offense, wide receivers coach Dameyune Craig's recruiting, and the opportunity to play in the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

(SEC). During the 2018 season, Sternberger received midseason

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors from

CBS Sports CBS Sports is the American sports programming division of Paramount Global that is responsible for sports broadcasts carried by its broadcast network CBS and streaming service Paramount+, as well as the operator of its cable channel CBS Sports N ...

, the

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(AP), ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

'' (SI),

Athlon Sports Parade Media (previously known as AMG/Parade and Athlon Media Group) is a publisher founded in 1967 that is based in Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville's Spencer Hays was its majority stockholder. It was purchased by The Arena Group in 2022 and no ...

, and

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. He was named one of eight semi-finalists for the John Mackey Award, given to the nation's top collegiate tight end. He was not selected as a finalist for the award, even though he had more touchdowns, receiving yards, and yards per reception than each of the three finalists. Despite not being selected as a Mackey Award finalist, Sternberger received first-team all-SEC honors and first-team All-America honors from the AP, Athlon, CBS,

Football Writers Association of America The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) is an organization of college football media members in the United States founded in 1941. It is composed of approximately 1,200 professional sports writers from both print and Internet media out ...

(FWAA), ''

Sporting News ''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...

'' (SN), SI, and the

Walter Camp Football Foundation The Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF) is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit ...

(WCFF). He earned second-team All-American honors from ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

''. Since Sternberger was recognized by at least two of the five

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

-recognized All-America team selectors (AP, AFCA, FWAA, ''SN'', and the WCFF), he became a consensus All-American. Following his lone season at A&M, Sternberger decided to forgo his final year of eligibility and declare for the

. He finished his career at A&M with 48 receptions for 832 yards and 10 touchdowns. His 10 touchdowns match the school record for most touchdowns by a tight end, and his 832 receiving yards ranked second nationally among all tight ends for the 2018 season.

Statistics

Professional career

Green Bay Packers

Sternberger was drafted by the

in the third round (75th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft. On June 10, 2019, he signed his rookie contract. On September 3, 2019, Sternberger was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

to start the 2019 season. He was designated for return from injured reserve and began practicing on October 16, 2019. He was activated off injured reserve on November 2, 2019. He scored his first NFL touchdown in the

National Football Conference The National Football Conference (NFC) is a conference of the National Football League (NFL), the highest level of professional American football in the United States. The NFC and its counterpart, the American Football Conference (AFC), each h ...

Championship against the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

on an eight-yard reception from Aaron Rodgers in the 37–20 loss. The Packers placed Sternberger on the reserve/

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

list on July 30, 2020. He was activated on August 17, 2020. Sternberger was suspended two games on June 10, 2021, after violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy. He was waived after returning from suspension on September 21, 2021.

Seattle Seahawks

Sternberger signed with the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

of the

on September 23, 2021.

Washington Football Team

Sternberger signed with the

on October 6, 2021. He was waived on November 2, 2021.

Pittsburgh Steelers

On November 23, 2021, Sternberger was signed to the

practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Steelers on January 18, 2022. He was waived on August 30, 2022. On November 11, 2022, the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

hosted Sternberger for a workout.

Birmingham Stallions (first stint)

On January 26, 2023, Sternberger signed with the Birmingham Stallions of the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

(USFL). He was released from his contract on July 24, 2023, to sign with an NFL team.

Buffalo Bills

On July 25, 2023, Sternberger signed with the

. He was released on August 27, 2023.

Birmingham Stallions (second stint)

On November 20, 2023, Sternberger re-signed with the Stallions. He was named to the 2024 All-UFL team on June 5, 2024.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

USFL/UFL statistics

Regular season

Postseason

Personal life

Sternberger's parents, Jason and Jackie, were college athletes. Jackie was a basketball standout at

Southwestern Oklahoma State University Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) is a public university in Weatherford and Sayre, Oklahoma. It is one of six Regional University System of Oklahoma members. History SWOSU was first established through an act of the Oklahoma Te ...

where she was a two time All-American. Sternberger lived in Clinton, Oklahoma for a good part of his youth where he met his good friend who he considers a brother. He has a tattoo of him on his left arm in honor of a childhood friend, Alfonso Reynaga, who died at the age of 13 of brain cancer. In November 2021, Sternberger welcomed a son with longtime girlfriend and model, Tayla Janae.

References

External links

Texas A&M Aggies bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sternberger, Jace 1996 births Living people 21st-century American Jews Jewish American players of American football American football tight ends Texas A&M Aggies football players Players of American football from Oklahoma All-American college football players People from Kingfisher, Oklahoma Kansas Jayhawks football players Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Golden Norsemen football players Seattle Seahawks players Green Bay Packers players Washington Football Team players Pittsburgh Steelers players Birmingham Stallions (2022) players Buffalo Bills players Jews from Oklahoma