Nash Jensen (born May 7, 1999) 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 ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

for the

Memphis Showboats The Memphis Showboats were an American football franchise in the United States Football League. They entered the league in its expansion in 1984 and made the 1985 playoffs, losing in the semifinal round to the Oakland Invaders. Perhaps the ...

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 ...

for the

North Dakota State Bison The North Dakota State Bison are the athletic teams of North Dakota State University (NDSU), which is located in the city of Fargo, North Dakota. The teams are often called the "Thundering Herd". The current logo is a bison. Sports sponsored ...

, setting what is believed to be the

National Collegiate Athletic Association 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. ...

(NCAA) record for games played with 70.

Early life

Jensen was born on May 7, 1999, and grew up in

Maple Grove, Minnesota Maple Grove is a suburban city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 70,253 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. making it Minnesota's 11th most populous city. Maple Grove serves as a retail, cultural and me ...

. He attended

Osseo Senior High School Osseo Senior High School is a four-year public high school located in Osseo, Minnesota, Osseo, Minnesota, United States on 317 2nd Ave. NW. The principal is Sara Vernig. Osseo Senior High School is a part of the Osseo Area School District 279 an ...

and was a versatile athlete, playing both

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

and football and seeing time at

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...

, guard, fullback,

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

and

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 ...

in the latter. He was rated a two-star recruit and committed to play

for the

over several other offers.

College career

As a true

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational in ...

at North Dakota State in 2017, Jensen

redshirted 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, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

as the Bison won the FCS national championship. He appeared in 15 games as a backup offensive lineman in 2018 as North Dakota State won another national championship. He moved into a starting role in the 2019 season, starting all 16 games at

left guard In American football, a guard (G), otherwise known as an offensive guard (OG), is an offensive line player who lines up between the center and the tackles. Like other offensive line positions, guards are used primarily for blocking. Right ...

while helping the team win another national championship and set a school record with 4,601 rushing yards; HERO Sports named him a

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of Post-secondary school, post-secondary educatio ...

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 ...

selection. The following year, Jensen started 10 games at left guard. In 2021, Jensen won his fourth national championship with the Bison while starting all 15 games, helping them have the second-best rushing offense in the FCS. He opted to return for the 2022 season after all

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. ...

athletes were given an extra year of eligibility due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. He was named a first-team all-conference choice and a first-team FCS All-American after the season, in which he set what is thought to be the NCAA's all-time record for games played with 70.

Professional career

Carolina Panthers

Jensen was selected in the sixth round (41st overall) of the 2023 USFL draft by the Pittsburgh Maulers. He was not chosen in the

2023 NFL draft The 2023 NFL draft was the 88th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2023 NFL season, 2023 season. The NFL draft, draft was held outside of Kansas City Union Station, Union Station i ...

, but afterwards signed with the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

. On August 29, 2023, the Panthers announced that Jensen had made the initial 53-man roster. On August 15, 2024, Jensen was waived/injured by the Panthers.

Memphis Showboats

On January 6, 2025, Jensen signed with the

of the United Football League (UFL).

References

External links

North Dakota State Bison bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jensen, Nash 1999 births Living people American football offensive guards Players of American football from Hennepin County, Minnesota People from Maple Grove, Minnesota Osseo Senior High School alumni North Dakota State Bison football players Carolina Panthers players Memphis Showboats (2022) players