‘A pretty big mountain’: Jacobs grad Loren Strickland makes Detroit Lions’ roster as undrafted free agent

Loren Strickland had never stepped foot in an NFL stadium until his first preseason game with the Detroit Lions on Aug. 8 at the New York Giants’ MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Strickland, a 2018 Jacobs High School graduate who was signed by the Lions after the 2024 NFL Draft as an undrafted free agent, has come a long way.

The 5-foot-10, 202-pound safety who walked on at Ball State took full advantage of his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with the Lions. On Aug. 27 he learned he had earned a spot on the team’s 53-man roster – impressing the organization and coaches with his hustle, athleticism and versatility.

[ Read more: Jacobs’ grad Loren Strickland agrees to deal with Detroit Lions as undrafted free agent ]

Jacobs head coach Brian Zimmerman, who was Strickland’s position coach when he was in high school, believes Strickland – who got the nickname “Hit Stick” for the way he hit ball carriers and wide receivers in high school – is the first player from the school to get a shot at competing for an NFL roster spot.

Strickland began his college career at NCAA Division II Indianapolis, where he earned his finance degree before transferring to Ball State with two years of eligibility remaining because of the pandemic, yet he never wavered in his belief at one day being in the NFL.

At Ball State, he played one season as a walk-on and special teams contributor – earning a scholarship for his senior year. The next season, Strickland finished his master’s degree in communication and information sciences while starting five games in the defensive backfield.

At NFL pro days, he set himself apart and caught the attention of teams, including the Lions, Bears, Indianapolis, Miami and New Orleans.

Strickland, after earning a roster spot with a standout training camp and preseason, now gets the chance to live out his dream as the Lions open the 2024 season hosting the Los Angeles Rams at 7:20 p.m. Sunday. Strickland did not practice Thursday because of a thumb injury, and it’s uncertain if he will be active.

Strickland caught up with Northwest Herald sports editor Alex Kantecki about his journey to Detroit, how he got the news of making the roster and what it means to be the first player from Jacobs to reach the NFL.

When did you find out you made the roster?

Strickland: I was out to dinner with my girlfriend and her father, and I got a phone call from [Detroit Lions general manager] Brad Holmes, just to give me the good news and tell me that I made it. He said he was happy and proud of the way I worked and my commitment and everything. He said I showed enough, and he was happy to have me.

“It’s something I looked forward to my entire life, something I wanted more than anything. It’s something that never left my mind. I never lost faith. I never had a doubt I was capable of doing it.”

—  Loren Strickland, Jacobs graduate on making Detroit Lions' roster

What was your family’s and friends’ reaction?

Strickland: Everyone’s ecstatic. I’ve had messages from so many people, phone calls from so many people. Everyone’s just so happy. And a lot of them still say this is just the beginning. Now we have more aspirations, we got to keep going. But it’s a huge milestone for me. When I told them the news, a lot of the reactions were, ‘I knew it. I knew you would do it.’ It just goes to show the faith and support I had from everyone around me. They always saw it. They always had faith in me.

What did you do to show the Lions you belonged?

Strickland: I left it all out there and I played well throughout the preseason. I did everything that I could. I went in with a plan and a process, and I felt really good just in terms of how things went. You never know, it’s just so tough. Everyone says, leave it all out there, so you have no regrets, leave no doubt and all that. I thought I did that. In my head, I was content with however things would go. I was confident I did enough to show my value to the Lions or any organization that I can play in this league. It just was natural, the things I was doing. My athleticism was out there from start to finish. My hustle, my effort, everything within my control was there. I made plays everywhere.

Was it a big relief to find out you made the roster?

Strickland: It’s been a been a long journey, but I think I’ve grown a lot in the last year just in terms of going through my whole process. I’m able to stay a lot more calm with things like this. I don’t really get too many nerves, I don’t worry too much and I leave it all in God’s hands. I trust for whatever happened to be the right thing.

What was training camp like with the Lions?

Strickland: It was awesome. It was one of those things where I just wanted to be present every day, physically, mentally and spiritually, and just soak it all. It’s all about learning and just trying to improve each and every day. The thing I always try to remember is just to stay where my feet are. Be there every day, be in every meeting and be present. Being around a lot of these guys on the Lions is special. To see how these guys work, how they attack it, how they come in each and every day. I just wanted to be a sponge to it all. You don’t always get the best reps as an undrafted guy, but my plan was just to take advantage of the ones I did get.

What was it like playing in the preseason?

Strickland: The preseason games were amazing. The atmosphere in Detroit was insane. It was almost surreal, getting to be able to put the uniform on and play in a preseason game because at the end of the day, my dream was to be in the NFL. It’s something I’ll never forget. I had a great play on a punt against the Giants [a tackle] in the first game. And then going to Kansas City was awesome. Coming out of that tunnel and seeing their fans, and the Chiefs as the returning champs. More than anything, the best highlight was playing in Detroit in front of these fans – the way we did our whole pregame and the way the fans showed up for us. It was amazing. It shocked me, but it was beautiful to see and it was awesome to play. Just for it to be a preseason game, it makes you think: What can it be like for a real game?

You were under-recruited out of high school. What’s the journey been like to get to this point?

Strickland: I ended up going to a D-II school because it was the only one I had a scholarship. I went there because it was free. I couldn’t pay for school. I played my 3½ years there, and then with COVID and redshirting, I still had two years left. I decided to enter the transfer portal because the NFL was still on my mind, and it was going to be tough for me to make it out of Indy. I figured if I can go D-I, I’ll have a lot more exposure and a lot more national spotlight. Even then I still had to walk on at Ball State my first year, and that was rough. I took out student loans. I even paid my rent on my credit card two or three times. Money was tight, but it was something that I did, and I sacrificed because it was always about making it to the NFL. My brother told me all the time, it’s all going to be worth it.

What does this opportunity mean to you?

Strickland: It means everything. This is everything that I’ve ever wanted in my life as far as I can remember. I grew up in a very athletic family. My brothers, all of them played. My older brother [John] played college ball at Indy. He wanted to do it, but fell short. My dad and my uncles were very athletic human beings, and they really could have, but it just didn’t happen. My entire life growing up, this is what I wanted to do. And I grew up with some hardships. There were times I was staying in and out of motels with my parents, or they were in and out of prison and stuff like that. Life wasn’t always easy. And my grandmother [Geraldine Richmond] took care of me for a long time, too. I always looked at the NFL as like a way out, as a way to help a lot of the people around me. It’s something I looked forward to my entire life, something I wanted more than anything. It’s something that never left my mind. I never lost faith. I never had a doubt I was capable of doing it.

Even my time at Ball State, I was undersized, I was at first only a special teams guy. I was never a name on anybody’s list or in the press or any articles. I wasn’t somebody being talked about whenever scouts came to the building. Being at a Group of Five school like Ball State, the guys that get signed out of those schools are usually All-Americans. So it’s just one of those things, being a role player, a special teams guy at a school like that. I’m undersized already, too, so it’s looking at a pretty big mountain.

Did you grow up a Bears fan?

Strickland: Yeah, which is ironic. I grew up a Bears fan and been a Bears fan my whole life. Rooted heavily for the Bears even through all the ups and downs. Crazy thing is I had never been to an NFL game before I played against the Giants [in preseason]. That was my first-ever NFL game. Playing in college football I could never go to an NFL game because I was always busy or out of town or not in Chicago. But I always wanted my first NFL game to be at Soldier Field.

What’s the season outlook for the Lions?

Strickland: It’s going to be a great year. I couldn’t be in a better place than I am right now. I’m very excited for this season and the things we’re going to accomplish as a team. Everyone knows the goals, Detroit’s starting to get talked about everywhere – everyone’s talking Super Bowl. And I think that’s the goal. That’s why we come to work every day. That’s what we’re working toward. Obviously, it’s a long road, but that’s the outlook I’m looking forward to.

You’re the first player from Jacobs to make an NFL roster. What does that mean to you?

Strickland: It means a lot. It’s awesome. I’ve had all the things going against me growing up to get here, and I never really let that stuff define me. I just kept on pushing through – just find ways to make it, find ways to keep going. It’s no secret of how it’s done. It’s really just all the simple stuff everyone talks about. Hard work, perseverance, discipline and being consistent. No one’s ever done it from [Jacobs], from where I came from, and for me to do that, it’s awesome. It’s an amazing honor. It’s something that no one can ever take from me. It’s forever stamped in Jacobs history now. It’s also huge for the kids that go there. It’s something they can use and look up to as motivation. Hopefully, I’m just the start of it and it pushes other kids to go after it. It’s there for those who work for it and earn it.