Notre Dame safety Jalen Stroman is officially headed to Mobile. The 6-foot-1, 201-pound senior has accepted an invitation to the 2026 Senior Bowl, joining Fighting Irish wide receiver Malachi Fields as part of a strong Notre Dame presence at one of the NFL Draft’s premier scouting events. The game is set for January 31.
For Stroman, it’s another key opportunity to showcase his skill set in front of NFL scouts, coaches, and executives. Earlier in the process, he had accepted an invite to the American Bowl in Orlando, but the Senior Bowl - with its long-standing reputation as a proving ground for draft hopefuls - offers a bigger spotlight.
Stroman’s path to this moment hasn’t been linear, but it’s been marked by persistence and production. After transferring from Virginia Tech, where he played in 48 games over four seasons and racked up 148 tackles, a sack, six pass breakups, and a pick-six, Stroman made the most of his lone season in South Bend.
He appeared in all 12 games for the Irish, tallying 37 tackles (three for loss), two pass deflections, and a sack. But it was his performance on Senior Day against Syracuse that really turned heads. Stepping into a larger role due to an injury in the secondary, Stroman delivered a statement performance: he blocked a punt and helped break up a pick-six - all in the first quarter - while flying around the field with the kind of energy and physicality that defensive coordinators love.
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman couldn’t hide his pride after that 70-7 rout of Syracuse. “He is a really, really good football player, which he showed tonight,” Freeman said.
“He just works. He didn’t complain.
He just works. And I told him before the game that it’s crazy - the future is uncertain.
We didn’t know Tae Tae was going to be out, and I said, ‘Here you go, Stro. This is why you work.’”
That mentality - staying ready, staying locked in, and capitalizing when the moment arrives - is exactly what Stroman will need to carry into Senior Bowl week. The practices in Mobile are often more important than the game itself, giving players a chance to prove they can compete against elite talent and adapt quickly to NFL-style coaching.
For Stroman, who’s shown flashes of playmaking ability throughout his career and capped his final college season with a strong finish, the Senior Bowl is the next step in a journey that’s already shown resilience and resolve. Now, he’ll get the chance to show NFL evaluators that he’s not just a depth piece - he’s a difference-maker.