On the Plains with Jacob Strand: ‘Leave it all out there’

In high school, Jacob Strand wasn’t sure that playing college football would be an option for him.

Now, the senior transfer is looking to make his mark along Auburn’s offensive line this fall.

The native of Canby, Oregon, credits his high school football coach for helping him earn the first opportunity Strand needed to play at the next level.

“I didn't think that I was going to be able to play in college at all,” Strand said. “I thought that it was out of my league. Then my head coach, Jimmy Joyce, knew a guy at Air Force and they asked me to send in some measurements. I ended up getting a call from the Air Force coach and they gave me my first offer, which was crazy in my mind. I just didn’t think that was a possibility.

“From there, a bunch of West Coast schools started hitting me up,” Strand added. “I ended up getting an offer from Oregon State and that was just a whole different level in my mind.”

Strand signed with Oregon State out of high school and played four seasons with the Beavers, where he played in 18 games with eight starts along the offensive line.

After entering the transfer portal this offseason, Strand found that his journey to Auburn would be just as demanding in the classroom as it would be on the field. He had to complete 46 credit hours of classes to graduate from Oregon State and be eligible for the Tigers this fall.

“In order to come here, I either had to graduate from Oregon State or I had to get to an 80 percent graduation level here,” Strand said. “At first, I didn’t think I was going to be able to do it with so many classes and making sure I passed all of them. But the academic staffs helped me with plans to be able to complete everything I needed.”

The coursework was demanding, but Strand knew the opportunity awaiting him at Auburn and the Southeastern Conference made it worthwhile.

“Ever since I was little, I always watched the big SEC games,” Strand said. “I always wanted the opportunity to play either in the South or in the SEC just to feel the culture of it. And in the portal, I was getting interest from schools across the United States. Then Auburn hit me up and I was like, dang, that's a cool one to hear about.

“After those conversations, I knew this is where I wanted to be my whole life, in the SEC playing for Auburn. It was crazy when it happened. Then the coaches, of course, I love the coaches. I wanted to be taught by someone who knows what's going on and who can get me potentially to the next level.”

For Strand, experiencing the culture of the Auburn Family has been one of the highlights of his time here so far.

“Everyone is so involved,” he said. “The people that you walk by on the street, they know that you play football for Auburn and it's a cool thing to play football. At Oregon State, it was different in the sense of how it was treated. Here, there's so much culture and tradition behind it. It's the talk of the town.” 

Strand is one of many new faces joining the Tigers this fall and he has quickly formed relationships with his counterparts along the offensive line.

“It's just a group of good dudes, people that I would trust my kids around when I have kids,” Strand said. “We have a bunch of hard-working dudes that are going to push me to be the best me every single day and we’re going to push each other. It’s an awesome group of people to be around.”

Strand has yet to make a trip to an SEC stadium in his collegiate career and is eager to experience the raucous conference environments this season.

“I love a big crowd, nothing beats that adrenaline rush you get when you’re running out there,” he said. “Obviously it makes it harder to communicate with your voice but everyone knows what's going on. We’re all going to be on the same page out there.”

As he sets his sights on the season ahead, Strand is looking to make the most of his opportunity at Auburn.

“I want to leave it all out there,” he said. “If this is my last opportunity, I don't want to look back and feel any regrets, so just giving the best I can give every day. Whatever happens after that happens. Whether that be making the playoffs or winning the Iron Bowl.”