Former UAlbany Star Verse Named NFL AP Defensive Rookie of the Year
ALBANY, N.Y. (Feb. 11, 2025) — Jared Verse, who starred as an edge rusher for the University at Albany football team from 2019-2021, has been named as the Associated Press NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
The award was announced Thursday at the 14th annual NFL Honors Ceremony in New Orleans, site of Super Bowl LIX. Verse, a linebacker for the L.A. Rams who was selected with the Rams' 19th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, led all rookies in QB hits (18), pressures (77) and hurries during his rookie campaign. He finished with 66 total tackles, including 11 tackles for a loss and 4.5 sacks in 16 games.
"First things first, I got to thank God. Without him, none of this would've been possible, I wouldn't be here today, I wouldn't be in front of all of y'all today," Verse said in his acceptance speech.
He went on to thank his parents, siblings, teammates and coaches, as well as the other nominees for the award. Verse received 37 out of 50 first-place votes.
"I think it's a small step towards (becoming) one of the best players ever," Verse said in his press conference after receiving the award. "But there's a lot of people that have won this award that after they win it, they get satisfied. That's the main thing, you can't get satisfied. This is just a small step to a big goal."
In advance of the draft last April, Verse spoke to the New York Post about his time in Albany and the impact it had on him as a player.
"I wasn’t some monstrous force. You looked at me in high school, you look at me today, you would probably be like, ‘What the … ?’ Albany helped me grow exponentially," said Verse, who was an engineering major during his time at UAlbany.
Verse was appreciative of former UAlbany Head Football Coach Greg Gattuso, his staff and teammates during his time in Albany for helping him to develop into the defensive force he became for the Great Danes.
After redshirting the 2019 season at UAlbany, he became an immediate impact player in the spring of 2021. In UAlbany's four spring games, Verse led the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) in tackles for loss (10) and ranked second in the conference with 4.0 sacks, earning CAA Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
In the fall 2021 campaign for the Great Danes, Verse had 9.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss, and was named CAA Defensive Player of the Year.
Verse transferred to Florida State ahead of the 2022 season, where he became the school's first two-time First-Team All-ACC defensive end in 30 years. He finished his career at FSU with 18 sacks and 29.5 tackles for a loss.