San Francisco 49ers sign Notre Dame S Jalen Stroman as undrafted free agent

Safety Jalen Stroman struggled to stay on the field in a talented position group for Notre Dame in the 2025 season. But that didn’t prevent Stroman from getting a shot at an NFL career.

Stroman signed an undrafted free agent contract with the San Francisco 49ers, according to ProStar Sports Agency, who represents Stroman. He joins former Notre Dame wide receiver Will Pauling as an undrafted free agent signee with 49ers following the completion of the NFL Draft on Saturday.

Stroman, a graduate transfer from Virginia Tech, started the first three games for the Irish last season before being benched. Then Stroman made his presence felt in Notre Dame’s final two games of the season when redshirt freshman safety Brauntae Johnson was forced to sit out with a hand injury.

In Stroman’s final game in Notre Dame Stadium, he intercepted a Syracuse pass and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown on the first possession of the game. He also blocked a punt that was returned by teammate Luke Talich for a 22-yard touchdown.

Stroman finished his lone season at Notre Dame with 37 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, two pass breakups and the interception returned for a touchdown previously mentioned. That Stroman was invited to play in the American Bowl and Senior Bowl this offseason suggested he still had a shot a landing in the NFL.

However, Stroman was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine. He had to settle for showing off his testing abilities at Notre Dame’s Pro Day in March, so he competed in every testing event. The 6-foot, 203-pound Stroman jumped 36 inches vertically and 10 feet, 3 inches broadly, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.69 seconds, completed the 20-yard shuttle and 3-cone drill in 4.41 and 7.18 seconds, respectively, and bench pressed 225 pounds a total of 14 times.

Virginia Tech signed Stroman as a three-star recruit out Nokesville (Va.) Patriot High. The Rivals Industry Ranking slated him as the No. 62 safety and No. 786 overall in the 2021 class.

Stroman spent four seasons at Virginia Tech, but his last was cut short by a collarbone injury in the season opener against Vanderbilt in 2024. He amassed 148 tackles, five tackles for loss, six pass breakups, one interception, two forced fumbles and one sack in 48 career games at Virginia Tech and Notre Dame.

Stroman’s older brother, Greg, spent seven seasons in the NFL as a cornerback after being selected by Washington in the seventh round of the 2019 draft.