NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Former Carleton College football quarterback Jack Curtis '26 signed a professional contract with the Jacksonville Sharks of the Indoor Football League (IFL).
After signing, Curtis said "I am blessed and thankful that my dream of playing professional football has been realized, and I'm going to continue to chase it and see how high I can climb! Signing was a surreal moment, and I couldn't have done it without Carleton football, my friends, and the support of my Knights teammates."
Curtis, who also pitched three seasons for Carleton's baseball team, played football for the Knights from 2022 through 2025, re-writing the Carleton record book while serving as a full-time starter for his final three years in Northfield. He finished his time in maize and blue with the most completions (824), passing yards (8,599), passing yards per game (232.4), and touchdown passes (83) in addition to the best completion percentage (67.8 percent) in a Carleton career. Curtis twice received All-Conference recognition and was selected to the D3football.com All-Region team in 2025. In his 30 career starts, he led Carleton to a 20-10 record.
His 2025 season made national news, but not just for his stellar play - which earned him MIAC Offensive Player of the Year honors and a spot as one of five Gagliardi Trophy finalists. (The Gagliardi Trophy is awarded to the most outstanding NCAA Division III football player.) Curtis spent the entirety of the 2025 football season battling cancer, posting record numbers while actively undergoing chemotherapy treatment. The quarterback set Carleton single-season records in pass completions (284), completion percentage (72.4 percent), passing yards (3,120), and pass yards per game (312.0/game). He also finished second all-time in Carleton history with 29 touchdown passes last fall. He also finished with the MIAC record in single-season completions in conference games (254), slotting in at third in passing yards in MIAC contests (2,918), and fifth in completion percentage (72.8 percent) during conference games. Last December, Curtis concluded chemotherapy treatment and was named the recipient of the Minnesota Football Honors Courage Award in the spring.
The IFL is the longest-running North American arena football league. The league consists largely of former NCAA D-I football players and NFL draftees. Curtis is the only D-III graduate currently on Jacksonville's 2027 roster, and the Sharks featured just two D-III players in 2026. Curtis will be sharing a quarterback room with Kyle Lauletta, a 2018 fourth-round draft pick of the New York Giants.
The Jacksonville Sharks are scheduled to begin their 2027 season in March.
