Kurt Palandech (born November 11, 1994) is an American football quarterback for the Nojima Sagamihara Rise in the Japanese X-League.

[9] This performance in a 69-66 triple overtime win against Wyoming earned him Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week.

[10][11] In 2017, Palandech was selected as a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which recognizes the best football scholar-athlete in the nation, considered by many and nicknamed the "Academic Heisman".

[12][13] Palandech was a three-time Academic All-Mountain West honoree, three-time recipient of the Mountain West Scholar-Athlete Award, and was named to the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame 2018 NFF Hampshire Honor Society.

[21] In 2020, Palandech signed with the Nojima Sagamihara Rise and won the X-League Rookie of the Year Award.