Jay Ajayi facts for kids
Ajayi at the Eagles Super Bowl LII Victory Parade
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | 15 June 1993 London, England |
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| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 223 lb (101 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Liberty (Frisco, Texas) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Boise State (2011–2014) | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2015 / Round: 5 / Pick: 149 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
Jay Ajayi (born 15 June 1993) is a former professional American football player. He was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). Ajayi played for five seasons with the Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at Boise State University. The Dolphins picked him in the 2015 NFL draft.
Ajayi played three seasons with the Dolphins. He was chosen for the Pro Bowl in 2016. Later, he joined the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017. With the Eagles, Ajayi helped the team win their first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl LII. He retired from playing in 2022.
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Early Life and High School Football
Jay Ajayi was born in London, England, on 15 June 1993. His parents are from Nigeria. When he was seven years old, in 2000, he moved to Maryland in the United States. Later, his family moved to Texas.
In Texas, Jay went to Frisco Liberty High School. During his senior year, he was a star player on the football team. He ran for 2,240 yards and scored 35 touchdowns. He also showed his speed in track & field. He was part of district championship teams in different relay races.
College Football Career
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Jay Ajayi played college football for Boise State University from 2011 to 2014. In 2012, he played in 11 games. He ran for 548 yards and scored four touchdowns.
In 2013, as a sophomore, he started in 12 out of 13 games. He ran for over 100 yards in six of those games. He finished the season with 1,425 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns.
His junior year in 2014 was even better. He became the first Boise State player to rush for over 100 yards in 10 games in one season. He also had two games where he ran for over 200 yards. He ended the season with a school record of 1,823 rushing yards. He also scored 28 rushing touchdowns, which was another school record.
Ajayi helped Boise State win the 2014 Fiesta Bowl. He ran for 134 yards and scored three touchdowns in that game. He was named a first-team All-Mountain West Conference player for two years in a row.
On 21 December 2014, Ajayi decided to leave college early to join the NFL draft. He finished his college career with 3,796 rushing yards and 50 rushing touchdowns. These numbers rank very high in Boise State's history.
College Statistics
Here are Jay Ajayi's college football statistics:
| Season | Team | Rushing | Receiving | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | TD | ||
| 2012 | Boise State | 82 | 548 | 6.7 | 71 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 0 |
| 2013 | Boise State | 249 | 1,425 | 5.7 | 71 | 18 | 22 | 222 | 1 |
| 2014 | Boise State | 347 | 1,823 | 5.3 | 74 | 28 | 50 | 535 | 4 |
| Career | 678 | 3,796 | 5.6 | 74 | 50 | 73 | 771 | 5 | |
Professional NFL Career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11+3⁄4 in (1.82 m) |
221 lb (100 kg) |
32 in (0.81 m) |
10 in (0.25 m) |
4.57 s | 1.59 s | 2.66 s | 4.10 s | 7.10 s | 39 in (0.99 m) |
10 ft 1 in (3.07 m) |
19 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine and Boise State Pro Day | ||||||||||||
Miami Dolphins
2015 Season: Rookie Year
The Miami Dolphins picked Jay Ajayi in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL draft. He was the 149th player chosen overall. In May 2015, he signed a four-year contract with the Dolphins.
He made his NFL debut on 8 November 2015, against the Buffalo Bills. He ran for 41 yards in that game. He scored his first professional touchdown against the San Diego Chargers. He finished his first season with 187 rushing yards and one touchdown.
2016 Season: Pro Bowl Year
In 2016, Jay Ajayi became the main running back for the Dolphins. In Week 6, he ran for 204 yards and two touchdowns against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The very next week, he ran for 214 yards and one touchdown against the Buffalo Bills. This made him only the fourth player in NFL history to rush for over 200 yards in two games in a row!
He earned the AFC Offensive Player of the Week award two weeks in a row for these amazing performances. In Week 16, he had another 200-yard game, again against the Buffalo Bills. He ran for 206 yards and a touchdown. This made him one of only four players in NFL history to have three 200-yard rushing games in a single season.
Because of his great season, he was chosen for the 2017 Pro Bowl. This is a special game where the best players from each conference play against each other.
2017 Season: Trade to Eagles
Ajayi started the 2017 season as the Dolphins' top running back. In Week 2, he ran for 122 yards against the Los Angeles Chargers.
On 31 October 2017, Ajayi was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. This was a big move during the season.
Philadelphia Eagles
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2017 Season: Super Bowl Champion
Just five days after joining the Eagles, Ajayi played his first game with them. He ran for 77 yards and scored a touchdown against the Denver Broncos. He had a career-high 71-yard run against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 11.
The Eagles had a fantastic season and made it to the playoffs as the top team in their conference. In the playoffs, Ajayi helped the team win against the Falcons and Vikings.
Then came Super Bowl LII against the New England Patriots. Ajayi ran for 57 yards in the game. The Eagles won 41–33, which was their first Super Bowl win ever!
2018 Season
In the first game of the 2018 season, Ajayi scored two touchdowns against the Falcons. He ran for 62 yards and helped the Eagles win. However, in Week 5, he suffered a serious knee injury (a torn ACL). This injury ended his season early. He finished the season with 184 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
2019 Season
Ajayi re-signed with the Eagles in November 2019. He played in three games that season, running for 30 yards. He was released by the Eagles in December 2019.
Retirement
On 8 January 2022, Jay Ajayi announced that he was retiring from the NFL. On the same day, he was honored as the Eagles' honorary captain for their final game of the season.
NFL Career Statistics
Here are Jay Ajayi's professional NFL career statistics:
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2015 | MIA | 9 | 0 | 49 | 187 | 3.8 | 24 | 1 | 7 | 90 | 12.9 | 20 | 0 |
| 2016 | MIA | 15 | 12 | 261 | 1,272 | 4.9 | 62 | 8 | 27 | 151 | 5.6 | 15 | 0 |
| 2017 | MIA | 7 | 7 | 138 | 465 | 3.4 | 27 | 0 | 14 | 67 | 4.8 | 15 | 0 |
| PHI | 7 | 1 | 70 | 408 | 5.8 | 71 | 1 | 10 | 91 | 9.1 | 32 | 1 | |
| 2018 | PHI | 4 | 3 | 45 | 184 | 4.1 | 20 | 3 | 5 | 20 | 4.0 | 12 | 0 |
| 2019 | PHI | 3 | 0 | 10 | 30 | 3.0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 45 | 23 | 572 | 2,546 | 4.5 | 71 | 13 | 63 | 419 | 6.7 | 32 | 1 | |
Esports and Personal Life
On 7 January 2020, Jay Ajayi joined the Philadelphia Union, a soccer team, as their esports player. He played in the eMLS League Series One.
In his personal life, Ajayi supports different charities. In 2016, he took part in the NFL's "My Cause, My Cleats" campaign. This allowed players to wear special shoes to support their favorite causes. Jay supported a cause related to multiple endocrine neoplasia. He is also a big fan of the Arsenal F.C. soccer team in England.
