Jonathan Taylor (American football) facts for kids
Taylor in 2020
|
|||||||||||||
| No. 28 – Indianapolis Colts | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | January 19, 1999 Salem, New Jersey, U.S. |
||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 226 lb (103 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Salem | ||||||||||||
| College: | Wisconsin (2017–2019) | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2020 / Round: 2 / Pick: 41 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2024 | |||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
Jonathan Taylor (born January 19, 1999) is an American professional football player. He is a running back for the Indianapolis Colts in the National Football League (NFL).
Taylor played high school football at Salem High School. There, he set a New Jersey state record for rushing yards. He then played three seasons of college football for the Wisconsin Badgers. He became one of the top rushers in NCAA history. He was the first player to rush for over 6,000 yards in just three years.
Taylor was chosen by the Colts in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. In 2021, he led the NFL in both rushing yards and touchdowns. He was named an All-Pro and went to the Pro Bowl that same year.
Contents
Early Life and High School Football
Jonathan Taylor was born in Salem, New Jersey. His father, Jonathan James, played college basketball. Taylor went to Salem High School.
During his high school career, he ran for 4,642 yards and scored 51 touchdowns. In his senior year, he set a New Jersey record with 2,815 rushing yards. He also scored 35 rushing touchdowns that season. Taylor was also a great track and field athlete. He won two state titles in the 100-meter dash.
Taylor first planned to play college football at Rutgers University. However, he later decided to go to the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
College Football Career
Freshman Season at Wisconsin
_(cropped).jpg)
In 2017, Taylor started his first year at Wisconsin as a running back. In his first game, he rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown. In his second game, he ran for 223 yards and three touchdowns.
He quickly became known as a top player. By his seventh game, he had already rushed for 1,000 yards. This tied an FBS record for freshmen. He won the Big Ten Freshman of the Week award eight times. This set a new Big Ten record.
Taylor finished his freshman season with 1,977 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. This was the most rushing yards ever by an FBS freshman. He helped his team win 13 games. They also played in the 2017 Big Ten Championship Game and won the Orange Bowl.
Sophomore Season Success
Taylor was a top player going into the 2018 season. He started strong with 145 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the first game. He set a new personal best with 253 rushing yards and three touchdowns in his second game.
He continued to have amazing games, often rushing for over 200 yards. In a game against Purdue, he ran for a career-high 321 yards and three touchdowns.
In 2018, Taylor led the FBS in rushing yards with 2,194. He also scored 16 rushing touchdowns. He won the Doak Walker Award, which goes to the best running back in college football. He was named a first-team All-American.
Junior Season and Records
Taylor was expected to be a top player again in 2019. In the first game, he rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught two touchdown passes. This was a rare achievement for a Big Ten player.
He rushed for over 200 yards multiple times that season. Against Nebraska, he broke Herschel Walker’s record for most rushing yards through a junior season. He also set an FBS record with his 12th career 200-yard game.
Taylor finished the 2019 season with 2,003 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns. He became only the second FBS player to have two seasons with over 2,000 rushing yards. He won the Doak Walker Award again, becoming the first player to win it twice since 2007.
On January 3, 2020, Taylor announced he would enter the 2020 NFL draft. He finished his college career with 6,174 rushing yards. This placed him among the top rushers in FBS history.
College Statistics
| Wisconsin Badgers | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||||
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | |||||
| 2017 | 14 | 13 | 299 | 1,977 | 6.6 | 13 | 8 | 95 | 11.9 | 0 | ||||
| 2018 | 13 | 13 | 307 | 2,194 | 7.2 | 16 | 8 | 60 | 7.5 | 0 | ||||
| 2019 | 14 | 14 | 320 | 2,003 | 6.3 | 21 | 26 | 252 | 9.7 | 5 | ||||
| Career | 41 | 40 | 926 | 6,174 | 6.7 | 50 | 42 | 407 | 9.7 | 5 | ||||
Professional NFL Career
Joining the Indianapolis Colts (2020)
The Indianapolis Colts picked Jonathan Taylor in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. He was the 41st player chosen overall.
Taylor started his first NFL season as a backup running back. However, the main running back, Marlon Mack, got injured in Week 1. This made Taylor the starting running back for the rest of the season.
In Week 2, Taylor rushed for 101 yards and scored his first NFL touchdown. In Week 14, he ran for 150 yards and two touchdowns. In the final game of the season, Week 17, Taylor had an amazing performance. He rushed for 253 yards and two touchdowns. This set a new Colts team record for rushing yards in a single game. He finished his rookie season with 1,169 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. He was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for December.
Leading the League (2021)
Taylor became the Colts' main starting running back in 2021. He had a fantastic season. In Week 6, he rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for October.
In Week 11, Taylor had a career-best game against the Buffalo Bills. He rushed for 185 yards and scored five total touchdowns (four rushing, one receiving). This broke Colts team records for rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns in a game. He won AFC Offensive Player of the Week.
Taylor finished the 2021 season as the NFL's top rusher. He had 1,811 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns. He was chosen for the 2022 Pro Bowl and was named a first-team All-Pro. He also won the Bert Bell Award.
Injuries and Comeback (2022-2024)
.jpg)
In Week 1 of the 2022 season, Taylor rushed for 161 yards and a touchdown. However, he suffered an ankle injury in Week 4. This caused him to miss his first NFL game. He later suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 15, which ended his season early. He finished 2022 with 861 rushing yards and four touchdowns in 11 games.
Before the 2023 season, Taylor had some disagreements with the Colts about his contract. But they worked things out. He signed a new three-year contract in October 2023. In the last game of the 2023 season, he rushed for a season-high 188 yards and a touchdown. He finished the season with 741 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in 10 games.
In Week 16 of the 2024 season, Taylor had an incredible game. He rushed for 218 yards and three touchdowns. He was again named AFC Offensive Player of the Week. He was also selected for the 2025 Pro Bowl.
NFL Career Statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Y/G | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2020 | IND | 15 | 13 | 232 | 1,169 | 5.0 | 77.9 | 62 | 11 | 36 | 299 | 8.3 | 39 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2021 | IND | 17 | 17 | 332 | 1,811 | 5.5 | 106.5 | 83 | 18 | 40 | 360 | 9.0 | 76 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| 2022 | IND | 11 | 11 | 192 | 861 | 4.5 | 78.3 | 66 | 4 | 28 | 143 | 5.1 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 2023 | IND | 10 | 7 | 169 | 741 | 4.4 | 74.1 | 49 | 7 | 19 | 153 | 8.1 | 40 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | IND | 14 | 13 | 303 | 1,431 | 4.7 | 102.2 | 70 | 11 | 18 | 136 | 7.6 | 25 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Career | 67 | 61 | 1,228 | 6,013 | 4.9 | 89.7 | 83 | 51 | 141 | 1,091 | 7.7 | 76 | 5 | 13 | 7 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2020 | IND | 1 | 1 | 21 | 78 | 3.7 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 1 | 1 | 21 | 78 | 3.7 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Records and Achievements
NFL Records
- Most games in a row with at least 100 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown: 8 (2021). He shares this record with Lydell Mitchell and LaDainian Tomlinson.
- Youngest player in NFL history with at least 2,000 total yards and 20 total touchdowns in one season (2021).
Colts Team Records
- Most rushing yards in a single season: 1,811 (2021)
- Most games with 50+ rushing yards in a season: 17 (2021)
- Most games with 170+ rushing yards: 4
- Most rushing yards in a single game: 253 (January 3, 2021, against the Jacksonville Jaguars)
- Most rushing touchdowns in a single season: 18 (2021)
- Most rushing touchdowns in a game: 4 (tied with Joseph Addai, Eric Dickerson)
- Most total touchdowns in a season: 20 (tied with Lenny Moore)
- Most total touchdowns in a single game: 5 (2021)
- Longest rushing play: 83 yards (2021)
NFL Honors and Awards
- Bert Bell Award (2021)
- First-team All-Pro (2021)
- Pro Bowl (2021)
- NFL rushing yards leader (2021)
- NFL rushing touchdowns leader (2021)
- PFWA All-Rookie Team (2020)
