Jay Ajayi (born June 15, 1993) is an English professional American football running back who is a free agent, and professional gamer.
He played college football at Boise State and was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
Early years
Ajayi was born in London, England, on June 15, 1993, to Nigerian parents and moved to Maryland in the United States when he was seven years old in 2000. He eventually moved to Texas, where he attended Frisco Liberty High School. As a senior on the football team, he rushed for 2,240 yards and had 35 touchdowns. He also earned one varsity letter in track & field as a member of the 4x400-meter (3:21.75), 4 × 200 m (1:29.44), and 4 × 100 m (42.86) district championship teams.
Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, he was ranked as the 41st best running back prospect of his class.
College career
Ajayi was redshirted as a true freshman at Boise State University in 2011. In October 2011, he was arrested for shoplifting after stealing a pair of sweatpants at a local Walmart and was later sentenced to five days in jail. As a redshirt freshman in 2012, he played in 11 games. He had 82 rushes for 548 yards and four touchdowns, including 118 yards and a touchdown on just six carries against New Mexico in his second career game. As a sophomore in 2013, he started 12 of 13 games and rushed for 100+ yards in six of them, including 24 carries for 222 yards and three touchdowns in game seven against Nevada. He ended the season having carried the ball 249 times for 1,425 yards and 18 touchdowns. As a junior in 2014, he became the first Boise State player to rush for 100+ yards in 10 games in a season, including two 200+ yard performances against Colorado St and Utah St. He ended his season with a 134-yard, three touchdown performance in the Broncos' 38–30 victory over the Arizona Wildcats in the 2014 Fiesta Bowl. He finished the season ranked fifth in the nation with a school-record 1,823 rushing yards and second nationally only to Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon with 28 rushing touchdowns (also a school record). Ajayi finished his final season at Boise State having accounted for 41.3% of the team's total yards and touchdowns, third among running back prospects entering the 2015 NFL Draft, trailing only Melvin Gordon and Indiana's Tevin Coleman. He was named a first-team All-Mountain West Conference selection for the second consecutive season and earned third-team All-American honors by the Associated Press.
On December 21, 2014, Ajayi announced that he would forgo his senior season and enter the 2015 NFL Draft. He finished his collegiate career with 678 rushes for 3,796 yards and 50 rushing touchdowns, which ranked third, third, and tied for second on the Boise State career lists. He is the only player in Boise State history with three games of 200+ yards rushing.
Personal life
Ajayi took part in the NFL's "My Cause, My Cleats" campaign in the 2016 season. The campaign allowed players to wear custom cleats supporting their favorite charities. His cause was "Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia". He is a lifelong fan of Arsenal F.C. in the English Premier League.
NFL Super Bowl 2017 Philadelphia Eagles | NFL Pro Bowl 2016 Philadelphia Eagles |
2015-2017 |
2017-2019 |