Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor was born in Salem, New Jersey, to Elizabeth Taylor and Jonathan James. His father played collegiate basketball for San Francisco State from 1982 to 1986. Taylor attended Salem High School before enrolling at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he majored in philosophy.

Taylor is married to his wife, Ayanna. Beyond athletics, he is a co-owner of four Toppers Pizza locations. He has also participated in numerous community and charitable efforts, including peer tutoring, volunteering for food drives, working on an initiative to rebuild a classroom for students in India, and supporting organizations such as 100 Black Men of Indianapolis, Boys 2 Men, and No Kid Hungry through the NFL's My Cause My Cleats campaign.

At Salem High School in New Jersey, Taylor emerged as an elite athlete in both football and track and field. Over his high school career, he rushed for 4,642 yards and 51 touchdowns. As a senior, he set a New Jersey state single-season record with 2,815 rushing yards, surpassing the previous record held by former Wisconsin running back Corey Clement, and won the Jim Henry Award as the top high school player across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. On the track, he captured consecutive state championships in the 100-meter dash, recording a personal best of 10.49 seconds.

After initially committing to Rutgers University, Taylor flipped his commitment to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As a true freshman in 2017, he tied the FBS record by reaching 1,000 rushing yards in just seven games and broke the NCAA FBS freshman single-season rushing record with 1,977 yards, helping the Badgers finish 13-1 with an Orange Bowl victory over Miami. He earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors and finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting.

Taylor continued his historic pace as a sophomore in 2018, leading the nation with 2,194 rushing yards and earning MVP honors in the Pinstripe Bowl. In his junior year in 2019, he rushed for 2,003 yards and led the nation with 26 total touchdowns while breaking Herschel Walker's record for the most rushing yards through a junior season. Over his three college seasons, Taylor amassed 6,174 rushing yards, becoming the first player in FBS history to rush for over 6,000 yards in any three-year span. He won the Doak Walker Award as the nation's top running back in both 2018 and 2019, earned two unanimous first-team All-American selections, and set an FBS record with 12 career 200-yard rushing games before declaring for the NFL draft.

The Indianapolis Colts selected Taylor in the second round with the 41st overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft. After starter Marlon Mack suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1 of the 2020 season, Taylor took over the starting role. In the regular-season finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he rushed for 253 yards and two touchdowns, setting the Colts single-game franchise rushing record and finishing his debut campaign with 1,169 rushing yards and PFWA All-Rookie Team honors.

Taylor produced one of the most prolific campaigns in franchise history during the 2021 season. He led the NFL with 1,811 rushing yards, 18 rushing touchdowns, and 2,171 scrimmage yards, earning unanimous First-team All-Pro honors, a Pro Bowl selection, and the Bert Bell Award. In Week 11 against the Buffalo Bills, he set a franchise record with five total touchdowns (four rushing, one receiving) in a single game. He also tied an NFL record by recording at least 100 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown in eight consecutive games.

Despite dealing with ankle injuries that limited his playing time in 2022 and 2023, Taylor signed multiple contract extensions to remain a core piece of the Colts offense. He rebounded with strong Pro Bowl seasons in subsequent years, leading the league in rushing attempts and touchdowns in 2025 and breaking Edgerrin James's franchise record for the most career rushing touchdowns in Indianapolis Colts history.