Jake Funk (born January 11, 1998) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

for the

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of the

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(NFL). He played

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Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. In Maryland's four games during the

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-shortened 2020 season, Funk averaged 129 rushing yards per game. He also led the

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and ranked second among all

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running backs with an average of 8.6 rushing yards per carry. Funk was drafted in the 7th round of the

2021 NFL Draft The 2021 NFL Draft was the 86th National Football League Draft, the annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2021 NFL season. The draft was held in Cleveland from April 29 to May 1, 2021 ...

NFL Draft by the

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, and won a

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with the team in 2022.

High school career

Funk attended

Damascus High School Damascus High School (DHS) is a public high school in Damascus, Maryland, United States. It is part of the Montgomery County Public Schools district. History Damascus High School was built in 1950 and renovated in 1978. Athletics The Damasc ...

, where he was a heavily lauded football player. Funk was named the 2015 Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year as well as ''

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'' All-Metro Offensive Player of the Year for the same year, also earning two consensus all-state selections. In the state championship game his senior year, Funk scored a title-game record seven rushing touchdowns against

Dundalk High School Dundalk High School (DHS) is a four-year public high school in the United States, located in Baltimore County, Maryland. The school opened in 1959. Starting in 2010, DHS was rebuilt and combined with Sollers Point Technical High School. The new bu ...

. Funk finished his senior season as the Maryland state record holder for touchdowns in a season with 57.

Recruiting profile

Despite his success in high school, Funk was only a moderately-rated prospect, earning two-star ratings from

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and

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and three-star ratings from 247Sports.com and

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. Despite this, he received scholarship offers from the three service academies (

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

, and

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)

Ivy League The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference comprising eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The term ''Ivy League'' is typically used beyond the sports context to refer to the eight schools ...

schools

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

, and Penn,

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schools

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

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, and

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Football Championship Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision. Sponsored by the National Collegiate Athleti ...

schools

Towson Towson () is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 55,197 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Baltimore County and the second-most populous unincorp ...

and Bucknell, and

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

schools

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and his eventual destination

. Though recruiters were concerned about Funk's speed, his strength and versatility on defense made him an intriguing option (Funk also played

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

in high school), and he was recruited by at least one school as a linebacker. However, after receiving his offer from Maryland, Funk quickly committed to his hometown school, where he was the first commit for then-interim head coach

Mike Locksley Michael Anthony Locksley (born December 25, 1969) is an American football coach. Locksley is currently the head coach at the Maryland Terrapins football, University of Maryland. After serving as an assistant coach for several college football ...

College career

Freshman year

Funk did not

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...

, and debuted in a 2016 game against

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...

where he rushed for 59 yards and a touchdown. He caught his first career touchdown pass that year against

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

. He ended the season with 29 carries for 136 yards and one touchdown (averaging 4.7 yards a carry), and seven receptions for 42 yards and one touchdown.

Sophomore year

Funk appeared in all 12 of Maryland's games during his sophomore season and ended the year with 27 carries for 145 yards (averaging 5.4 yards a carry) and four touchdowns, second-most on the team. He also caught one pass for four yards and a touchdown.

Junior year

Funk had an injury-shortened junior season, playing through a wrist injury before tearing his ACL.

Redshirt junior year

Due to his injury, Funk received an extra year of eligibility, and played in Maryland's first three games before tearing his ACL again in a game against

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

. Through the three games, Funk carried seventeen times for 173 yards and two touchdowns, and also caught four passes for 16 yards.

Redshirt senior year

Funk had his best statistical season after returning from his consecutive ACL tears. Playing during for the

-shortened Big Ten season, he was the team's primary option at running back after the departure of

Javon Leake Javon Leake (born August 1, 1998) is a professional gridiron football running back and return specialist for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He initially signed as an undrafted free agent with the New York Giants in ...

and Anthony McFarland Jr. to the NFL. Across Maryland's four games, Funk rushed 60 times for 519 yards, averaging 8.6 yards per carry, which ranked him first in the Big Ten and second among all

running backs in yards per carry. He averaged 129 rushing yards a game as well, ranking him second in the Big Ten and eighth among FBS backs. Funk scored three rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown, and was named third-team All-Big Ten. At the end of the season, Funk ranked third on Maryland's list of yards per carry across a single season.

Professional career

Despite having two seasons of eligibility remaining due to injury and NCAA policy surrounding COVID-19 and a chance to return as a starting back for Maryland, Funk opted to enter the

. Due to his perception as a primarily straight-line runner who was not particularly elusive, ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

'' speculated that he would go undrafted, but could potentially find a role as a

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

player. After Funk's performance at Maryland's pro day, draft analyst

Mel Kiper Mel Kiper Jr. (; born July 25, 1960) is an analyst covering American football for ESPN. He has appeared on ESPN's annual NFL draft coverage since 1984, providing in-depth information on the nation's potential draft picks. Career Kiper said th ...

mused that Funk could potentially be a late-round draft pick or an undrafted free agent: "I think he's going to fight his way onto a roster. He’s a competitive runner. He's a battler. He just puts his nose in there and he just fights and he's quick to the hole. He's shown home run-hitting ability where he can outrace the cornerback, safeties to the end zone, to the pay dirt. He'll catch the ball, he'll block. He's just a guy that gives you everything he has."

Los Angeles Rams

Funk was drafted in the seventh round (233rd overall) by the

. In post-draft interviews, Funk indicated that he "never gave up faith," and that he was looking forward to his likely role as a special teams player. On May 16, 2021, Funk signed his four-year rookie contract with the Rams. On October 18, 2021, coach

Sean McVay Sean McVay (born January 24, 1986) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He became the youngest NFL head coach in the modern era when he was hired by the Rams in 2017 ...

announced a day after a Week 6 win over the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

that Funk had suffered a hamstring injury and was placed on injured reserve on October 18. He was activated on December 21. Funk won

Super Bowl LVI Super Bowl LVI was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2021 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Los Angeles Rams defeated the American Football Conference ...

when the Rams defeated the

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23-20. On October 11, 2022, Funk was waived by the

New Orleans Saints

On October 12, 2022, Funk was signed to the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

practice squad. He was released on November 8.

Indianapolis Colts

On November 10, 2022, Funk was signed to the

practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on January 3, 2023.

Personal life

Funk hails from a family of athletes. His father, Jim, was a football player for

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...

and his mother, A’Lisa, was a national title-winning swimmer at

Clarion University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Western University, Clarion, also known as PennWest Clarion, is a public university campus in Clarion, Pennsylvania. Part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), the institution was founded in 1867 and offers ...

. Two of Funk's grandparents were also athletes at Penn State, and his grandmother Jean was one of Penn State's first female athletes, competing for the men's rifle team. Funk has a brother, Jordan, who played one year of football for Army before transferring to

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for hi ...

. He also has a half-brother, who played lacrosse at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

and professionally for the

Minnesota Swarm The Minnesota Swarm was a box lacrosse team in the National Lacrosse League who played at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota from 2004 until 2015. The team's previous owners (Minnesota Sports & Entertainment) who also own the NHL's ...

. His half-brother went on to earn a doctorate from the

University of Maryland, Baltimore The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) is a public university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1807, it comprises some of the oldest professional schools of dentistry, law, medicine, pharmacy, social work and nursing in the United States ...

, he owns several physical therapy clinics in Montgomery County and assisted Funk in his ACL rehab. Funk began dating former '' The Bachelor'' winner

Hannah Ann Sluss Hannah Ann Sluss (born April 25, 1996) is an American television personality who came to national prominence in 2020, as the winner of season 24 of '' The Bachelor'', starring Peter Weber. Early life Sluss was born in Knoxville, Tennessee t ...

in November 2021. They announced their engagement on January 25, 2023.

References

External links

Indianapolis Colts bioMaryland Terrapins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Funk, Jake 1998 births Living people People from Gaithersburg, Maryland Sportspeople from Montgomery County, Maryland Players of American football from Maryland American football running backs Maryland Terrapins football players Los Angeles Rams players New Orleans Saints players Indianapolis Colts players