Jayden Loving
| No. 91 – Chicago Bears | |
|---|---|
| Position | Defensive tackle |
| Roster status | Active |
| Personal information | |
| Born | April 8, 2003 Hamilton, Alabama, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 309 lb (140 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Hamilton (Hamilton, Alabama) |
| College | Bethune–Cookman (2021–2022) Western Kentucky (2023–2024) Wake Forest (2025) |
| NFL draft | 2026: undrafted |
| Career history | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Jayden Loving (born April 8, 2003) is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Bethune–Cookman Wildcats, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
Early life
[edit]Loving was born on April 8, 2003, and grew up in Hamilton, Alabama, raised by his mother.[1] He first played football around age seven.[2] attended Hamilton High School where he competed in football, basketball and track.[1] For a year, he was unable to play football due to a hip tumor, which he recovered from.[3] Playing defensive end, he was a second-team all-state performer in his senior year, 2021.[1] Loving was a zero-star recruit and committed to play college football for the Bethune–Cookman Wildcats.[1]
College career
[edit]Loving redshirted as a true freshman at Bethune–Cookman in 2021, playing two games, before playing in 11 games in 2021 while posting 37 tackles, seven tackles-for-loss (TFLs) and 4.5 sacks.[4] He then transferred to the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in 2023 and appeared in 13 games while recording 36 tackles, three TFLs and two sacks.[1] Due to a knee injury, he only made five appearances in 2024, tallying nine tackles and a half-sack.[1] Loving transferred to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons for his final season in 2025.[5] In his lone year with Wake Forest, he played in 13 games, three as a starter, while making 44 tackles, 8.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks.[1]
Professional career
[edit]| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1+3⁄8 in (1.86 m) | 309 lb (140 kg) | 30+1⁄4 in (0.77 m) | 9+3⁄8 in (0.24 m) | 6 ft 5+3⁄8 in (1.97 m) | 4.82 s | 1.64 s | 2.78 s | 4.53 s | 7.15 s | 35.0 in (0.89 m) | 9 ft 3 in (2.82 m) | 33 reps |
| All values from Pro Day[6] | ||||||||||||
After going unselected in the 2026 NFL draft, Loving signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent.[2] In preseason, he recorded four tackles, a sack and two pass deflections.[7] Loving made the Bears' 53-man roster for the 2026 season.[7]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Brugler, Dane (April 2026). "Jayden Loving - The Beast". The Athletic. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
- 1 2 "Loving hosts football camp before heading to Bears training camp - Hamilton graduate signs with Chicago Bears, discusses football journey". Journal-Record. July 22, 2026.
- ↑ Thomas, Craig (December 19, 2020). "Prep notebook: Hamilton's Jayden Loving healthy, ready for college football". TimesDaily.
- ↑ "Jayden Loving". Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
- ↑ Debro, Cameron Lemons (January 5, 2025). "Western Kentucky defensive tackle Jayden Loving commits to Wake Forest". 247Sports.
- ↑ "Jayden Loving College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved September 17, 2026.
- 1 2 Biggs, Brad (September 1, 2026). "Undrafted rookies, gadget plays and who starts at safety: Emptying the Chicago Bears notebook". Chicago Tribune.