Jake Funk Bio
Jake Funk (born January 11, 1998) is an American professional football running back who has spent time across multiple National Football League (NFL) rosters. He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins, where his 2020 season stood out despite being shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Funk was selected in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams and won Super Bowl LVI with the franchise that same season.
Early Life and Background
Jake Funk was born on January 11, 1998, in Gaithersburg, Maryland. He grew up in a deeply athletic family that shaped his early interest in competitive sports. His father, Jim, played football at Penn State, and his mother, A’Lisa, was a national title-winning swimmer at Clarion University of Pennsylvania. Two of his grandparents also attended Penn State, with his grandmother Jean among the program’s first female athletes as a member of the men’s rifle team.
Funk attended Damascus High School, where he developed into one of the most decorated running backs in Maryland high school history. He was named the 2015 Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year and earned The Washington Post All-Metro Offensive Player of the Year for the same season. In the state championship game during his senior year, Funk scored a title-game record seven rushing touchdowns against Dundalk High School. He finished that senior year as Maryland’s state record holder for touchdowns in a single season with 57.
Path to Professional Football
Despite his dominant high school production, Funk entered the recruiting cycle as a modest prospect, earning two-star ratings from ESPN and Rivals.com and three-star ratings from 247Sports.com and Scout.com. He drew scholarship offers from Army, Navy, and Air Force, along with Ivy League programs such as Harvard, Yale, and Penn, as well as Big Ten powers including Wisconsin. After receiving an offer from Maryland, Funk committed quickly to his hometown school, becoming the first commit under then-interim head coach Mike Locksley.
Funk’s college path was marked by steady development and serious injury setbacks. He debuted as a true freshman in 2016, recording 29 carries for 136 yards and a touchdown, and added a receiving score against Purdue. He appeared in all 12 games during his sophomore year and added four rushing touchdowns. His junior season was cut short by a wrist injury that he played through before tearing his ACL, and the following year he suffered a second ACL tear against Temple after receiving an extra year of eligibility. Returning for his redshirt senior year in 2020, Funk delivered his best statistical season during a COVID-19-shortened schedule, leading the Big Ten and ranking second nationally among FBS running backs with 8.6 yards per carry.
Jake Funk Career
Early Career (2021–2022)
Jake Funk declared for the 2021 NFL draft and was selected in the seventh round, 233rd overall, by the Los Angeles Rams. He signed his four-year rookie contract on May 16, 2021, and carved out an early role on special teams. A hamstring injury placed him on injured reserve in October 2021, but he was activated in December and was part of the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI winning roster after a 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Rams waived Funk on October 11, 2022, beginning a sequence of short stops around the league.
NFL Journey (2022–2023)
After his release from Los Angeles, Funk signed with the New Orleans Saints practice squad on October 12, 2022, and was released less than a month later. He joined the Indianapolis Colts practice squad on November 10, 2022, was promoted to the active roster in early January 2023, and remained with the organization through a series of moves in the following months. Funk was waived by the Colts on October 7, 2023, and quickly signed with the Miami Dolphins practice squad, where he stayed until a November 18 release. On December 19, 2023, he joined the Baltimore Ravens practice squad and was released on January 10, 2024.
Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars Era (2024)
Funk signed with the Detroit Lions practice squad on January 23, 2024, before signing a reserve and future contract one week later. After being waived by Detroit on August 27, 2024, he signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad on October 1, 2024, and was released on November 5. Through these moves, Funk built a résumé defined by special teams value, practice squad reliability, and the perseverance required to remain active in a deep NFL backfield market.
Notable Events and Milestones
The defining milestone of Jake Funk’s career remains Super Bowl LVI, where he earned a championship ring as a member of the Los Angeles Rams during his rookie season. He also reached the Maryland record book with his 8.6 yards-per-carry average in 2020, finishing third on the school’s all-time single-season list. His 57-touchdown senior season at Damascus High School set a Maryland state record that underscored his arrival as one of the most prolific prep runners in the region.
Jake Funk Career Wins
Jake Funk’s most prominent team achievement came in his rookie season, when the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in Super Bowl LVI to win the NFL championship. Beyond that signature result, his career has been shaped by individual milestones, including a record-setting high school season, an All-Big Ten college honor, and a draft selection that launched his professional journey.
Other Wins and Performances
At the high school level, Funk captured the Maryland Class 3A state championship and earned consensus all-state recognition. In college, his redshirt senior campaign at Maryland produced a Third-team All-Big Ten selection in 2020. Across his NFL stops, his contributions came primarily on special teams, where he remained a serviceable rotational piece for multiple franchises.
Jake Funk Family
Family Background and Athletic Lineage
Jake Funk comes from a multi-generational athletic family. His father Jim played football at Penn State, and his mother A’Lisa was a national title-winning swimmer at Clarion University of Pennsylvania. His grandparents also attended Penn State, with his grandmother Jean competing on the men’s rifle team as one of the program’s first female athletes. His brother Jordan played football at Army before transferring to James Madison, and a half-brother played lacrosse at Ohio State and professionally for the Minnesota Swarm.
Personal Life
Jake Funk began dating former The Bachelor winner Hannah Ann Sluss in November 2021. The couple announced their engagement on January 25, 2023, and married on June 26, 2024. In June 2025, the couple announced they were expecting their first child.
2025 Season Outlook
Jake Funk spent the 2024 season moving between practice squads, including a final stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars, after a reserve and future contract with the Detroit Lions. With the 2025 NFL calendar underway, his focus remains on securing a roster spot through the same combination of special teams play and positional versatility that has defined his professional path. His experience across seven organizations gives him familiarity with multiple offensive systems and locker room environments, an asset for any depth chart.
Funk’s college production, including 8.6 yards per carry in a Big Ten season, shows the kind of big-play ability that can resurface in a complementary role. As teams evaluate running back depth during training camp, his blend of speed, special teams experience, and postseason pedigree from Super Bowl LVI may attract interest. His 2025 storyline will center on whether his trajectory as a journeyman running back continues, or whether a single opportunity allows him to return to a more active offensive role.