Jaydn Ott (born December 16, 2002) is an American professional football running back for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears and Oklahoma Sooners.
Early life Ott grew up in Norco, California and initially attended Norco High School. He committed to play college football at Oregon as a freshman in high school. After his freshman year Ott moved to Las Vegas, Nevada and transferred to Bishop Gorman High School. As a sophomore, Ott rushed for 11.7 yards per carry. He returned to Norco before the start of his senior year. Ott rushed for 1,140 yards and 17 touchdowns on 114 carries as a senior. Ott decommitted from Oregon during his sophomore year and later committed to play at California. He re-opened his recruitment as a senior, but ultimately signed a National Letter of Intent to play at Cal.
College career California 2022 Ott rushed for 104 yards on 17 carries and caught two passes for 26 yards and one touchdown in his collegiate debut against UC Davis. He made headlines in week 4 after rushing for 274 yards, the third-most in a game in school history and most ever by a Pac-12 freshman, and three touchdowns in a 49–31 win over Arizona. As a true freshman, Ott ran for 897 yards and eight touchdowns, while adding another 321 yards and three touchdowns through the air. He led all Pac-12 freshmen in all-purpose yards per game, all-purpose yards, total touchdowns and rushing touchdowns. Ott was named a Freshman All-American for the 2022 season.
2023 As a sophomore, Ott continued to see success, scoring 15 total touchdowns and running for a Pac-12 high 1,315 rushing yards. He earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors, and was a candidate for the Doak Walker, Maxwell and Walter Camp Awards. Following the season, Ott announced via social media that he would be returning to Cal for the 2024 season.
Oklahoma On April 15, 2025, Ott announced that he would be transferring to Oklahoma. Ott was unable to recapture the skills and success he had at California. He never started a game at Oklahoma, where he only earned 21 carries in the 2025 season. He spent the season as a backup, third, or fourth string player -- he did not score a touchdown.
Statistics Year Team Games Rushing Receiving GP GS Att Yds Avg TD Rec Yds Avg TD 2022 California 12 10 170 897 5.3 8 46 345 7.5 3 2023 California 12 12 246 1,315 5.3 12 25 169 6.8 2 2024 California 10 10 116 385 3.3 4 24 222 9.3 1 2025 Oklahoma 7 0 21683.202105.00 Career 41 32 553 2,665 4.8 24 97 746 7.7 6
Professional career
Ott signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent on May 1, 2026. On August 30, he was waived as part of final roster cuts and re-signed to the practice squad the next day.
Personal life Ott is of partial Samoan descent.
References
External links Kansas City Chiefs bio California Golden Bears bio Oklahoma Sooners bio