Jake Ferguson played football even when he technically wasn't playing football.
In 2022, he shared with Cowboys Wire, “I was expelled from my youth soccer team because of how aggressively I tackled opponents.” He recalled, “During a game, there was this small boy dribbling the ball. It seemed like he took it from my teammate. As one of the defenders, I felt compelled to make a play, so I ran after him and brought him down. After picking him up, they removed me from the league.”
That intuition, despite being frequently misdirected—such as initiating snowball battles at school or setting up touch football during break time until it was prohibited—evenually proved beneficial.
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Currently, he plays as a professional tight end for the Dallas Cowboys and is recognized for his relationship with an influencer who is also a college basketball player. Haley Cavinder This is how he arrived at his destination.
He hails from an American football dynasty.
Jake Ferguson, who came into this world in 1999, was raised in an environment saturated with football enthusiasm. His dad, Brad Ferguson, once tackled opponents as a linebacker for the University of Nebraska, and his mother’s father, Barry Alvarez, coached the team at the University of Wisconsin over two decades. This rich sporting legacy led Ferguson to embrace the sport himself.
By middle school, he had already taken over youth leagues. In one match, he caused injuries severe enough to send two players to the hospital; meanwhile, his teammate Billy Wilson contributed another injury with an unexpected tackle from behind. This led parents to wonder if both of them might not really be in sixth grade at all.
Wilson recounted in an interview with The Dallas Morning News that people were eager to see Jake get what they perceived as his just desserts.
Attending high school was quite similar.
During his freshman year at James Madison Memorial High School, Ferguson alternated between playing for the junior varsity andvarsity teams. In one particular JV match, he tackled the opposing quarterback repeatedly until the player decided to leave the game midway through. Even after replacing him with another player, Ferguson continued his aggressive play by taking down this new opponent as well.
“I’m not one for hurting people,” Ferguson said to the Morning News. “It’s something I really dislike. It’s unfortunate when it happens. However, after hitting him, I recall he emitted this loud cry, so I stepped back. I thought, ‘Whoa, we should call someone.’ Then suddenly, his mother started swinging punches at me unexpectedly. … All I could think was, ‘Wow, that was definitely a mom,’” he recalled.
He remained at home for his college education.
When Ferguson needed to make his choice, he received offers from Nebraska, Iowa State, Iowa, Northern Illinois, and Wisconsin, according to Cowboys Wire. Given that his elder sibling Joe was attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his grandfather was working as the university’s athletic director following his tenure as head coach since 2005, he opted to stay within the family circle.
At Wisconsin-Madison, he emerged as a crucial component of the offense, concluding his collegiate career with 145 receptions for 1,618 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. This placed him among the leaders in almost all tight-end receiving records in the program’s annals.
In 2022, following his performances at the NFL Draft Combine and a regional Pro Day, he was chosen by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the draft.
He's dating Haley Cavinder
Away from sports, Ferguson is involved with Miami Hurricanes basketball player Haley Cavinder. They connected via social media in 2023 and frequently attend games to cheer for one another.
Their relationship appears quite serious, as evidenced by Ferguson getting Cavinder's initials, "H.C.," inked onto his right ring finger.
Whenever he isn’t on the field or spending time with Cavinder, Ferguson frequently stops by Fort Myers Beach, Florida, which became his mother’s new home once he went off to college.
“It becomes quite stressful,” he shared with Cape Coral Breeze. “It’s important to have activities that help you unwind.”
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