Jalen Lattrel Ramsey (born October 24, 1994) is an American football cornerback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State and was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars fifth overall in the 2016 NFL Draft.
With the Jaguars, Ramsey quickly became one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL, making the Pro Bowl twice and being named an All-Pro in 2017, in addition to helping Jacksonville snap a 10-year playoff drought. However, following a fallout and standoff with the Jaguars' front office, he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams midway through the 2019 season. In 2020, he agreed to an extension with the Rams that made him the highest-paid defensive back in league history at the time. He was traded to the Miami Dolphins during the 2023 offseason.
Early life
Ramsey was born on October 24, 1994, in Smyrna, Tennessee, to Lamont, an emergency medical technician (EMT) and Jalen's training coach, and Margie Ramsey. Jalen's older brother, Jamal, participated in football, basketball, and track at Battle Ground Academy in Franklin, Tennessee, and played quarterback at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where their father had once played football. Jalen perfected his football skills playing with much older boys at a local park. He grew up cheering for the Miami Hurricanes in a family of Florida Gators fans.
High school career
Ramsey attended Ensworth High School in Nashville, Tennessee, during his freshman year. He then transferred to Brentwood Academy in Brentwood, Tennessee, where he was a two-sport star in football and track & field. He was rated by both Rivals.com and Scout.com as a five-star recruit and one of the top overall recruits in his class. He originally committed to the University of Southern California (USC) to play college football, but later changed to Florida State University.
Ramsey had a highly decorated high school track career. On May 24, 2013, in his final high school track meet, he shattered the Tennessee state record in the long jump with a mark of 25′ 3.25″, breaking the 16-year-old record set in 1997. As of 2016, no other athlete in TSSAA history has surpassed the 25-foot mark. Ramsey competed in events ranging from the 100 meters to the shot put. As a sprinter, he recorded personal best times of 10.50 in the 100-meter dash, 21.44 in the 200-meter dash, and 48.02 in the 400-meter dash. Ramsey established personal bests in the high jump at 6′ 8″ and the triple jump 47′ 7″. He also posted a top throw of 49′ 11″ in the shot put.
College career
Football
Ramsey started all 14 games for the Florida State Seminoles as a true freshman in 2013. He was the first true freshman to start a game at cornerback for the Seminoles since Deion Sanders in 1985. Ramsey wore the #13 jersey during his freshman year when Florida State won the National Championship over Auburn. He later switched to jersey #8 for his sophomore and junior seasons. Also, Ramsey chose the #17 jersey for kick returns during his junior year, a number that had been retired in honor of former superstar Charlie Ward, who granted Ramsey permission to wear the number. He recorded a 23-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the 59–3 victory over Wake Forest on November 9, 2013. He finished the year with 49 tackles, one interception, and one sack. As a sophomore, Ramsey played 14 games with 80 tackles, two interceptions, 12 passes defended, three forced fumbles, and two sacks. As a junior, he played 13 games with one sack, nine passes defended, and one fumble recovery on 52 tackles. On September 18, against Boston College, he recorded a 36-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the 14–0 victory. He was named as a Consensus All-American for his performance in the 2015 season. After his junior year, he announced his intention to forgo his senior season and enter the 2016 NFL Draft.
Track and field
Ramsey competed in track & field at Florida State as a relay sprinter and long jumper. He was a three-time All-ACC honoree as a member of the Florida State Indoor and Outdoor championship track and field team in 2013. He placed third in the long jump at both the indoor and outdoor ACC T&F Championships and ran a leg on the conference champion 4×100 relay team at the outdoor meet. During the 2014 season, his best outdoor long jump mark was 25' 0" (7.62m) and his top indoor jump was 24' 11" (7.59m), ranking second nationally among NCAA Division I football players. Ramsey qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary meet in the long jump. He placed third at the 2014 ACC Indoor Championship in the long jump (7.46 m).