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After playing his college ball at the University of Wisconsin, running back Jonathan Taylor was selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. He was initially supposed to be the team’s backup to Marlon Mack during his rookie year but that changed in Week 1 when Mack suffered a torn Achilles and was ruled out for the rest of the season. Taylor took over the starting job and never looked back.
He set a new record with the franchise as he surpassed Hall of Famer Edgerrin James for the most Colts rushing yards in a game. In 2021, he led the league in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns and made his first Pro Bowl.
Since he continues to be one of the most successful backs in the game, fans want to know all about Taylor and his life off the field. Here’s more on the athlete and his wife, Ayanna Chapman.
Taylor and Chapman have known each other since they were teenagers
Chapman was born on Feb. 17, 1999, in Camden, New Jersey, to parents Lydia and Eddie. She has three siblings: Kewanee, Alycia, and Kayla.
Chapman attended Salem High School and that’s where she met her future husband. The couple previously revealed in a Q&A YouTube video that their first date together was to a basketball game between their school’s team and the Penns Grove Red Devils.
The pair started posting about their relationship on Instagram in 2014 and two years later, shared how they went to their prom together in matching outfits.
In March 2022, during a romantic dinner on a beach, Taylor got down on one knee and popped the question. Champman happily accepted and they tied the knot in front of family and friends the following year.
“An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels” Taylor captioned one of their wedding photos quoting Proverbs 31:10.
Chapman is an athlete as well
Like her husband, Chapman is an athlete too.
She played basketball, ran track, and was a midfielder for her high school’s field hockey team. Chapman helped lead the team to a 12-2 record her senior year, including going 10-0 in conference play. She also helped the team win a Tri-County Conference title. Chapman went on to play the sport in college as well when she redshirted her freshman season at Ball State University in Indiana.
According to her player bio on Ball’s website, Chapman excelled in academics graduating high school with a 4.282 GPA and was a member of the National Honor Society.
She majored in political science at the university.
Chapman is a content creator and started a YouTube channel with Taylor
Chapman is an online content creator. She and Taylor started a YouTube channel a few years back called “Jay T & Ayanna Ly.” They have over 4,000 subscribers.
Some of the videos they posted in the past have been Q&As, behind-the-scenes footage, and YouTube challenges including a “sweet vs. spicy” food challenge they did together.
