Jalen Travis: Indianapolis Colts Rookie Files

Travis was born on April 19, 2002, in Minneapolis, MN, to Nate and Jackie Travis. While most of Jalen's success in sports has come on the football field, his four siblings have mostly found success in basketball.

Jalen's oldest brother, Jonah, played basketball for four years at Harvard. His second oldest brother, Reid, played college basketball at Stanford and Kentucky and plays professionally in Japan.

Jalen's sisters are also athletes who went on to play at the collegiate level. His older sister, Olivia, played basketball at Trevecca Nazarene and Illinois-Springfield and is now an assistant coach for Western Illinois. His younger sister, Grace, plays beach volleyball for St. Mary's College.

Jalen was also drawn to basketball growing up, just like his siblings. He played on several teams across the AAU circuit during his elementary and middle school years, including Team Sizzle. While on Team Sizzle, Travis was teammates with current NBA players Chet Holmgren and Jalen Suggs, both top-five draft picks.

Travis focused primarily on basketball before high school but also played little league football growing up. He has always been the biggest kid his age, so playing football came naturally to Travis despite his first love being basketball. Football allowed Travis to be in a sport year-round, with basketball taking up most of the other three seasons.

His parents eventually enrolled Travis at DeLaSalle Catholic High School in Minneapolis. His father took a maintenance job at the school primarily due to the aid it would provide in tuition costs. They wanted to get the best education possible for their children.

Basketball was still Travis' primary sport when he arrived at DeLaSalle. But he continued playing football, even seeing playing time on varsity as a freshman. As a sophomore, Travis took over as the starting left tackle for DeLaSalle and quickly became a dominant force on the offensive line.

After that sophomore campaign, Travis realized football, not basketball, would ultimately be his sport. He still enjoyed playing on the hardwood, lettering in basketball and helping lead DeLaSalle to a state championship his junior year.

But football gave Travis a better chance at landing a college scholarship, something he and his parents desperately wanted.

"There is immense value in having my own path," Travis admitted. "That's part of who I am, and how I lead my life. I always gravitate to the harder path, the path less traveled. My brothers have taught me a world of things, and they continue to teach me by the day, but I was naturally inclined to pursue this knowing how intense and challenging football is, especially at my position."

Travis made the right choice, as the offers would begin to arrive very soon.

Academics Over Athletics

Travis burst onto the scene as a junior, dominating the competition with his size and power. He was named a team captain and earned district lineman of the year and All-State honors.

During his junior season, Travis received his first offer from Indiana State, an FCS school. But only a few weeks later, Travis was offered to stay home and play at Minnesota. More and more Division I schools were beginning to take an interest in the big man.

His senior year was much of the same, as he once again served as a team captain for DeLaSalle and was named district lineman of the year and to the All-State team. Travis was also named DeLaSalle's 2020 Male Athlete of the Year to cap off an impressive four years in athletics.

While Travis was earning plenty of accolades on the field at DeLaSalle, he was experiencing success off of it as well. Travis excelled in the classroom and was a regular on the school's honor roll list. Travis also had an interest in politics, serving as co-student body president.

His academic and athletic success led Travis to garner scholarship offers from Ivy League schools. While the Ivy League was not initially on Travis' radar, the idea of being able to play football and receive a degree from a prestigious academic institution was very enticing. With Travis wanting to study politics and law, his path became clear.

Despite offers to play in the Big Ten and Big 12, Travis, a three-star recruit and the No.16 recruit in Minnesota, committed to Princeton after his senior season. It was not a decision he took lightly, but it was the right decision for him.

"Academics and athletics have been my family's and my parents' emphasis from the jump," Travis revealed. "We come from fairly humble backgrounds, and for us, Princeton represented both a place where I can push myself obviously off the field, but more importantly on the field. ... So, I knew if I went there and pushed myself that I would be able to accomplish my dreams on the field as well."

Due to the Ivy League canceling all fall sports in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Travis stayed in Minnesota until the spring of 2021. He arrived on campus and began practicing with the team that spring, determined to leave a mark on and off the field just as he did at DeLaSalle.

From Ivy League Giant to Big 12 Behemoth

When Travis arrived at Princeton in 2021, many students were still taking classes remotely due to the pandemic, including a few of his teammates. Travis had to play on both sides of the ball during practice to make up for the missing players. But having to play both sides so early was a blessing in disguise, helping Travis understand how defenses would try to attack him.

The big offensive lineman would be a reserve for the Tigers in 2021, but Travis took over as the team's starting right tackle as a sophomore. He contributed to the Tigers having the top passing offense and No.2 scoring offense in the conference, earning Second-Team All-Ivy honors.

Travis switched to left tackle as a junior in 2023, as the Princeton coaching staff wanted their best offensive lineman protecting the quarterback's blindside. While Travis only started six games that season due to injury, he still earned Second-Team All-Ivey for the second consecutive season.

Travis was, to the surprise of no one, excelling on the field at Princeton. However, his efforts off the field were just as impressive.

Travis founded The Just Act Coalition, a nonprofit foundation focused on promoting youth political advocacy on policy at the state and local levels of Minnesota government. His efforts with the foundation earned Travis the 2024 Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup for his impact in the community.

Before he even arrived at Princeton, Travis was very interested in politics. He interned at the Washington, D.C., office for Sen. Amy Klobuchar during the summer of 2022 and received the Leonard D. Schaeffer Fellowship in Government Service award.

The honors do not stop there. Travis served as the co-director of the Minority Pre-Law Association, was a Student-Athlete Wellness Leader, and was a member of the Student Athlete Service Council. Travis was also on Princeton's Advocacy and Activism Student Board and an advisory board member for the Program for Community-Engaged Scholarship (ProCES).

To cap it all off, Travis was one of 62 people to be awarded the Truman Scholarship in April 2023. The scholarship provides up to $30,000 toward graduate school or other professional development endeavors to those preparing for careers in public service. Travis plans to attend law school when his football playing days are over.

Travis graduated from Princeton in May 2024 with a degree in legal, political, and economic (LPE) anthropology and a certificate in African American studies. He had left his mark on and off the field, just like at DeLaSalle. But, with another year of eligibility left and eyes on the NFL, Travis entered the transfer portal to continue his football career.

After receiving plenty of interest from schools across the country, Travis signed with Iowa State because of the culture head coach Matt Campbell had established with the Cyclones. While he had to miss the first two games due to a lingering injury from his Princeton days, Travis took over as the team's starting left tackle as soon as he returned.

Travis quickly became a force in the Big 12, helping lead a Cyclones offensive line that paved the way for 27 rushing touchdowns and a new school record for points scored. Travis only allowed one sack all season on the way to earning Honorable Mention All-Big 12. He also added a certificate of education to his name while at Iowa State.

With an incredibly decorated college career in the books, Travis turned his attention to the NFL. Scouts were impressed with the progress made over the years at Princeton and how Travis quickly adapted to the heightened competition in the Big 12.

Travis impressed teams throughout the pre-draft circuit. Measuring 6-7 and 339 pounds, Travis put up fantastic workout numbers, showing off his athleticism. Travis also helped himself in team interviews, as front office execs and coaches were blown away by his intelligence and character.

When the 2025 NFL Draft finally came, it was not a matter of if Travis would be selected, but when. Travis was ready to go anywhere but hoped to land with a team with a well-respected offensive line coach who would help take his game to the next level.

On Day 3 of the draft, that team came calling. The Colts were on the other line, as Travis was heading to Indianapolis at pick 127. His dream of playing in the NFL had finally come true.

"Super surreal," Travis said after he was drafted. "The Colts, from the jump, have been big believers in me and that's something that I truly appreciate. Starting with coach Tony Sparano (Jr.) on the o-line, someone who I think has a great pedigree in this league and it's someone that I'm eager to get to work with.

"I realize that I have a lot of room to grow left in my game and I'm ready to get to work with him to see what we can accomplish and bring this team back to winning (in the) playoffs and and Super Bowls at a consistent level."

How Travis Helps the Colts

The Colts lost two starters on the offensive line during free agency in Ryan Kelly and Will Fries. While Travis is not expected to replace either, he will still compete for an important role on the offensive line from the jump.

Travis is a very intriguing offensive tackle prospect. He looks every bit the part of a dominant tackle in the NFL, with long arms and a massive frame. Travis is also a fantastic athlete (9.08 RAS), as he is quick out of his stance and plenty nimble for one of the largest players in the draft.

In the run game, Travis is an explosive player who creates movement off the snap, driving players off the ball. He works well on combo blocks to punch and climb to the second level and creates a brick wall when pulling out in space.

In the passing game, Travis’ frame is difficult for defenders to maneuver around. He patiently waits for defenders to make their moves and understands how to counter and adjust to what he is seeing from his opponent. Travis' hands are a plus in the passing game as well.

The selection of Travis brings clarity to the Colts' plans for their offensive line next season. While Travis does possess tackle-guard flexibility, all of his experience in college has been at tackle. Travis will likely compete with third-year player Blake Freeland for the Colts' swing tackle role.

Travis providing more depth at tackle opens up Matt Goncalves to move to right guard, replacing the departed Fries in the starting lineup. Goncalves only played one snap at guard for the Colts as a rookie, but offensive line coach Tony Sparano Jr. has expressed confidence in Goncalves' ability to play guard at a high level. Goncalves took all of the first-team reps at right guard during the offseason program.

Travis has proven time and again to be just as impressive off the field as he is on it. Now in the NFL, Travis does not believe the job is finished. He wants to have a long career and be an integral part of bringing wins and championships to Indianapolis.

If the past is any indication, Travis will be successful in that venture as well.

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