Photo: All-Pro Reels, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons²

Aaron Donald

Defensive Tackle, Los Angeles Rams · #99.

Player facts

Team: Los Angeles Rams
Position: Defensive Tackle
Number: 99
Born: May 23, 1991 (age 35)
Birthplace: Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Height: 6' 1"
Weight: 280 lbs
College: Pittsburgh
Experience: 10 seasons
Status: Active

Stats

2026 Defense

	TOT	SOLO	AST	SACK	FF	FR	YDS	INT	YDS	AVG	TD	LNG	PD	STF	STFYDS	KB
Regular Season	6	2	4	0	0	1	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	1	3	0
Career	548	339	209	111	24	8	40	0	0	0.0	0	0	21	110.5	256	0

Recent games

			Tackles				Fumbles		Interceptions
Date	Opponent	Result	TOT	SOLO	AST	SACK	FF	FR	INT	YDS	AVG	TD	LNG	PD	KB
Mon, Oct 12	vs BUF	L 37-34 OT	2	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
Sun, Sep 27	@ DEN	L 30-26	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
Mon, Sep 21	vs NYG	W 28-6	3	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0

Last 3 games. Click a game for its box score.

About

Aaron Charles Donald (born May 23, 1991) is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). Donald has been the cornerstone in the Rams defense for over a decade and is considered one of the greatest defensive players of all time.

Donald played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers, winning the Bronko Nagurski, Outland, and Bill Willis trophies and the Chuck Bednarik and Lombardi awards in 2013. Selected by the St. Louis Rams in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft, Donald spent his first 10 seasons with the franchise before retiring in 2023, but returned in 2026. He has been named Defensive Player of the Year a record three times, along with receiving Pro Bowl selections in all 10 of his seasons and eight first-team All-Pro honors. Donald was also a member of the Rams team that won Super Bowl LVI. He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2026.

From Wikipedia’s article on Aaron Donald, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.¹

Background

Early life

Aaron Charles Donald was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on May 23, 1991. He grew up as one of three children in a working-class family in the city's Lincoln–Lemington–Belmar neighborhood; Donald later admitted that he was "lazy as a kid." Seeking to provide a sense of structure in his son's life, Donald's father introduced him to workouts, and they would wake up at 4:30 a.m. and work out for nearly two hours in the gym that his father installed in their basement by the time Donald was 12.

Donald attended Penn Hills High School, where he played high school football for head coach Ron Graham. Donald was a first-team All-State Class AAAA selection in each of his final two seasons, and compiled 63 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, and 11 sacks as a senior. Donald also started at offensive guard.

Considered a three-star prospect by Rivals.com, Donald was rated as the 37th best defensive tackle in the nation. He committed to hometown Pittsburgh over other scholarship offers from Toledo, Akron, and Rutgers.

College career

As a true freshman in 2010, Donald played in all 13 games as a reserve defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Panthers. He recorded 11 tackles, including three for loss, and two sacks.

As a sophomore in 2011, Donald moved into the starting lineup and turned in a breakout campaign. He recorded 47 tackles, including 16 for loss, 11 sacks, and a forced fumble while being named a second-team All-Big East Conference selection.

As a junior in 2012, Donald recorded 64 tackles, including 18.5 for loss, 5.5 sacks, and a forced fumble, earning first-team All-Big East honors.

As a senior in 2013, Donald became one of the most productive defensive players in the entire NCAA. He posted 59 tackles, including a career best 28.5 for loss, 11 sacks, and four forced fumbles. Donald was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and was a unanimous All-American.

The University of Pittsburgh retired Donald's No. 97 jersey at halftime on November 15, 2025. Two months later, on January 14, 2026, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Donald's older brother, Archie Jr., was a star linebacker at Toledo who "bounced around the NFL as an undrafted free agent until retiring in 2012". The brothers, who shared bunk beds in their childhood, frequently thought about one day helping their parents retire, which became one of the driving forces in Aaron's career. On April 27, 2020, Donald revealed on Twitter that he had graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in communications.

In 2021, Donald and his wife Erica had a son. With his high school sweetheart Jaelynn Blakey, Donald also has a daughter born in 2013, and a son born in 2016. Donald and his wife established the Aaron Donald 99 Foundation, which is a non-profit organization focused on helping youth from underserved communities.

From Wikipedia’s article on Aaron Donald, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article.¹