Justin Herbert

Early life

Herbert was born in Eugene, Oregon, on March 10, 1998, and attended Sheldon High School, where he played football, basketball, and baseball. During the third football game of his junior season, he suffered a broken leg, complicating his recruitment process. As a senior, Herbert passed for 3,130 yards and 37 touchdowns, and rushed for 543 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was named first-team All-State and the Southwest Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Northern Arizona, Portland State, and Montana State extended offers before Nevada and Oregon followed up with his only NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision offers. Herbert committed to Oregon in October 2015. Herbert also co-founded the Sheldon High School Fishing Club while in high school and served as their president.

2016 season

Entering his true freshman season listed as QB2 on the depth chart behind Dakota Prukop, Herbert became the first true freshman at Oregon to start at quarterback since Chris Miller in 1983 when the Ducks took on their arch-rivals, the Washington Huskies, on October 8, 2016. Despite Herbert setting or equaling Oregon's single-game records for total offensive yards (512), passing yards (489), and touchdown passes (6), the Ducks finished with their worst season in 25 years, going 4–8 and failing to make a bowl game for the first time in over a decade.

After the fifth game of the season, Herbert became the starting quarterback. He showcased his talents by throwing for 1,936 yards including 19 touchdowns with just four interceptions in eight starts. He led a come-from-behind upset when playing the ranked No. 11 Utah Utes. The team scored four touchdowns in the final 15:27 of the game to overcome a 14–3 deficit. On the final drive, Herbert completed 6-of-9 passes for 63 yards, including a 17-yard game-winning touchdown pass with two seconds left.

2017 season

The Ducks entered the 2017 season with new head coach Willie Taggart. Leading the Ducks to a 4–1 start, Herbert's transition from the Chip Kelly/Mark Helfrich-era's "Blur Offense" to Taggart's "Gulf Coast Offense" was successful, before he fractured his collarbone against the California Golden Bears on September 30, 2017.

Without Herbert in the lineup, the Ducks dropped four of their next five games, and the offense went from averaging 49.2 points per game to just 15.0 points per game. Herbert returned to help the Ducks win their last two regular season games to become bowl eligible. The Ducks were selected to play the Boise State Broncos in the Las Vegas Bowl but their performance fell flat and the Ducks lost 38–28 after Taggart left the team to become the head coach at Florida State a week before their bowl game.

In eight starts, Herbert had a 6–2 record and threw for 1,983 yards on 139-of-206 passing attempts (67.5%), including 15 touchdowns against only five interceptions. He also rushed the ball 44 times for 183 yards and five touchdowns. Herbert was named first-team CoSIDA Academic All-American with a 4.08 grade-point average in biology.

2018 season

Herbert entered his third collegiate season as an early Heisman Trophy candidate despite being coached by a third different head coach. He also learned a third different offensive scheme with new head coach Mario Cristobal, transitioning from the spread offense to the pistol offense. Herbert led the Ducks to a 9–4 record and a victory in the Redbox Bowl. He finished the year with 3,151 passing yards, 29 passing touchdowns, and two rushing touchdowns. His 31 total touchdowns were good for second in the Pac-12 Conference behind Gardner Minshew of the Washington State Cougars. He was named to the Pac-12 All-Academic first-team.

2019 season

Despite projecting as a high draft pick, Herbert announced that he would return to Oregon for his senior season. He led the Ducks to a 12–2 record, including a win in the Rose Bowl where he ran for three touchdowns and was named Offensive MVP. In his best statistical collegiate season, Herbert totaled 3,471 passing yards, 32 passing touchdowns, and four rushing touchdowns. In addition to his on-field success, Herbert was named the 30th recipient of the William V. Campbell Trophy, which recognizes excellence in academics, athletics, and leadership, and is also referred to as the "Academic Heisman". He graduated from Oregon with a bachelor's degree in general science.

Personal life

Herbert's maternal grandfather, Rich Schwab, played receiver at the University of Oregon in the 1960s. His paternal grandfather, Roger Herbert, was a biology teacher at Sheldon High School and fueled Herbert’s interest in science. His father, Mark Herbert, played football and ran track at the University of Montana. Herbert was a San Diego Chargers fan growing up. Herbert's younger brother, Patrick, currently plays tight end (also on the Chargers). His older brother, Mitchell, played wide receiver at Montana State University. Herbert has been in a relationship with singer-songwriter Madison Beer since 2025. They announced their engagement on July 28, 2026.

Chess

Herbert, after being beaten by Chargers teammate Rashawn Slater in chess during a road trip in 2024 to play the Carolina Panthers, decided to improve his play of the game over the next year, studying chess from various sources. He appeared with Swedish chess player, Woman FIDE Master and internet chess celebrity Anna Cramling in a video in 2025 to talk about his journey to improve his chess game.