Jack Sanborn

BIOGRAPHY

Jack Sanborn was born on July 29, 2000, in Illinois and has grown up to become a prominent professional American football linebacker famously playing for the Chicago Bears in the NFL. His early life in Deer Park, Illinois, was marked by the tragic death of his father, Paul Sanborn, when he was only four years old, leaving his mother single-handedly raising him.

Sanborn’s high school years were spent at Lake Zurich High School in his native Illinois. His reputation and love for the sport blossomed during his tenure at this school, especially during his senior year when he played a major role in the Illinois State Football Championship. After a successful season, he distinguished himself by being named the Pioneer Press Defensive Player of the Year. This achievement came after recording a remarkable 120 tackles and three sacks during his senior year. Furthermore, he racked a noteworthy 296 tackles and 13 sacks across three varsity seasons at Lake Zurich. With his high school performance, it was no surprise that he was rated a four-star recruit, which led him to committing to play college football at Wisconsin among many other attractive Power Five offers.

In his college career at Wisconsin, Sanborn established a steady progression. As a freshman, he made appearances in 11 games. By his sophomore year, he had become Wisconsin’s leading tackler with 80 dispatches along with nine tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. His consistent growth was further displayed in his junior year, where he, yet again, led the Badgers for the second consecutive season with 52 tackles. Besides the formidable record, he notably had one sack, one forced fumble, four tackles for loss, and one interception, for which he was subsequently named third-team All-Big Ten Conference. In his senior year, he grew even further, earning the title of first-team All-Big Ten after recording 91 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, and five sacks. Shortly after the season ended, Sanborn announced that he would be entering the 2022 NFL draft.

The following year, on May 6, Sanborn signed as an undrafted free agent with the Chicago Bears. He carved a name for himself in the Bears’ 53-man roster for the 2022 season, eventually becoming the starting middle linebacker after Roquan Smith’s trade. In his first career start on November 13, he recorded two sacks and 12 total tackles during a close loss to the Detroit Lions. However, following a season-ending ankle injury during a match with the Philadelphia Eagles, he was placed on injured reserve on December 20, 2022. Nevertheless, he had made six starts for the Bears in 2022, with a record of 64 total tackles and two sacks. Pro Football Focus recognized his efforts and named Sanborn to their 2022 All-Rookie Team following the regular season.

Anticipating the ensuing offseason, the Bears signaled reinforcements in the form of Tremaine Edmunds and T. J. Edwards to bolster their linebacker corps, resulting in Sanborn transitioning to a strong-side linebacker. Subsequently, he marked the 2023 Chicago Bears season by starting all 17 games with a commendable record of 65 tackles, one interception, one sack, and seven tackles for loss. His performance got him a place in ESPN’s 2023 ESPN “All-Youngster Team”, which is the collection of distinguished young players aged 24 and younger.

Aside from his individual acclaim, football seems to run in Sanborn’s family. His late father played college football as an offensive lineman for the University of Oregon, and his younger brother, Bryan, is currently a linebacker at Wisconsin, hinting at a continuing legacy of the Sanborns on the football field. Jack Sanborn’s journey from childhood to becoming a professional linebacker portrays the story of resilience, commitment, and growth, illustrating the making of a modern-day football great.