Clayton Echard has officially been confirmed as the star of The Bachelor for the show’s 26th season, which premieres in January 2022. After the Nov. 30 episode of The Bachelorette, ABC revealed that Clayton will be taking on the lead role. However, rumors about Clayton’s casting have been swirling for months already.
The Bachelor host Jesse Palmer seemingly confirmed Clayton’s casting earlier this year. During filming, he posted a photo of himself and Clayton on Instagram on Oct. 12. “Meet my younger, bigger, better looking brother from another mother,” he captioned the photo, along with the hashtag #TheBachelor. Photos have also been leaked online of Clayton filming his season of the show. Get to know him with more facts below:
1. What Happened To Clayton On ‘The Bachelorette’?
Clayton was introduced to Bachelor Nation as a contestant on Michelle Young’s season of The Bachelorette. Although he didn’t get much screen time throughout the season, he made the final 8, and finally got a one-on-one date during the show’s Nov. 23 episode. Unfortunately, during the date, Michelle realized that Clayton was not “her person,” and she eliminated him before the rose ceremony.
2. Clayton Was A Football Player
Not only did Clayton play college football at Mizzou, but he was an undrafted rookie in 2016 and signed to the Seattle Seahawks. The former tight end alls himself as a “washed-up athlete now trying his luck in orthopedic sales” in his Instagram bio, but he did earn himself a spot at the Seahawks training camp. Back in 2016, he played in all four of Seattle’s preseason games and made it past the first round of cuts. “It was a unique experience that I was blessed to be a part of,” he wrote on LinkedIn.
3. Clayton Works As A Medical Sales Associate
According to Clayton’s LinkedIn page, he’s worked in sales for medical device company Stryker since July 2016. He has been based in the Columbia area since January 2018, and was in St Louis prior to that. Stryker, a Michigan-based company, is “one of the world’s leading medical technology companies and, together with its customers, is driven to make health care better. The company offers innovative products and services in orthopedics, medical and surgical, and neurotechnology and spine that help improve patient and hospital outcomes,” according to its website.
4. Where Did Clayton Go To College?
Clayton graduated from the University of Missouri – Columbia in 2015. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences, with minors in Spanish and Business. He is currently in the process of obtaining his Master’s of Business Administration in Health/Health Care. He is taking virtual courses at Southeast Missouri State University and is currently on track to graduate in 2023.
5. Clayton Is Close With His Mom
In Clayton’s introductory package for The Bachelorette, there was a video of his mom sending a special message to Michelle about her son. The two appear to be very close. Clayton’s mom works as a teacher, which is why the football player is so inspired by Michelle’s work in the same field.