Jared Thomas Goff was born in Novato, California, and grew up as a San Francisco 49ers fan (he wears the No. 16 in tribute to Joe Montana.) Though he received offers from Washington State, Fresno State, and Boise State, he chose to attend the University of California, Berkeley. During his tenure with the Golden Bears, he threw for 4,719 yards and 43 touchdowns in 2015 and owns 26 school records, according to ESPN. In 2015, he led the team to their first bowl game since 2008. He threw for six touchdowns to lead the Bears to a 55-36 victory over Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl.
Ahead of the Rams’ return to Los Angeles – having spent 20 years in St. Louis – the team picked Jared as the overall No. 1 draft pick. While he didn’t rack up the wins in college and wasn’t known for having “an absolute cannon for an arm,” according to NFL.com, he works great under pressure. Clearly, something has worked as the Rams have been resurgent since returning to LA.
