Jalen Travis has always been a competitor. Whether it was racing his siblings to the kitchen or the ideal seat in the car, playing basketball or football, or even pushing himself to be the best student in the classroom, Travis is used to working hard for what he wants.
And when you consider the fact that he played AAU basketball with current NBA players like Chet Holmgren and Jalen Suggs, he and his four siblings all played Division I sports, and he's cousins with former Colts tight end Ross Travis, that mindset makes even more sense.
"It's definitely great to have people like that in my life," Travis said Saturday after the Colts selected him in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
His cousin Ross – who was with the Colts from 2017-19 as a tight end – isn't Travis' only connection to the Colts, though, at least on paper. Travis attended Princeton University for his undergraduate degree, earning a degree in legal, political and economic anthropology with a certificate in African American studies. Who else goes to Princeton? Current Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce's younger brother, Caden, a star on the men's basketball team who was named 2024 Ivy League Player of the Year.
A three-star recruit out of high school, Travis had his pick of offers from Big Ten and Big 12 schools. He opted to go with Princeton, though, because he felt that was the place he could truly push himself in all areas to be better – and if there's one thing about Travis, he always wants to keep growing.
"Princeton represented both a place where I could push myself obviously off the field, but more importantly on the field," Travis said. "I knew if I went there and pushed myself that I'd be able to accomplish my dreams on the field as well, and obviously that ended with a great year at Iowa State last year."
Travis transferred to Iowa State for the 2024 season, starting 11 games at left tackle and earning honorable mention All-Big 12 honors. The 6-foot-7, 339-pound offensive tackle allowed just one sack on the season. Travis' hard work certainly paid off, as he made a strong first impression with the Colts from the start.
"The Colts from the jump have been big believers in me, and that's something that I truly appreciate," Travis said. "Starting with Coach Tony Sparano and the O-line. That's someone that I think has great pedigree in this league, and someone that I'm eager to get to work with. I realize that I have a lot of room to grow left in my game, and I'm ready to get to work with him to see what we can accomplish and bring this team back to winning playoffs and the Super Bowl at a consistent level."
Like a true Ivy League student, Travis did his homework prior to the draft and knows what he's getting with the Colts. And yet, he's entering the new stage of his life with only one expectation: that he's going to work.
"Someone in my position, I'm ready to come in and work," Travis said. "Whatever that looks like for our team going forward is for the coaches to decide, but I'm going to make sure that I'm putting my best foot forward starting day one, when I get to rookie mini-camp. To make sure that I'm continuing to perfect my process and approaching the game in the right way, to make sure that come the fall and come the season, I'm able to contribute to this team winning a Super Bowl, in whatever capacity that looks like."
