Joshua Kelley Bio
Joshua Tyler Kelley is an American professional football running back. Born on November 20, 1997, in Inglewood, California, Kelley began his college football career with the UC Davis Aggies before transferring to the UCLA Bruins program. He rushed for 1,000 yards in each of his two seasons with the Bruins, earning second-team All-Pac-12 honors in 2019. He was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft and has also played for the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans.
Standing 6 feet tall and listed around 210 pounds, Kelley is known for his bruising running style and ability to finish through contact. After spending the early part of his professional career serving as a backup, he has continued to contribute on special teams and in complementary backfield roles for multiple organizations.
Early Life and Background
Joshua Kelley was raised in Inglewood and later Lancaster, both cities in Los Angeles County, California. His mother, Jacqueline, worked as a speech pathologist at an elementary school and raised Joshua and his older brother Daniel as a single parent. Growing up, Kelley followed UCLA closely. His mother volunteered at the University of California, Los Angeles, and several of his relatives had ties to the school, including an uncle who played on the Bruins baseball team.
Kelley attended Eastside High School, where he starred for the Lions football program. Across his final two prep seasons, he rushed for 1,903 yards and 22 touchdowns. As a senior, he earned first-team all-conference honors in the Golden League and was named the league’s running back of the year. Despite those numbers, Kelley entered the college recruiting cycle as a lightly regarded two-star prospect, ranked the No. 232 running back in the class of 2015.
Path to American Football
Only one college program pursued Kelley out of high school, and he accepted a roster spot at the University of California, Davis. Competing at the Football Championship Subdivision level, he shared carries with another capable back in Manusomo Luuga while battling minor injuries during his first season. He did not receive a full scholarship until the start of his sophomore year but gave it up and entered the transfer portal after head coach Ron Gould and the rest of the Aggies staff were fired. He closed his UC Davis tenure with 1,139 rushing yards and seven touchdowns across two seasons.
Kelley’s release terms limited his transfer options to two California schools, UCLA and USC, although Boise State also expressed interest. He signed as a walk-on with the UCLA Bruins, sat out the 2017 season as a redshirt, and served on the scout team. Following a coaching change that brought Chip Kelly to Westwood, Kelley was awarded a scholarship and began his climb toward the Bruins’ primary backfield role.
Joshua Kelley Career
Early Career (2018)
As a redshirt junior in 2018, Kelley did not see meaningful action until Week 4 at Colorado, after being outplayed in practice and benched the prior week against Fresno State. Following an open week, he erupted for 124 yards on 12 carries against the Buffaloes and emerged as one of the Pac-12’s top running backs over the season’s final two months. He posted six 100-yard rushing games and finished the year as UCLA’s most valuable player.
Kelley closed the 2018 season with 1,243 rushing yards, the tenth-highest single-season total in UCLA history, along with 12 rushing touchdowns, second-most in the Pac-12. He earned honorable mention in All-Pac-12 voting from conference coaches and first-team honors from the Associated Press, solidifying his status as a future professional prospect.
UCLA Breakthrough (2019)
Kelley returned for his senior season in 2019 and produced one of the most memorable individual campaigns in recent Bruins history. After missing the opener while recovering from a knee injury, he delivered a signature performance against Arizona State, rushing 34 times for 164 yards and a career-high four touchdowns in a 42-32 upset of the No. 24 Sun Devils. He added 126 yards and two touchdowns the following week against Colorado and closed his college career with 76 yards against California.
That final tally pushed Kelley to 1,060 rushing yards, making him only the eighth player in UCLA history to rush for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons. He finished the year ranked second in the Pac-12 in rushing yards per game and rushing touchdowns, both behind Utah’s Zack Moss, and was named second-team All-Pac-12. Across his Bruins career, he totaled 454 carries for 2,303 yards and 24 touchdowns. His strong showing at the Senior Bowl, including 105 rushing yards on 15 carries, helped lift his draft stock heading into the NFL.
Los Angeles Chargers Era (2020-2022)
Kelley was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft with the 112th overall pick. He competed with Justin Jackson for the backup role behind featured back Austin Ekeler and opened his rookie season with a 60-yard rushing performance and a touchdown in a Week 1 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. The following week, he added 113 scrimmage yards against the Kansas City Chiefs. A pair of fumbles in back-to-back close losses later in the year, however, cost him snaps and confidence.
In 2021, Kelley played in 10 games and recorded 33 carries for 102 yards with five receptions for 38 yards. He returned to the backfield in 2022 after an offseason dedicated to physical improvement, briefly overtaking veteran Sony Michel in the rotation before suffering an MCL sprain in Week 6. He was placed on injured reserve in October and activated in late November, finishing his Chargers tenure after the 2023 season.
Tennessee Titans Era (2024-Present)
Following his departure from the Chargers, Kelley signed with the New York Giants on August 15, 2024, before being released ten days later. He then caught on with the Tennessee Titans practice squad on October 15, 2024, and was promoted to the active roster on November 2. Kelley appeared in three games for the Titans during the 2024 season, providing depth in the backfield and contributing on special teams.
Notable Events and Milestones
One of the defining moments of Kelley’s career came during the 2018 UCLA-USC rivalry game, where he rushed for a career-high 289 yards on 40 carries, including a 61-yard touchdown run. That total set the record for most rushing yards by a player from either side in the history of the crosstown rivalry and remains a benchmark performance in his career.
Joshua Kelley Career Wins
Joshua Kelley’s most prominent individual victories have come through consistent production rather than singular championship moments. He captured first-team All-Golden League honors as a high school senior and later earned second-team All-Pac-12 recognition in 2019. Among his signature team wins is the 2018 regular-season victory over Colorado in which he first announced himself as UCLA’s lead back, the 42-32 upset of No. 24 Arizona State in 2019, and his early-season debut win with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020.
Joshua Kelley Family
Family Background and Personal Life
Kelley grew up in a close-knit household shaped largely by his mother, Jacqueline, who worked as a speech pathologist and raised Joshua and his older brother Daniel on her own. Several relatives, including an aunt, uncle, and his mother, had ties to UCLA, which helped spark his lifelong attachment to the program. Kelley’s Christian faith has been a steady part of his personal life.
Joshua Kelley is married to Mikaela Kelley. The couple has been together through his transition from a lightly recruited high school prospect to an NFL running back, and she has been a consistent presence throughout his professional journey.
2025 Season Outlook
Heading into the 2025 season, Joshua Kelley is expected to compete for a complementary role in the Tennessee Titans backfield. After appearing in three games late in the 2024 campaign, he enters the offseason with an opportunity to earn additional carries and special-teams responsibilities. The Titans are likely to lean on a committee approach, which would give Kelley a clear path to expanded snaps if he performs well in training camp and the preseason.
Kelley’s offseason focus will likely center on maintaining the physical gains that helped him surge up the Chargers’ depth chart in 2022 before his MCL injury. If he stays healthy and produces consistently in pass protection and on special teams, he should remain in the mix for a 53-man roster spot. With a stable situation in Tennessee and his family alongside him, Kelley will aim to deliver the kind of steady, hard-running contribution that has defined his career to this point.