In His Own Words: Jake Funk | Living My Dream

Heading into Super Bowl LVI, Maryland alum and current Los Angeles Rams running back Jake Funk took some time to write about his journey from College Park to the NFL. Learn why in Funk's own words he's living his dream.

Terp Nation, the last time I was writing to you, it was just prior to the NFL Draft when I bet on myself that I would be drafted. Well, you know how that turned out. Now nine months later, I am living out another dream, playing in the SUPER BOWL! 

This past year, similar to my time in College Park, has been full of ups and downs.

Let’s start at the beginning…

The NFL Draft was the longest week and weekend of my life. I was very anxious. The anticipation of what could be and what could not be is unbelievable. I went into the draft not sure whether I was going to get drafted. We were basically flipping a coin and praying that things would go my way. 

And then my phone rang.

It was a three-way call with my agent and Los Angeles Rams General Manager Les Snead. That's when he told me that I had been drafted. That’s when I was told that my dream had come true.

Everything after that was a whirlwind. They flew me out to Los Angeles about 12 days after the draft, and I’ll be honest, I was a little starstruck when I first got out here.

Growing up, you never think that you'd be on the same field as guys like Aaron Donald, Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, Jalen Ramsey, and so many others. Now, not only was I on the same field as them, I was their teammate. 

And you might be surprised to hear this, but the differences between Los Angeles and Damascus, Maryland, are through the roof. 

You live in this city of superstars and celebrities, and it’s crazy. There are no real country roads, no mom-and-pop shops, and it's just so much bigger and broader than anything I knew growing up in Damascus.

The hardest part about being here was probably learning the playbook. Dealing with the mental side of the game was a challenge, but it was also a lot of fun. Once I was able to get a hold of the playbook and the terminology, I became even more comfortable.

Now let me tell you a little about Coach McVay.

Sean's a guy who really cares about his players. He's a player's coach, and you can see it every day with how he takes care of us and how he wants our team to succeed and wants us to succeed individually. He’s my football coach, but he also wants me to succeed in everything I do. 

When I got onto the practice field, I could tell that the NFL was different. 

I was confident in my abilities, and I knew they drafted me because they wanted me on this team for a reason. I'm a do-it-all type of guy. I'm confident in my abilities to play special teams and play running back. I knew that would be my niche. We have so many great running backs on this team, but I knew I could do more than just play running back. 

I worked hard all summer learning the playbook, grinding through rookie camp, minicamp, and training camp, all the way up to the preseason games hoping that I would make the team. I was always confident that I would make it, but you never know until you officially do.

I remember suiting up to play our final preseason game against the Denver Broncos, and right before they started playing the national anthem, Coach McVay walked up to me.  

He told me, “I can't wait to be singing the national anthem on September 12th with you,” and that I wasn’t going to be playing in the final preseason game - a sign that I had officially made the team.

When cut day came around, I just never got the call. Then we had a team meeting where Sean went over everybody officially on the 53-man roster, and my name was on it. 

It was official. I was on the 53-man roster of the Los Angeles Rams. 

Unfortunately, there was an increase in opportunity in the regular season because a couple of our running backs went down early. When they went down, I knew I could step up and help my team on the offensive side of the ball. 

Then in week three against the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I got my first NFL carry. 

It was unbelievable to just be in a huddle with Matt Stafford calling the plays. Seeing our amazing lineman upfront. Looking over and Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods are there. Having these “superstars” around me, and I was right there with them.

I gained six yards on my first rushing attempt and played 14 offensive snaps in that game. It was surreal.

Unfortunately, a few weeks later, I got injured. 

I strained my hamstring, got an MRI, and was initially told that it was bad. Possibly even season-ending. I was optimistic, though, and so was my team, so we decided to do whatever it took to get back this season. 

We were a little bit more conservative about it. So we took a little bit longer. We took weeks to make sure that it was right. We just wanted to make sure that we did it the right way.

Two months after I got hurt and was told my season was over, I was back just in time for the final push to the playoffs.

During our season, the team made a couple of different moves to really push for the Super Bowl. Trading for Von Miller and signing Odell Beckham Jr. were big moves for our team and it motivated me to get back even more.  

When we officially made the playoffs, there was a different feeling in the building. 

There was an understanding that there is no next week if you don't win this week. Everybody came together and understood that we have the front office, players, and coaches to make a deep run. 

For the next month, and to take a phrase from my Maryland days, we locked in.

We took it one day at a time and one week at a time, knowing how special this opportunity was. 

One part of the playoff run I will always remember is that I was on the field for the final kneel down in the NFC Championship game. I was in the huddle with Stafford, hugging him and everyone else, just telling them how much I loved them.  

It was a very special moment.

I'm a little bit spoiled as a rookie, going to the Super Bowl my first year. Being around all these guys who put so much time and effort into making this happen, seeing a guy like Stafford and other guys who have gone their whole career and haven't played in a Super Bowl. 

I could see it in their eyes how much it meant to them to finally get there.

Looking back at our run to this point, as the four seed in the NFC, two of our three playoff games were at home, which is unheard of. It made it a lot easier because we didn’t have to travel, and now all of these Super Bowl festivities are right down the street. It’s a blessing.

Even more of a blessing was having my Mom and Dad in the stands at the games, especially for the NFC Championship game. 

They were the first people that I saw after we won. They’ve been there from the beginning and supported me every game this year. They fly out to LA every single home game, and they're huge supporters. I'm truly just thankful for them.

Now, as we put that game behind us, we look ahead to the big one: The Super Bowl.

Right now, I am just living in the moment. 

Being able to play football in the month of February and being able to live out a childhood dream is amazing. I will enjoy every second of it because I recognize that it could never happen again in my NFL career. 

I've gained a little perspective on that by talking to a bunch of my teammates who've been in the league for a lot longer than I have.

I’m also pretty excited for the halftime show, even though I won’t be watching it or really listening to it. I grew up listening to Snoop, Dr. Dre, and all of that. They were all on my pregame playlists before games, so for them to perform the halftime show, in their hometown no less, is amazing. 

My teammates who’ve played in the Super Bowl told me it’s the longest halftime of your life, so I’m prepared for that too. 

I had to take care of all of the administrative stuff early on, thanks to advice from some of my teammates. They told me to take care of all the off-the-field stuff early on, like arranging tickets, travel, etc.

As I sit here now, one win away from living out my childhood dream of winning the Super Bowl, I’m grateful for all the support I’ve gotten from Maryland and Terp Nation. 

From playing for Damascus High School to playing for the University of Maryland, to now playing in the Super Bowl for the Los Angeles Rams, I’m just so blessed in my life. 

I’m living my dream, and I’m ready to make more dreams come true.