Aidan O’Connell is an American professional football player who has represented the Las Vegas Raiders (2023-Present) in the NFL (National Football League – the highest professional level of American football in the world), as a quarterback. He had been picked 135th overall in the 4th round of the 2023 NFL Draft (an annual event that serves as the league’s most common source of player recruitment) by the Las Vegas Raiders.
Born Name
Aidan James O’Connell
Nick Name
Aidan
Aidan O’Connell as seen in an Instagram Post in November 2023 (Aidan O’Connell / Instagram)
Sun Sign
Virgo
Born Place
Long Grove, Lake County, Illinois, United States
Residence
United States
Nationality
Education
Aidan had attended the Adlai E. Stevenson High School, a 4-year public school located in Lincolnshire, a village in Vernon Township, Lake County, Illinois.
After graduating high school, he joined Purdue University, a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, a city in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States. There, between 2017 and 2022, he represented the Purdue BoilermakersAmerican football team.
Occupation
Professional American Football Player
Aidan O’Connell as seen in an Instagram Post in March 2022 (Aidan O’Connell / Instagram)
Family
Siblings – Sean O’Connell (Older Brother) (d. November 2022), Patrick O’Connell (Older Brother) (Former College-Level American Football Player), Liam O’Connell (Younger Brother), Seamus O’Connell (Younger Brother), Grace O’Connell (Sister)
Manager
He has been represented by Dave Maryles, Manager & Booking Agent, Rubicon Talent, Talent Management, Sports Marketing & Media Firm, New York City, New York, United States,
Position
Quarterback
Jersey Number
16 – Purdue Boilermakers
4 – Las Vegas Raiders
Build
Average
Height
6 ft 3 in or 190.5 cm
Weight
95 kg or 209.5 lbs
Girlfriend / Spouse
Aidan has dated –
Jael Johnson (2022-Present) – Aidan got engaged to his longtime girlfriend and volleyball player Jael Johnson in March 2022. The couple got married in July 2022.
Aidan O’Connell and Jael Johnson, as seen in May 2023 (Aidan O’Connell / Instagram)
Race / Ethnicity
White
He is of American descent.
Hair Color
Dark Brown
Eye Color
Green
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
Toned physique
Side-parted, close-cropped hair
Affable smile
Often sports a mustache
Religion
Christianity
Aidan O’Connell as seen in an Instagram Post in January 2024 (Aidan O’Connell / Instagram)
Aidan O’Connell Facts
Aidan used to represent Adlai E. Stevenson High School in both American football and basketball. In his senior year (2016), his only season as a starter in his high school’s American football team, he threw for a school-record 2,741 yards and 26 touchdowns.
In February 2017, he committed to play college-level American football at Wheaton College – a private Evangelical Christian liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois. However, less than a month later, he accepted a preferred walk-on spot with Purdue University.
He did not play any games for the university’sAmerican football team, the Purdue Boilermakers, in 2017 and 2018. In 2019, Aidan played in 6 games, starting 3 of them. Overall that season, he completed 103 of 164 passes for 1,101 yards with 8 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.
He began the 2020 season as a starter but suffered a season-ending injury after just 3 games. In the 2021 season, he completed 315 of 440 passes for 3,712 yards with 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. In the 2022 season, in which he played 12 games, he completed 320 of 499 passes for 3,490 yards with 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
In both 2021 and 2022, Aidan was included in the ‘Second-Team All-Big Ten‘. The Big Ten Conference is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded in 1896, it is based in Rosemont, Illinois, and its American football teams compete in the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (the highest level of college football in the United States).
He chose to enter the 2023 NFL Draft after the end of the 2022 season. He ended his stint with Purdue University as its all-time leader in completion percentage (66.7%), passing efficiency (141.6), and 500-yard passing games (2).
