Jaylon Redd’s 2021 season was cut short during the Pac-12 championship game due to foot fracture. It marked the end of a five-year career in Oregon,  where the receiver totaled 131 receptions, 1,435 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns. His plan was simple: recover and prepare for the NFL draft.

Playing at the University of Oregon was a childhood dream of Redd’s. “Jaylon’s room is painted green and yellow,” his father, Fred Redd, told Montgomery Sports Group. “It has been since he was in seventh grade. He has Oregon Duck bed sheets.”

Redd went to the hospital with what he thought was food poisoning. On Dec. 17, 2021, the Redd family was told Jaylon had been diagnosed with a cancerous neuroendocrine tumor on his pancreas: a diagnosis an estimated 12,000 people a year receive, according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

“I’m not someone who can get shook easily,” Redd said. “It affected me at first. It was something to take on strong from the beginning. I had to overcome it and control what I can control.”

On Jan. 31, Redd underwent surgery to have the tumor removed. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he couldn’t have any visitors during the week spent recovering in the hospital after the procedure. 

“It was a really simple procedure,” Redd said. “None of the cancer spread through my blood; just cut it out and we’re good.” Now cancer free, he’s spent time recovering at his parents home in Northern California.

Still hungry and ready to compete, Redd is preparing to chase his NFL dreams. “He’s itching to get back out there,” Redd’s mother, Alicia Redd, told Montgomery Sports Group. “We’re going to back him 100%.”  

“I’m excited to see what my future holds,” Redd said. “I’ve been working so hard. I know now that I can face anything that is coming at me.”