Jeff Caldwell (American football)
| No. 9 – Cincinnati Bearcats | |
|---|---|
| Position | Wide receiver |
| Class | Senior |
| Personal information | |
| Born | March 5, 2001 |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Butler Traditional (Louisville, Kentucky) |
| College | Lindenwood (2022–2024) Cincinnati (2025) |
| Stats at ESPN | |
Jeff Caldwell (born March 5, 2001)[1] is an American football wide receiver. He played college football for the Lindenwood Lions and Cincinnati Bearcats.
Early life
Caldwell is from Louisville, Kentucky.[2] He attended Butler Traditional High School where he initially only intended on playing soccer.[3] He followed after his brother, Frank, and played football, but received little attention as a college recruit.[4][5] Caldwell had a growth spurt and went from 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) as a junior to 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) as a senior but still had little attention from colleges.[4] He was an unranked recruit and signed to play college football for the FCS-level Lindenwood Lions, the only team to give him an offer.[4]
College career
In his freshman year at Lindenwood, 2022, Caldwell caught eight passes for 141 yards and four touchdowns.[2] He then recorded 32 catches for 599 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023, being named first-team All-OVC–Big South Football Association.[2][6] He had his best season at Lindenwood as a junior in 2024, catching 53 passes for 1,032 yards and 11 touchdowns while being named first-team all-conference, second-team All-American and a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, given to the best offensive player at the FCS level.[2][4]
Caldwell transferred to the Cincinnati Bearcats in 2025.[4] He was named to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic's "Freaks List", highlighting the most athletic college football players.[5] Caldwell was recorded as being able to run over 22 miles per hour while posting a broad jump of 11 feet 9 inches (3.58 m).[5] He caught 32 passes for 478 yards and six touchdowns for Cincinnati.[7] After the season, Caldwell was invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, where he led all wide receivers in the broad jump.[8]
References
- ^ "Jeff Caldwell Player Contract, Stats, Age and More". Lines.com. Retrieved 2026-03-03.
- ^ a b c d "Jeff Caldwell". Cincinnati Bearcats.
- ^ Greever, Tyler (October 16, 2020). "HSGT Senior Spotlight: Butler's Jeff Caldwell learns from others to grow into leadership role". WHAS-TV.
- ^ a b c d e Springer, Scott (March 30, 2025). "New Cincinnati Bearcats wide receiver owes Big 12 chance to growth spurt, social media". The Cincinnati Enquirer.
- ^ a b c Springer, Scott (September 12, 2025). "Cincinnati Bearcats football receiver Jeff Caldwell is humble high flyer". The Cincinnati Enquirer.
- ^ Organ, Mike (October 3, 2024). "Eddie George says Lindenwood's Jeff Caldwell can play in the NFL. How will TSU stop him?". The Tennessean.
- ^ Rupp, Brennen (January 30, 2026). "Unpacking Future Packers: No. 82, Cincinnati WR Jeff Caldwell". USA Today.
- ^ Heltman, Russell (February 28, 2026). "Jeff Caldwell Makes NFL History With Wildly Athletic Combine Performance". Sports Illustrated.