Austin Booker

Austin Booker (born December 14, 2002) is an American football defensive end for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Kansas Jayhawks.

High school career
Booker attended Center Grove High School in Greenwood, Indiana. As a junior, he had 67 tackles and eight sacks. He committed to the University of Minnesota to play college football.

College career
Booker played at Minnesota from 2021 to 2022. After redshirting his first year, he played in six games in 2022 and had two tackles. After the season, he entered the transfer portal and transferred to the University of Kansas. In his lone season at Kansas, he played in 12 games and had 56 tackles and eight sacks. After the season, he entered the 2024 NFL draft. He sat out the 2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl in order to prepare for the draft.

Professional career
Booker was selected by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round with the 144th overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft. He signed a four-year contract with the team on May 16.