Jared Wayne

Jared Emmanuel Wayne (born October 7, 2000) is a Canadian professional football wide receiver for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Pittsburgh.

High school career
Wayne grew up in Peterborough, Ontario where he would attend Adam Scott Collegiate and Vocational Institute where he would spend his Grade 9 year playing quarterback for the Lions. Wayne then chose to play summer football with the Peterborough Wolverines of the Ontario Football Conference. He would then transfer to Trinity College School in Port Hope, Ontario. For his Junior year, Wayne attended Clearwater Academy International in Florida. In his high school career, Wayne brought in 61 receptions for 1,157 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also threw for eight passes and completed five of them going for 55 yards and three touchdowns. Wayne also had one interception on defense. Wayne committed to play college football at the University of Pittsburgh over other school such as Bowling Green, Old Dominion, and South Florida.

College career
In Wayne's first season with the Panthers in 2019 he caught 18 passes for 261 yards and one touchdown. In Wayne's second season he recorded 21 receptions for 326 yards and a touchdown. However, in Wayne's third season he took a huge step up making 47 catches for 658 yards and six touchdowns. In Wayne's final season in 2022 he had a breakout season. On October 29 Wayne had a great performance against North Carolina bringing in seven receptions and 160 yards. In Pittsburgh's season finale Wayne had the best game of his career after catching 11 passes for 199 yards and three touchdowns all career highs in a win against Miami. For his performance, he was named the ACC wide receiver of the week. On the season Wayne brought in 60 receptions for 1,063 yards and five touchdowns. For his performance on the year he was named Second Team All-ACC. He was also named one of the five finalists for the Jon Cornish trophy which is awarded to the best Canadian player. After the conclusion of the 2022 season, Wayne declared for the NFL draft. Wayne was also invited to play in the 2023 Hula Bowl.

Professional career
After not being selected in the 2023 NFL draft, Wayne signed with the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent. Wayne was also selected in the 2023 CFL Draft by the Toronto Argonauts. He was waived on August 29, 2023, and later re-signed to the practice squad. He was released on November 8 and re-signed to the practice squad on November 17. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 22, 2024.