Khalil Herbert

Khalil Herbert (born April 21, 1998) is an American football running back for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Kansas before transferring to Virginia Tech in 2020. Herbert was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Early life
Herbert attended American Heritage School in Plantation, Florida. He committed to the University of Kansas to play college football. He has roots in Jamaica and the British Virgin Islands.

Kansas
As a true freshman at Kansas in 2016, Herbert played in eight games with three starts and rushed for 189 yards on 44 carries with three touchdowns. As a sophomore he started six of 11 games, rushing for 663 yards on 120 carries and four touchdowns in the 2017 season. In the 2017 season, he ran for 291 yards and two touchdowns on 36 carries against West Virginia. He played in 12 games his junior year in 2018 and rushed 113 times for 499 yards and five touchdowns. Herbert played in four games in 2019 before leaving the team. He finished the year with 384 yards on 43 carries with two touchdowns.

Virginia Tech
Herbert joined Virginia Tech as a graduate transfer in 2020. He took over as the teams starting running back. In the Hokies' season opener against North Carolina State, he had 150 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown in the victory. Against Duke, he set the school record for all-purpose yards in a game with 358 (208 rushing and 150 kick returning) in the victory. In the following game against North Carolina, he had 18 carries for 138 yards and two touchdowns. In the following game against Boston College, he had 18 carries for 143 rushing yards and a 29-yard receiving touchdown in the victory. On October 31, in a road victory over Louisville, he had 21 carries for 147 yards and one touchdown. On December 12, against rival Virginia, he had 20 carries for 162 yards and a touchdown in the victory.

Herbert finished his one season with Virginia Tech with 155 carries for 1,183 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns to go along with ten receptions for 179 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in 11 games. He averaged 26.9 yards per kickoff return to lead the ACC.

Professional career
Herbert was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round, 217th overall, of the 2021 NFL Draft. He signed his four-year rookie contract with Chicago on June 2, 2021. Herbert started the season as the Bears kick returner and third-string running back. He earned more playtime after an injury to starting running back David Montgomery. Herbert capitalized on the opportunity by earning 75 yards on 18 carries in a Week 5 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. He was named the team's starting running back after Damien Williams was placed on the COVID-19 reserve list just days before the Bears Week 6 contest against the Green Bay Packers. Herbert rushed for 97 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries in a 24–14 loss to the Packers. Herbert finished his first season with 433 rushing yards on 103 carries and two touchdowns.

Herbert entered the 2022 season as the Bears' second-string running back behind Montgomery. In a Week 3 game against the Houston Texans on September 25, 2022, Herbert rushed for 157 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns after Bears starting running back Montgomery went down with an injury in the Bears 23–20 win. Herbert was named the FedEx Ground Player of the Week for his efforts against the Texans. He suffered a hip injury in Week 10 and was placed on injured reserve on November 15, 2022. He was activated on December 23. In the 2022 season, he appeared in 13 games and started one. He finished with 129 carries for 731 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns to go along with nine receptions for 57 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown.

Herbert entered the 2023 season as the Bears starting running back after David Montgomery signed with the Detroit Lions. In Week 4, he ran for 103 yards and had four catches for 19 yards and one touchdown. He suffered an ankle injury in Week 5 and was placed on injured reserve on October 13, 2023. He was activated on November 18.