{{Short description|American football player (born 2002)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}} {{Infobox gridiron football biography | name = Austin Booker | image = | alt = | caption = | current_team = Chicago Bears | number = 94 | position = Defensive end | birth_date = {{birth date and age|2002|12|14}} | birth_place = Greenwood, Indiana, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 5 | weight_lbs = 245 | high_school = Center Grove {{nowrap|(Greenwood, Indiana)}} | college = Minnesota (2021–2022) <br> Kansas (2023) | draftyear = 2024 | draftround = 5 | draftpick = 144 | pastteams = * Chicago Bears ({{NFL Year|2024}}–present) | status = Active | highlights = * Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year (2023) * First-team All-Big 12 (2023) | statweek = | statseason = 2025 | statlabel1 = Total tackles | statvalue1 = 56 | statlabel2 = Sacks | statvalue2 = 6.0 | statlabel3 = Forced fumbles | statvalue3 = 1 | statlabel4 = Fumble recoveries | statvalue4 = | statlabel5 = Pass deflections | statvalue5 = 3 | statlabel6 = Interceptions | statvalue6 = | pfr = B/BookAu00 }}
'''Austin Booker''' (born December 14, 2002) is an American professional 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.
==Early life== 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Neddenriep |first=Kyle |date=May 31, 2020 |title=Football recruiting: Center Grove's Booker commits to Minnesota, Pike's Montgomery cuts list |url=https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/high-school/2020/05/31/center-grove-football-lineman-austin-booker-picks-college/5299395002/ |access-date=2024-06-22 |website=Indianapolis Star}}</ref>
==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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Greder |first=Andy |date=December 1, 2022 |title=Gophers defensive end Austin Booker plans to transfer out |url=https://www.twincities.com/2022/12/01/gophers-defensive-end-austin-booker-plans-to-transfer-out/ |access-date=2024-06-22 |website=St. Paul Pioneer Press}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Laddha |first=Shreyas |date=March 23, 2023 |title=Kansas took two D-line transfers from Minnesota. They think Jayhawks are 'hungrier' |url=https://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/big-12/university-of-kansas/article273517195.html |access-date=2024-06-22 |website=The Kansas City Star}}</ref> In his lone season at Kansas, he played in 12 games and had 56 tackles and eight sacks.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Beas |first=Mike |date=October 3, 2023 |title=Center Grove grad Booker excelling after transfer to Kansas |url=https://dailyjournal.net/2023/10/03/center-grove-grad-booker-excelling-after-transfer-to-kansas/ |access-date=2024-06-22 |website=Daily Journal}}</ref> After the season, he entered the 2024 NFL draft.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Guskey |first=Jordan |date=January 5, 2024 |title=Kansas football defensive lineman Austin Booker declares for 2024 NFL draft |url=https://www.cjonline.com/story/sports/college/hawk-zone/2024/01/05/kansas-football-defensive-lineman-austin-booker-declares-for-nfl-draft/72087061007/ |access-date=2024-06-22 |website=The Topeka-Capital Journal}}</ref> He sat out the 2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl in order to prepare for the draft.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Laddha |first=Shreyas |date=December 24, 2023 |title=Kansas Jayhawks football's Dominick Puni, Austin Booker opt out of Guaranteed Rate Bowl |url=https://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/big-12/university-of-kansas/article283491908.html |access-date=2024-06-22 |website=The Kansas City Star}}</ref>
==Professional career== {{NFL predraft | height ft = 6 | height in = 4 1/2 | weight = 240 | dash = 4.78 | ten split = 1.69 | twenty split = 2.80 | shuttle = 4.47 | cone drill = 7.28 | vertical = 32.5 | broad ft = 10 | broad in = 0 | arm span = 33 7/8 | hand span = 9 1/4 | wingspan ft = 6 | wingspan in = 9 3/8 | note = All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reuter |first=Chad |last2=Zierlein |first2=Lance |title=Austin Booker Draft and Combine Prospect Profile |url=https://www.nfl.com/prospects/austin-booker/3200424f-4f00-5373-700b-a9f16bc56e46 |access-date=March 21, 2024 |website=NFL.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1053550&DraftYear=2024 |title=2024 NFL Draft Scout Austin Booker College Football Profile |website=DraftScout.com |access-date=March 21, 2024}}</ref> }}
Booker was selected by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round with the 144th overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hajduk |first=Gabby |date=April 27, 2024 |title=Bears make trade with Bills, select Kansas DL Austin Booker in fifth round |url=https://www.chicagobears.com/news/bears-make-trade-with-bills-select-kansas-dl-austin-booker-in-fifth-round-144th-overall |access-date=May 1, 2024 |website=ChicagoBears.com}}</ref> He signed a four-year contract with the team on May 16.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mayer |first=Larry |date=May 16, 2024 |title=Roster Move: Bears sign rookie DE Austin Booker |url=https://www.chicagobears.com/news/roster-move-bears-sign-rookie-de-austin-booker |access-date=2024-05-16 |website=ChicagoBears.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
Booker began the 2025 season on injured reserve due to a knee injury suffered in the preseason. He was activated on October 28, 2025, ahead of the team's Week 9 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Roster Moves: Chicago Bears activate Booker, place Turner on IR|url=https://www.chicagobears.com/news/roster-moves-chicago-bears-activate-booker-place-turner-on-ir|access-date=December 10, 2025|website=chicagobears.com|language=en}}</ref> During the 2025 season, Booker was fined four separate fines from the NFL for unnecessary roughness. Three of them were in games against the Green Bay Packers, and one of those caused the Green Bay Packers quarterback, Jordan Love, to receive a concussion that caused him to miss two games.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ferreira |first=Wendell |date=January 18, 2026 |title=NFL admits mistake against the Packers in Bears game, but now it's too late for it to matter |url=https://atozsports.com/nfl/green-bay-packers-news/nfl-admits-mistake-against-the-packers-austin-booker-fined/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-17 |title=Another Austin Booker hit on Jordan Love draws biggest Bears fine |url=https://www.si.com/nfl/bears/onsi/another-austin-booker-hit-on-jordan-love-draws-biggest-bears-fine |access-date=2026-01-19 |website=Chicago Bears On SI |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lodhi |first=Muskan |date=2026-01-18 |title=NFL Makes Punishment Decision on Jordan Love Incident After Wild Card Loss to the Bears |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nfl-makes-punishment-decision-jordan-032900341.html |access-date=2026-01-19 |website=Yahoo Sports |language=en-US}}</ref>
==NFL career statistics== {| class="wikitable" ! colspan="2"| Legend |- | '''Bold''' | Career high |}
===Regular season=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- ! rowspan="2"| Year ! rowspan="2"| Team ! colspan="2"| Games ! colspan="5"| Tackles ! colspan="6"| Interceptions ! colspan="5"| Fumbles |- ! GP !! GS !! Cmb !! Solo !! Ast !! Sck !! TFL !! Int !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD !! PD !! FF !! Fmb !! FR !! Yds !! TD |- ! 2024 !! CHI | 17 || 0 || 21 || 14 || 7 || 1.5 || 3 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 |- ! 2025 !! CHI | 10 || 9 || '''35''' || '''19''' || '''16''' || '''4.5''' || '''5''' || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || '''3''' || '''1''' || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 |- ! colspan="2" |[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BookAu00.htm Career] ! 27 !! 9 !! 56 !! 33 !! 23 !! 6.0 !! 8 !! 0 !! 0 !! 0.0 !! 0 !! 0 !! 3 !! 1 !! 0 !! 0 !! 0 !! 0 |}
===Postseason=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- ! rowspan="2"| Year ! rowspan="2"| Team ! colspan="2"| Games ! colspan="5"| Tackles ! colspan="6"| Interceptions ! colspan="5"| Fumbles |- ! GP !! GS !! Cmb !! Solo !! Ast !! Sck !! TFL !! Int !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD !! PD !! FF !! Fmb !! FR !! Yds !! TD |- ! 2025 || CHI | 2 || 2 || 9 || 3 || 6 || 1.0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 |- ! colspan="2" |[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BookAu00/gamelog/post/ Career] ! 2 !! 2 !! 9 !! 3 !! 6 !! 1.0 !! 1 !! 0 !! 0 !! 0.0 !! 0 !! 0 !! 0 !! 0 !! 0 !! 0 !! 0 !! 0 |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.chicagobears.com/team/players-roster/austin-booker/ Chicago Bears bio] *[https://gophersports.com/sports/football/roster/austin-booker/19563 Minnesota Golden Gophers bio] *[https://kuathletics.com/roster/austin-booker/ Kansas Jayhawks bio]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Booker, Austin}} Category:Living people Category:Players of American football from Indiana Category:People from Greenwood, Indiana Category:Sportspeople from Johnson County, Indiana Category:American football defensive ends Category:Minnesota Golden Gophers football players Category:Kansas Jayhawks football players Category:Chicago Bears players Category:2002 births Category:21st-century American sportsmen