All About Jerry Rice's Son, College Football Star Brenden Rice

Jerry Rice’s son, Brenden Rice, was drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024

Jerry Rice's son Brenden Rice is carrying on his football legacy.

The NFL offensive legend has four children, and his two sons Brenden and Jerry Rice Jr. followed in his footsteps, each taking to football. While Jerry Jr. played for the University of California Los Angeles, Brenden has become a star wide receiver at the rival University of Southern California. He officially went pro when he was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The emerging NFL player, who was born in 2002, has impressive statistics, scoring more than 10 touchdowns during his senior season and proving that he is more than just the son of a Hall of Fame player, but a star in his own right.

Brenden makes sure Jerry knows it, too. "He’s always bragging to me about being bigger, faster and all of that," Jerry told Fox News Digital in October 2023. Despite the teasing, Jerry shared that he loves cheering on his son.

"Just going there, supporting him, being there in the stands and watching him perform on the football field is really exciting," he added.

Here's everything to know about Brenden Rice.

He was born in 2002

Jerry and Djakarta Edwards welcomed their son Brenden on March 18, 2002. At the time, Brenden's father was married to his first wife, Jacqueline Bernice Mitchell.

Brenden is the only child of Jerry and Edwards, and Jerry stayed married to Mitchell until their divorce in 2009. Ten years later, Jerry married his wife Latisha Pelayo.

Brenden has three siblings from Jerry and Mitchell's marriage, Jerry Jr., Jacqui Bonet Rice and Jada Symone Rice, and one brother, Qualen, from his mother's marriage to football coach Rick Cunningham.

He had a strained relationship with Jerry for some time

Brenden and Jerry's relationship was strained for a while because of Jerry's affair with Edwards. “I did not have that father figure for a long period of time and she truly took over both roles,” Brenden said of his mother in a 2019 Cronkite News interview. “That is what I needed to go ahead and become the person I wanted to become in the long term and I am truly blessed to have her.”

The college football player spoke about his first memory with Jerry from when he was about 5 years old.

“We were in a hotel room, and we were just staring at each other. He said to me, ‘You know why I can open my eyes for so long? Because when that ball is in the air, you have to keep your eyes open,’ " Brenden recounted. "So I would try to hit him with the staring contest all the time. It was so funny.”

Brenden continued that there was a time when they didn't speak often, but now they talk a lot. “It truly has gone from, ‘Yeah we talk but nothing too close’ to actually being, ‘Hey, what’s up’ anytime throughout the day,” Brenden told the outlet.

He started playing football at 6 years old

With a father in the football Hall of Fame, it's no surprise that Brenden is committed to the sport.

“Football has honestly been life to me,” he told Cronkite News in 2019. “I need that football. That football is mine.”

He began playing the sport when he was 6 years old, and though his mother feared for his safety because of the risk of head injuries, Brenden's passion for the sport couldn't be tamed.

While his famous last name has helped along the way, Brenden said he hasn't always been guaranteed success. “College coaches thought I was too slow, too stiff,” Brenden told Cronkite News. “Even my best friend doubted me."

He started his college football career in Colorado

When Brenden started his collegiate football career in 2020, he was playing at the University of Colorado. He came to the team as a highly-ranked high school prospect from his Arizona hometown, Chandler. During his time with the team, he played offense and even started in a bowl game.

Brenden left the school to transfer to USC in January 2022.

He transferred to USC in 2022

Brenden chose to leave Colorado for the University of Southern California during his sophomore year. He wasn't planning on transferring in 2021 — in fact, he was interested in staying in Boulder, but when USC coach Lincoln Riley came to Brenden with an offer, he knew he had to take it.

"I get a couple other calls, but as soon as you heard Lincoln call, you just had to go. Especially with like USC and its big name. You gotta come. You have to. Man, it was quick. I was shocked," he told 247 Sports in March 2022.

He followed in his father’s footsteps in a special ad campaign

When Jerry was at the peak of his career, he was the face of Breathe Right nasal strips. Decades later, Brenden is now the new face of the brand.

"I'm truly fortunate and blessed to actually be able to come out here and get this father-son tradition going," Brenden told PEOPLE in an exclusive interview from the set of the photo shoot, where he recreated his dad's original campaign shots.

"You see the first generation, you see the second generation. So, now that his time has passed within the league, it's like passing the torch," he continued. "Now it's my turn, and I'm glad to build this partnership and keep it going within the Rice family."

Modeling and football aren't the only skills Jerry has passed down to his son — Brenden noted that he also learned important lessons in leadership from his famous father. "There's a lot that goes into leadership and being that role model and I feel as though he presented himself as a perfect role model all his career and all his life," Brenden told PEOPLE.

He's often compared to Jerry

Jerry is known as one of the most talented wide receivers in NFL history. He still holds the record for receptions, yards receiving and touchdown catches. So, Brenden has a lot to live up to.

“The standard is ridiculous, so you can see what you’re expecting from me,” he told the Associated Press just days before the 2024 NFL Draft.

He was drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers in April 2024

Brenden was selected by the Chargers as the 225th-overall pick in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft on April 27.

In a video shared in a joint Instagram post by Brenden and the NFL Network, Brenden's mom can be seen reacting to the news. As Brenden calls Edwards on FaceTime, she becomes emotional, tearfully saying, "we're going back to L.A."

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