TLDR: Ree and Ladd Drummond took in Jamar Goff as a foster son in 2018 after he showed up at their home as a teenager going through a difficult situation.
They formally adopted him that same year, and as of 2026, Jamar is 23 years old, plays football at the University of Central Oklahoma, and remains close with the entire Drummond family.
For years, longtime fans of The Pioneer Woman only knew about four Drummond kids. Then in late 2020, Ree Drummond revealed there was a fifth. His name is Jamar Goff, and the story of how he became part of the family is one of the more heartfelt chapters in the Drummonds’ history.
Jamar Showed Up Through Football, Not a Plan
Ree has been clear that fostering was never something she and Ladd set out to do. “Fostering a kid was never something Ladd and I pursued or felt called to do, but Jamar’s circumstances presented themselves to us in a way we couldn’t ignore,” she wrote.
Jamar knew the family through football before he ever knew them as anything else. He played alongside Ree and Ladd’s sons Bryce and Todd at Pawhuska High School, and Ladd had crossed paths with him on the field a few times.
When Jamar’s home situation became too difficult, the Drummonds stepped in.
As Ree put it, “all six foot five inches of him showed up at our house one afternoon, bag in hand, ready to move in.”
Jamar moved in with the family in early 2019, and the adoption became official later that year.
Why Ree Waited to Talk About Him Publicly
Ree did not introduce Jamar to her audience right away, and that was intentional. Part of the delay came down to state rules around fostering that limit what families are allowed to share. The other part was Ree’s own instinct to protect Jamar’s privacy while he adjusted to a completely new home and family.
She finally wrote about him publicly once he turned 18, in an excerpt from her book Frontier Follies. By then, Jamar had told her himself that he did not want to feel like he was being hidden from the world.
Once that excerpt went up on her website in November 2020, fans got their first real look at the newest member of the family, including just how tall he is.
At six foot five, Jamar towers well over Ree’s five foot nine frame, which became something of a running joke between them.
An Injury That Brought the Family Closer, Fast
Not long after Jamar joined the family, he suffered a serious ATV injury to his foot that required surgery and left him bedridden for six weeks. At the time, he was worried the injury might end his football career before it even started.
Ree leaned on her usual love language to help him through it. “I felt bad for Jamar…so I overcompensated by serving him ‘generous’ (oversize) portions of home-cooked food every morning, noon, and night,” she wrote. Between his appetite and six weeks of not being able to move much, Jamar ended up gaining roughly 30 pounds during his recovery. Ree joked about it later, writing, “Sorry, Jamar, my heart was in the right place!”
As tough as the injury was, Ree has said it ended up being a turning point for the family. Taking care of Jamar through surgery and recovery forced everyone to get close fast, at a moment when he was still adjusting to a brand new home.
Football, College, and Life as a Drummond
Jamar grew into a standout defensive lineman at Pawhuska High School, helping lead the team to a 12 and 1 season and a trip to the state semifinals.
In February 2021, he signed his letter of intent to play for the University of Central Oklahoma, joining his foster brother Bryce, who had committed to North Texas around the same time.
Ree was vocal about her pride when he signed. “I’m so proud of him and so grateful for his friends, coaches, and community for supporting him in countless ways,” she wrote on Instagram. “And I’m grateful for Jamar himself, his hard work, his commitment, and his presence in our family.”
Jamar has returned the warmth plenty of times over the years, including a heartfelt Instagram tribute to Ladd on his birthday, thanking him for being “the best father figure” he could ask for and crediting him with teaching him “more things than you know.”
Where Jamar Is in 2026
As of 2026, Jamar is 23 years old. He continues to play football at the University of Central Oklahoma and is majoring in economics. Like his foster siblings Bryce and Todd, he has built his own life away from the ranch while staying closely connected to the family that took him in.
Ree still marks his birthday every year with photo collages and heartfelt captions, often noting how much personality he brings to the family. “With Jamar, there’s a whole universe going on in that mind and heart and soul of his,” she wrote for one of his recent birthdays. “It’s a beautiful thing to behold.”
What started as an unplanned, almost accidental arrangement between two football families in a small Oklahoma town has held up for years now. Jamar is not a guest star in the Drummond family story. He is, as Ree wrote herself, “an inextricable part of our wacky family.”
Jamar Goff and the Drummond Family: Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Ree Drummond adopt Jamar Goff?
Jamar was a friend and football teammate of Ree’s sons Bryce and Todd. When his home situation became difficult, the Drummonds took him in as a teenager in early 2019 and formally adopted him later that year.
Is Jamar Goff still part of the Drummond family?
Yes. As of 2026, Jamar is 23, plays football at the University of Central Oklahoma, and remains close with Ree, Ladd, and his siblings.
Why didn’t Ree Drummond talk about Jamar sooner?
State fostering rules limited what she could share, and she also wanted to protect Jamar’s privacy. She waited until he turned 18 and gave his blessing before writing about him publicly in her book Frontier Follies.
