The New Bachelor Has Been Announced. Here's What We Know

When the Season 18 Bachelorette Michelle Young started her journey to find love last January during Matt James' newsworthy season, the Minnesota teacher immediately became a fan-favorite — leading to her casting in the same role after Matt had sent her home. However, unlike Matt's turn, Michelle's season aired back-to-back with another Bachelorette, Katie Thurston, after the two were both announced as casting picks. Katie's season aired first, as Michelle stuck to teaching her students for the remainder of the semester earlier this year.

Michelle's season has been airing for several weeks now, and despite not being finished, the ABC franchise has already announced who the following lead on "The Bachelor" will be, one that might surprise viewers this time. Although it's currently unclear if the network will be following the double-season casting format for their future male leads, it definitely comes as a shock who was cast. Here's what to know about next season.

One of the contestants on Michelle Young's currently airing season of "The Bachelorette," Clayton Echard, was announced as the next "Bachelor" lead on November 30. According to the show's Twitter account, Clayton's season will premiere on January 3, 2022. For those unaware, Clayton was sent home by Michelle in a tearful moment during the November 23 episode, after she didn't feel prepared to meet his family.

"I'm just a Midwest guy from Missouri that just wants to find love. And I believe more than anything that my future wife is here," Clayton said in his first promo for the upcoming season.

Clayton was also an NFL football player, appearing on the roster for both the Seattle Seahawks and Missouri Tigers, according to Yahoo Sports. In addition to his athletic background, another roster for his "Bachelor season" was released prior to his official announcement, with the list and pictures of potential women available on Cosmopolitan.