Last NFL season saw the African conversation dominated by New Orleans Saints rookie Alvin Kamara, with a bit of Nelson Agholor of the Eagles thrown in, but what will 2018 hold?

With kickoff right around the corner, on Thursday 6 September, here are the African players to keep tabs on this season.

Don't sleep on these rookies

Duke Ejiofor (Outside linebacker, Houston Texans)

Houstonian Duke Ejiofor finds himself suiting up for his hometown Houston Texans. The Wake Forest University graduate slipped in the 2018 NFL draft due to injury concerns as he recovered from labrum surgery.

Up stepped the Texans to add Ejiofor to an extremely talented group of pass rushers (J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney and Whitney Mercilus) and it didn't take long for the rookie to impress during pre-season.

With his smoothness and various pass rush moves, watch for Ejiofor to get after opposing quarterbacks when he does see the field this season.

Chuks Okorafor (Offensive tackle, Pittsburgh Steelers)

Left tackle Chuks Okorafor finds himself further up the depth chart than expected when he was drafted in April. After swing tackle Chris Hubbard departed for Cleveland in the off-season, the plan was for Jerald Hawkins to step into the role, but a quadriceps injury ended Hawkins season before training camp.

Nigeria-born, Botswana-raised Okorafor has impressed distinguished Steelers offensive line coach Mike Munchak with the ability to play both left and right tackle when need be. The former Western Michigan University player has both a great line coach and veteran offensive line to learn from as he deputizes when called upon this season.

No second fiddles

Chidobe Awuzie (Cornerback, Dallas Cowboys)

High expectations are being placed on the shoulders of Dallas Cowboys cornerback Chidobe Awuzie this season. The 2017 second round pick impressed when healthy last season (a hamstring injury early on led to him playing just 10 games) and has brought his good form into training camp and pre-season.

Playing the left cornerback position for the Cowboys, Awuzie had one of the highlights of pre-season with this interception.

With a number change from 33 to 24, Awuzie will hope to live up to the number, formerly worn in the 80s by Cowboys great and one of two players to ever lead the NFL in interceptions thrice, Everson Walls.

Larry Ogunjobi (Defensive Tackle, Cleveland Browns)

Last season, Ogunjobi had to work his way into the mix at defensive tackle for the Browns but by the end of the season was a favourite of coaches and Pro Football Focus graders. PFF ranked Ogunjobi in the top 20 of run defenders and in the top 30 of interior defensive linemen.

This season, much will be expected of Ogunjobi, and for him to build on his play during the latter part of the 2017 season, especially on pass rushing downs. He will also be expected to play the nose tackle position and the three-technique defensive tackle spot.

Ogunjobi can be absolutely disruptive and the Browns defense should be impressive when he lines up alongside fellow Nigerian-American Emmanuel Ogbah and last year's number one pick Myles Garrett.


Show me the money!

Jay Ajayi (Running back, Philadelphia Eagles) and Tevin Coleman (Running back Atlanta Falcons)

Preparing for their fourth NFL season, Philadelphia Eagles running back Jay Ajayi and Atlanta Falcons running back Tevin Coleman are playing out the final year of their rookie contracts.

Coleman is a bet to get a hefty contract in 2019 as he is coming off his most productive season in terms of carries, and is primed to shine when placed in a backfield that features his ability.

George Iloka on the Bengals, romance, and Nigerian comfort food
KweséESPN


Born and raised in Houston to Nigerian parents, George Iloka had to talk his way into playing American football as a kid, but once he convinced his mom, he made the most of a college career at Boise State, and onwards to Cincinnati.

Now one of the premier safeties in the league, Iloka talks to KweséESPN about the Bengals' mixed season (3-4), his favourite players to watch, his time at school in Nigeria, and his melodic proposal to his fiancee.

Q: How did you get started playing football?

Iloka: I just liked it growing up. I saw it on TV and I asked my parents, 'Can I play?' They said no at first. My mom... because she was scared. I eventually convinced her and the rest is history.

Q: What was your favourite team as a kid?

Iloka: [Houston] Oilers. Until they switched [Moved to Tennessee]. Once they left I became a 'players' kind of guy.

Q: Who were your favourite players to watch?

Iloka: Barry Sanders, Sean Taylor, Ed Reed... I liked Troy Polamalu. Vince Young, Reggie Bush, Mario Williams. They were the greats, so [as a safety] you got to watch the film and see what things you can pick up, learn from them and see if you can put into your game.

Q: Who were your mentors during your first few years in the NFL [after being drafted to the Bengals in 2012]?

Iloka: Closest thing to a mentor was probably Chris Crocker and Terence Newman [former Bengals defensive backs]. They just talked to me about experiences, certain things that you learn from playing the game for a long time like they had. I learned something from everybody that was here, but those were the two main guys.

Q: What's the best advice you received about playing your position?

Iloka: Just play your leverage, and communicate.

Q: What has been your most memorable moment in the NFL so far?

Iloka: I had two picks against the Atlanta Falcons [in 2014] and I could have had four, actually. I dropped two. It's still memorable just because it's a good team, it was my second year, going up against Julio [Jones], me and him one-on-one and I made a decent play on the ball.


Q: What's your pre-game music as you head to the stadium on gameday?

Iloka: Z-Ro, Mo-City Don. That's it right there.

Q: Speaking of music, tell us about the song proposal you did this year. How did that come about?

Iloka: I knew that song for a while and I just wanted to do something special and I thought maybe a music video. I never thought about marriage -- as a guy you don't think about marriage until there's someone who makes you think about it -- so it wasn't like I was single the whole time and thinking of it [using the song for a proposal video].

Q: What are your thoughts on how the season has gone so far for for the Bengals?

Iloka: We're not where we want to be so we're not satisfied. Everybody could play better. Obviously if we all played better we'd have a better result right now, including myself. We all just got to look ourselves in the mirror and figure out what each of us can do better as individuals. If we collectively get better as individuals we will collectively get better as a team and have better results.

Q: Do you believe the eight games left this season will be enough to get on a roll and compete for the division or a wild card spot?

Iloka: We've got four losses. We just got to worry about us right now. Nothing's out of reach. We got to turn this ship around now because we don't want to widen that gap [between the Bengals and top-placed Steelers].

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Q: Tell us about your background. Where in Nigeria are your parents from?

Iloka: My dad is from Olo [outside of Enugu] and my mom is from Enugu. I lived there for six months. I went to school there, with my sister, for six months. It was in Enugu, a boarding school.

Q: When was the last time you went back?

Iloka: When I left [school]. I got sick, that's why I left early. I was supposed to be there for a year or two but I got sick three times.

Q: Do you speak Igbo?

Iloka: I understand and speak a little bit. I know the basics but I can't understand it all.

Q: Do you have a go-to Nigerian food that you have whenever your mom is around?

Iloka: Pepper soup.

Punishment1:


Yeah Wilder has a dodgy chin as well, but he has more one punch power than Joshua. Plus, Wilder is awkward in the ring. It's a 50/50 fight, but I think that Wilder stops him when they fight. AJ is decent, it's just that he's a hypejob.

Thirty seasons ago, Christian Okoye blasted his way into pro football lore by rushing for 105 yards -- including a 43-yard touchdown burst -- in his first NFL game. From 1987 to '92, Okoye was one of the league's best running backs for the Kansas City Chiefs. He was power and speed -- at 260 pounds he ran a 40-yard dash in 4.45 seconds, faster than Jerry Rice or Michael Irvin -- packaged in enormous shoulder pads.

Plus, he had that nickname.

The Nigerian Nightmare -- a label affixed by Chiefs teammate Irv Eatman -- was the AFC Offensive Player of the Year and an All-Pro in 1989, when he led the NFL in carries (370) and rushing yards (1,480). Despite injuries that ate into his playing time and shortened his career, Okoye was a two-time Pro Bowler and twice ran for more than 1,000 yards in a season.

"It was, 'Look out, world, here comes the Nigerian Nightmare,'" Eatman said about his reaction to seeing Okoye run over defenders in practice and exhibitions.
While his impact on the field, and opposing tacklers, was substantial, a quarter century after he retired, Okoye's greatest legacy might be as a pioneer who blazed a trail as the NFL's first Nigerian-born non-kicker. Thirty-five players with Nigerian roots were with NFL teams in training camps this summer, and dozens more have played in the league in the three decades since Okoye's debut.

His name continues to resonate with Nigerian-American players, who see him as the link between their community and their sport.

Okoye says he knew nothing about American football in 1982 when he arrived at Azusa Pacific University in the Los Angeles area. A sprinter and thrower in high school in Nigeria, he became a multiple NAIA All-American in the shot put, discus and hammer. Though he ranked as Nigeria's top discus thrower, he wasn't selected to the 1984 Olympic team. It was then, at age 23, he decided to try football. Three seasons later -- after learning the game's rules and how to read a playbook, block and catch -- the Chiefs took him in the second round of the 1987 draft.

"We thought he was almost too good to be true," said Jim Schaaf, the Chiefs' general manager at the time. "Our personnel people said this kid's got everything. He's got the size, he's got the speed, he's got the intelligence, he's got the character."

Okoye remembers how some analysts called him "a project." He quickly proved them wrong.Retired defensive end Adewale Ogunleye calls Okoye "the godfather" of football for Nigerian-Americans. "He's a legend. A legend," Ogunleye said. "Like folklore."

Ogunleye was born and raised in New York City, and he says his parents -- like many Nigerian immigrants -- had a laser focus on education.

Ogunleye was 10 when Okoye made his NFL debut, and by the time he was in high school, the Okoye name was famous. For kids his age, Ogunleye said, "Christian was 'That Guy.'"

"The No. 1 way to be successful in Nigerian culture is to really make your name a proud name," said Ogunleye, a Pro Bowler in 2003. "You become a lawyer, become a doctor. That's how you did it. If you can get that 'Dr.' in front of your name, you were looked at in a higher light.

"What Christian was able to do was spin that to where if you can make it in American sports, American football -- and a lot of credit's got to go to [Hakeem] Olajuwon, too, on the basketball side -- that last name, you're able to give it some recognition, it really gave parents [the idea] to give their kids some leeway to play the sport."

When Ogunleye's parents learned he could earn a college scholarship for football, they let him play as long as he kept up his grades. He went on to get a Bachelor of Arts and master's degree and play 10 NFL seasons with the Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears and Houston Texans.
"You have to give him credit for opening the eyes of the Nigerian community to this sport," Ogunleye said.

Lou Ayeni, associate head coach/running game coordinator at Iowa State, grew up in Minnesota and was 11 when Okoye retired. He went on to play at Northwestern as a running back and safety and had a brief NFL career before going into coaching. He has recruited and coached numerous Nigerian-Americans and believes Okoye paved their way.

"When my parents would have their friends over with their kids, and we'd go to their houses, it was 'the Nigerian Nightmare, the Nigerian Nightmare!' and we'd go play football in the yard," Ayeni said. "It was a sense of pride. You felt so much inspiration, to us all, just because you see a guy like you."

His parents' priorities for him were school and soccer, but that changed.

"[Okoye] became a big deal and football became OK," he said. "He was the guy where everybody's talking about, 'You need to be like him. Go play football.'"

Emmanuel Acho, a former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker whose brother Sam plays for the Bears, is part of the younger generation influenced by Okoye. Acho, 26, never saw Okoye play, yet he grew up knowing about him. When he set up his first email account his address included the phrase "nigeriannightmare."

"I think every Nigerian-American -- especially so many players I played with in college and in the pros -- is aware of Christian Okoye and what he meant to the game," Acho said.

It was never Okoye's intent to lead others into the game, but he's loved seeing the parade of Nigerian-American talent, meeting younger players and learning he helped inspire them.

"Some of them told me," he said. "Some of them tried to reach me. I've seen a lot of their interviews, and they referred to me, which gives me great pleasure."
At 56, Okoye is a busy man, living in Rancho Cucamonga and focused on the work of his Christian Okoye Foundation (in its 27th year) and the California Sports Hall of Fame, which he founded.

His foundation helps kids use sports as a vehicle to pursue educational and life goals. He expanded the program to Nigeria several years ago and has made two trips to his birth country this year. The California Sports Hall of Fame has been inducting classes since 2007, but there's still no building. So, there's fundraising and event planning to be done. Also, since retirement, he's invested in an independent baseball league and a health and nutritional supplements company and appeared on reality TV shows such as "Pirate Master," "Pros vs. Joes" and a celebrity boxing event.

During football season he always carves out time to watch "my Chiefs," who host the Washington Redskins on Monday night.

Despite all the pounding he took and the multiple injuries he suffered -- he had surgeries on his neck, shoulder and knees -- Okoye says he feels good. He plays golf and tries to stay active for both physical and mental fitness.

"Still standing, walking around, breathing," he said. "I thank God for that. I see a lot of guys who are not doing so well, but that goes with the game. If you play long enough, you'll have some issues."

It was those issues that forced his retirement. After rushing for more than 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns in a Pro Bowl season in 1991, Okoye's production dropped to just 144 carries and 448 yards in 1992. He says his whole body hurt when that season ended. He knew it was time.

"If I had played one more year, I don't know if I'd still be walking today," he said.

Okoye's reach as an influential NFL star is long, but it doesn't extend in the same way to his homeland.

In Nigeria, soccer is king. American football is a distant and mysterious game. Okoye says when he works with children through his foundation there, most have no idea who he is. But he and some Nigerian-American players have demonstrated the sport there, and he would love for kids to learn the game. He has plans to start a flag-football league as a way to introduce the game.

"It will be easier to put in football after that," he said. "That's what the plan is."

When Nigerian-American offensive guard Kelechi Osemele left the Baltimore Ravens during free agency in the summer of 2016 few would have predicted the Oakland Raiders would land the rising young lineman.

The Ravens had made the playoffs in six of their last eight seasons, including a Super Bowl win in 2013. The Raiders hadn't reached the postseason since 2002 and were coming off a 7-9 season.However, Oakland were giving hints of a possible bright future as bold moves were being made by Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie, who signed a four-year contract extension in July last year.

Osemele was one of a few who saw what the Raiders were becoming. As he reflected on his free agency move, Osemele told KweséESPN this month: "I had a conversation with my agent talking about personnel and the guys that are on each team.

"I had the opportunity to be on this team or be on the Vikings and I felt like both teams had quarterbacks that were young and had a lot of potential. But this team had offensive line pieces that I felt I would've fit in with more and been more comfortable with."

Signing a $60 million, five-year contract with the Bay Area side, Osemele instantly became a major building block of one of the NFL's more highly regarded offensive lines. Tasked with protecting quarterback Derek Carr, Osemele and his offensive linemates played their part en route to a 12-4 record for the Raiders, to go along with a wild card playoff spot.
Oakland fans envisioned the team going all the way to the AFC Championship game and possibly the Super Bowl, but all it took was one play in week 16 against the Indianapolis Colts to end those dreams.

Carr suffered a broken fibula after being sacked by then-Colts linebacker Trent Cole, and saw his season end right before the playoffs began. Talking about the injury to his quarterback, Osemele reflected: "When your franchise QB goes down, it's kind of hard not to think about [what could have been].

"We're just happy that he's healthy. It's a new year. We take pride in protecting him and it's not gonna happen again."

Osemele added: "There's no question that we could've gone further if we had a healthy quarterback. I think that we have the ingredients to take this thing all the way. What we need obviously is to play great defense because defense wins championships. We also need to continue to be a physical offense."

When the NFL season is not underway, Osemele likes to see the world. His parents are from Nigeria and despite being born in Houston, Texas, the former Iowa State University player spent most of his summers going to Nigeria to visit relatives.
He recounts: "I went back every year until my 17th birthday. My grandma lives in Abuja so we'd go back and visit a lot. I haven't been since college started but I used to go back every summer. [To] Benin, Abuja and Lagos.

"We went to Benin because I think my dad had a business there. Abuja is where we visited my grandmother and it might have been my grandfather on my mom's side up in Benin (city) at the time too."

Seeing more of the world is something Osemele would like to do with more regularity but he would particularly like to visit South Africa, he says. Several NFL players have made trips there in recent years and Osemele would like to add the Rainbow Nation to the list of countries he has experienced.

Now though, with a healthy Carr and the addition of former All-Pro running back Marshawn Lynch (back after a one-year hiatus), his focus is on the field, with the Raiders offense stocked with talent and ready to complete what they started last season. They are off to a 2-1 start, despite a disappointing loss in Washington on Sunday night.

Osemele has played his part in opening running lanes for Lynch so far this season and he can see the slight differences between blocking for Lynch as opposed to other running backs he has blocked for.


"Marshawn is just a much bigger, much more physical running back. [He's] going to try to push for those extra yards. I guess it's basically having another offensive lineman where there's a guy that's just that physical," Osemele says.

"You don't really see running backs running over defensive tackles and continuing up the field. I think the difference isn't in the mentality because I think there's a lot of physical backs in the league. It's just the fact that Marshawn is just that type of special player where he's just that overpowering of a back that it's going to be hard to tackle him one on one."

The Raiders have even higher goals now after their playoff appearance last season. Osemele recognizes the last campaign as a stepping stone toward where he believes the team can get to.

He adds: "I think we're just scratching the surface right now. Derek is just continuing to grow. The offense is continuing to grow, the sky is really the limit. I think we're really just getting started right now. We're not where we need to be but I'm confident in the players we do have. We have a lot of talent, we just have to go out there and put it together on a consistent basis."

As the lone member of the Raiders offensive line with a Super Bowl ring, Osemele knows what it takes to get to the big game and leave with the trophy. If the Raiders' offensive line helps clear the path to another playoff appearance, Osemele will see the fruition of his decision to go west.

African champions overcoming obstacles.



Winning the 2015 Afrobasket lifted a weight off of Nigerian Basketball that had been there for 53 years as Angola dominated Basketball on the continent. While Angola dominated the continent, Nigeria exported NBA stars like Hakeem Olajuwon and had other players of Nigerian heritage such as Emeka Okafor and Andre Iguodala develop into solid NBA players.

Next up for Nigeria is making a dent in Basketball on the world stage, either in the Basketball World Cup or the Olympics. The mission in Rio prior to the start of the Olympics was to do just that but the exclusion of forward Al-Farouq Aminu and center Festus Ezeli(both of the Portland Trailblazers) due to either issues with the federation or insurance issues depending on various reports, set the Nigerian team back. Add in the decision by Oklahoma Thunder shooting guard Victor Oladipo to reject the call to join the Nigerian team and instead accept the offer from the USA to join its select team(the team which scrimmages the actual USA Basketball national team) and things looked dire prior to the tip-off of the first group game in Brazil.

Coach Will Voigt said prior to the start of the tournament about the body blows being dealt to his team, “We’ve already been down that road, we lost Ike to injury right before the start of Afrobasket and went on to win the tournament for the first time ever. This is a resilient group and they always kinda rise to the occasion so I’m sure somebody will step up to fill that void.”

The group Nigeria is in features 2004 gold medalists Argentina, 2012 silver medalists Spain, the always talented Lithuania and Croatia teams as well as host nation Brazil. Point guard Ben Uzoh said about the group “I think it’s a great test, just understanding when it comes to accomplishments you don’t wanna run from competition so I like the fact that our pool is pretty strong. (We need to) capitalize on what other teams are trying to do. Rest is key, rest and recovery, staying together and being locked in as a unit.” Voigt added “I mean obviously on paper it’s the tougher of the two groups but in the Olympics there’s no easy out so I mean our guys have shown that they can rise to the challenge and we’re hoping to do so again.”

With the group games being held every other day, the possibility of fatigue might play a role in the group games as well as in the quarterfinals and a less fancied team may get through. President of the Nigerian Basketball Federation Mr. Tijani Umar said “I think it’s really (about having) a bit of luck. If we had been in group A the chances of going to the quarter-finals would have been better.” He added “Who knows, people dig deep and when they are pushed to the wall and have nowhere else to go they come back fighting and I think this team is going to fight. You never know the character of a team until you try it. This test that this team is being put through will give it the chance to show the nature it’s made of. I think this team is going to play good Basketball.”

The 1st game was a 94-66 loss to Argentina but more bad news hit the team after the game. Center Seni (Shane) Lawal tore his patella tendon in the game and had to have surgery immediately. Now missing another center after Ezeli’s absence and Lawal’s injury, in a group featuring two of the NBA’s top big men in Pau Gasol of Spain and Jonas Valanciunas of Lithuania, Nigeria would need to play smart and play with energy from start to finish just to stay in the rest of the group games. In the next game vs Lithuania, Nigeria held their own and had a halftime lead of 41-36 before losing 89-80 after a low scoring third quarter.

Spain were up next and Nigeria showed their mettle vs the Spaniards as D’Tigers ended the first half down only two points but eventually lost the game 96-87. Guard Josh Akognon noted “The Spain game we were very locked in and focused on who they were as players as well as what they like and don’t like which is ball pressure and confidence. That is what carried us through that game but we fell short on a few plays and against these teams they are too good to let that happen”

Despite 24 points on 7 – 12 shooting from outside the arc for guard Chamberlain Oguchi, Nigeria couldn’t get enough scoring in the fourth quarter and gave up 31 points in the quarter to Spain. The most points they’d given up in a quarter in the first three games of the tournament. After the game, Oguchi said “Both teams were very deserving of winning the game but Spain did some better things than us down the stretch. We’ll learn from it and I think we’re very capable (of winning the next two games).”

On Saturday night in Rio, it all came together for the Nigerian team as they faced Croatia. Despite the presence of Brooklyn Nets forward Bogdan Bogdanovic, Orlando Magic shooting guard Mario Hezonja and future Philadelphia 76er Dario Saric, Nigeria came out with an intensity the Croats didn’t expect and took a 43-39 lead out of the first half. Holding onto the lead in the second half would be a task for this Nigeria team after dropping leads in the 3rd and 4th quarter of two of the three prior games they played. Add in that most would expect the battle tested and talented Croatian team to overwhelm the undermanned Nigerian side. D’tigers had other plans though as guards Josh Akognon and Mike Umeh helped add to the lead and the play of young 2016 Detroit Pistons draft pick Mike Gbinije who scored timely buckets early on. Akognon poured in 18 points to add to Umeh’s 19 points and forward Ike Diogu’s 10 points and 12 rebounds to help Nigeria hold onto the lead and end up with a 90-76 win.

After the win, Akognon said “(Against) Croatia we wanted to play full pressure on defense and let our defense lead to offense. period.” Nigeria played excellently in all facets of the game and when knocking down 47% of three pointers to add to an 11 point rebounding advantage, a 31-19 bench points differential and 26 assists as a team, Croatia couldn’t overcome the inspired play of D’Tigers.

Next up is the final group game, a matchup with hosts Brazil who are coming off a stinging double overtime loss to Argentina. The Brazilians have played with similar energy as the Nigerians, with the addition of home crowd support. Brazil have not been at their best and Nigeria will see various weaknesses to capitalize on. A win for Brazil and a loss for Spain or Croatia means Brazil will get a chance to move on as the fourth placed team in the group depending on either head to head results, points difference or points scored in the group. Nigeria are in a similar situation to Brazil and also require victory versus Brazil coupled with a loss from Croatia or Spain in order to possibly advance to the quarterfinals as the fourth placed team in the group. Akognon said “For Brazil… we just have to come together as a team now and support each other. And nothing changes in game plan from the last 3 games…we just have to do everything a little bit better to make history.”

Regardless of the outcome on Monday vs Brazil, D’Tigers will be able to hold their heads high when the time comes for them to leave Rio. Gbinije said prior the start of the tournament that “(We are)just trying to do bigger and better things for Nigeria and the continent so we just want to play for something bigger than ourselves.” Coach Voight and his team keep building a solid base for Nigerian Basketball and with a full complement of players available, the international Basketball establishment will need to take notice of D’Tigers in the years to come.