Figure 1 The NFL is becoming home to more and more Nigerians
When it comes to American football, the biggest star ever who claimed Nigerian heritage has to be Osi Umenyiora. Born in London to Nigerian parents, Osi moved to Alabama to live with his sister when he was still a teenager and ended up playing college football and then being drafted by the New York Giants in 2003.
Umenyiora went on to enjoy 12 years in the NFL, winning the Super Bowl with the Giants twice, as well as claiming a number of individual awards. After finishing his playing career with the Atlanta Falcons, Umenyiora has gone on to become a successful broadcaster as well as working with the NFL to help fellow Nigerians make it to the toughest league in the world.
Although the six Nigerians that he helped win roster spots this year are yet to make any real impact on the league or the best football betting sites in the country, there are already some other players who have done well in recent years. Many of these players were born in the US but come from Nigerian families. With more investment put into finding Nigerian players, we might soon see our countrymen take over the NFL in the same way as they have been successful in soccer leagues all over Europe.
Prince Tega Wanogho
We are going to start off with a relative rarity. Wanogho was actually born in Nigeria in 1997 and has become one of the faces of Nigerian American football. He left home for Alabama when he was just 17 in the hope of becoming a professional basketball player. But it was his football skills that attracted college recruiters.
After four years at the highly-rated Auburn University, Wanogho was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020. He never made it past the practice squad in Philadelphia though, and ended up being traded to the Kansas City Chiefs. Although his playing game has been limited so far, he was able to celebrate being part of the team that won the Super Bowl in 2022 – ironically, against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Joseph Ossai
Another NFL player who was actually born in Nigeria, Ossai moved to Texas with his family when he was 10 and showed talents for a number of sports. He played basketball and football in high school but was named as a football four-star recruit and elected to play for the University of Texas Longhorns.
After three successful years of college football, Ossai chose to forego his senior year and made himself eligible for the draft. The Cincinnati Bengals took the defensive end in the third round. An injury saw Ossai sit out his entire rookie season but he came back stronger in 2022, playing in 19 games and even recovering a fumble for a touchdown.
Osa Odighizuwa
Odighizuwa was born in Dayton, Ohio but is of Nigerian descent and followed his older brother into the NFL. Although Osa was a talented football player in high school, he also starred as a wrestler and on the track team before electing to play for UCLA in the NCAA.
After four years at UCLA, in which the seasons were interrupted by the COVID pandemic, Odighizuwa was taken by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He was immediately named as a starting defensive tackle and has played in every single game Dallas has played since.
Odafe Oweh
Of Nigerian descent, Oweh was born in New Jersey and excelled at football while in high school. He then went on to play for the prestigious Penn State Nittany Lions for three years before joining the NFL. He was taken in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens.
After signing a four-year rookie contract worth $12.6 million, Oweh immediately impressed as a linebacker but missed the final two weeks of the season after picking up an injury. He continues to be an important part of this season’s roster and is looking to become another player of Nigerian descent to win a Super Bowl.
Figure 2 There has been a concerted effort to get more Nigerian-born players into the NFL
Levi Onwuzurike
Onwuzurike was born in Texas after his parents emigrated from Nigeria and played football so well in high school that he received offers from a number of top schools before committing to Washington. He went on to play three seasons of NCAA football before opting out in 2020 because of COVID, electing to prepare for the NFL Draft instead.
He was taken 41st overall, in the second round, by the Detroit Lions and signed a four-year rookie contract worth over $8 million. After a promising first season, Onwuzurike missed the entire 2022 campaign through injury and is now looking to get back to playing regularly with Detroit.
Ifeatu Melifonwu
Melifonwu is another NFL player of Nigerian descent who followed an older brother into the league. After playing a number of positions for his high school football team in Grafton, Massachusetts, as well as basketball, running track, and even lacrosse, Melifonwu was offered a football scholarship at Syracuse University.