KNOW THE AFRICANS DRAFTED IN 2022
NIGERIA
PLAYER BIO
Ikem Ekwonu (pronounced EE-kehm eck-WAHN-ew) signed with N.C. State after earning first-team all-state honors at Providence Day School in Charlotte. He was the team’s Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year as a true freshman, starting the Wolfpack’s final seven games at left tackle. Ekwonu started all 12 games in 2020, the first four at left guard and then again shifting to left tackle for the final eight to garner third-team All-ACC accolades from league coaches. He stayed at left tackle for all 12 games in 2021, garnering first-team Associated Press All-American and all-conference honors, as well as being named a finalist for the Outland Trophy. Ikem’s fraternal twin brother, Osita, is a linebacker at Notre Dame. His former youth football coach nicknamed him “Ickey” because he looked like former Cincinnati RB Ickey Woods. — by Chad Reuter
CAMEROON
PLAYER BIO
Ebiketie (pronounced ebb-uh-KAY-tee) transferred from Temple to Penn State for 2021, adding weight to his frame to help the Nittany Lions replace edge rushers Odafe Oweh and Shaka Toney. He led the team with 18 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks among his 62 total tackles, two fumbles and two blocked kicks. Big Ten coaches voted him first-team all-conference. At Temple, in his first year as a starter in 2020, he garnered second-team All-American Athletic Conference honors by leading the Owls with 8.5 tackles for loss with four sacks (42 total tackles) and added three forced fumbles in six starts. Ebiketie unfortunately missed the regular-season finale due to COVID-19 protocols. The native of Cameroon did not start playing football until his sophomore year in high school. When he was 12 years old, his family moved to Maryland, where he played soccer and basketball before hopping on the gridiron. Temple signed him out of Albert Einstein High School and Ebiketie played in six games as a redshirt freshman (four tackles) and 12 games off the bench the following year (13 tackles, two sacks). — by Chad Reuter
NIGERIA
PLAYER BIO
Born in Nigeria, Ojabo (pronounced oh-JAH-boh) moved with his family to Scotland in 2007 before settling in the United States for high school. He played soccer and basketball his first two years at New Jersey’s Blair Academy, then joined the football team to see if he could have similar success to schoolmate Odafe Oweh, who signed with Penn State and became the Baltimore Ravens’ 2021 first-round pick. Ojabo earned four-star recruiting status but redshirted his first year in Ann Arbor, earning the team’s Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year Award. He suited up for six games as a reserve in 2020 before bursting onto the national scene in 2021, when he played in all 14 games (seven starts) across from Aidan Hutchinson. Ojabo was a second-team Associated Press All-American and first-team All-Big Ten Conference selection, posting 35 tackles, 12 for loss with 11 sacks, and a school-record five forced fumbles, which ranked tied for third in the FBS. He was also voted a second-team Academic All-American by sports information directors. Ojabo suffered a torn Achilles during a pass-coverage drill at Michigan’s pro day on March 18. — by Chad Reuter
GHANA
PLAYER BIO
Asamoah’s (pronounced ah-suh-MO-uh) family came to the United State from Ghana in 2000 and eventually settled in Columbus, Ohio. But instead of signing with the Buckeyes after a strong two-way career at St. Francis De Sales High School, he chose the Sooners. As a redshirt freshman, Asamoah played in all 14 games as a reserve (23 tackles, 3.5 for loss, with two sacks). He then started nine of 11 appearances in 2020, garnering honorable mention All-Big 12 notice by leading the team with 66 tackles (5.5 for loss with two sacks, one interception, four pass break-ups). Asamoah was a second-team all-conference selection in his final year in Norman, leading his squad with 90 tackles (four for loss) and forcing two fumbles in 12 games (10 starts). He opted out of the team’s bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft. — by Chad Reuter
NIGERIA
PLAYER BIO
Ezeudu (pronounced eh-ZOO-do) played in one game as a reserve his first year on campus but remained off the field the rest of the year to retain eligibility. He then started seven of 13 appearances as a redshirt freshman the next season (two at left tackle, five at left guard). Ezeudu missed the first two games of 2020 with a lower-body injury but still played well enough in his 10 starts (three at right tackle, seven at left guard) to receive third-team All-ACC accolades from league coaches. He was an honorable mention all-conference pick in 2021, starting nine games at left guard and two at left tackle. — by Chad Reuter