From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
American football player
C. J. Okoye Position:
Defensive end Born: (2001-10-20 ) 20 October 2001 (age 22)
Nkwerre , NigeriaHeight: 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) Weight: 315 lb (143 kg) Undrafted:
2023
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status: Active Player stats at
NFL.com ·
PFR
Basil Chijioke "C. J. " Okoye (born 20 October 2001) is a Nigerian professional
American football
defensive end for the
Los Angeles Chargers of the
National Football League (NFL). From
Nkwerre ,
Nigeria , he joined the Chargers through the
International Player Pathway Program (IPPP) in
2023 .
Early life
Okoye was born on 20 October 2001, in
Nkwerre ,
Nigeria .
[1] He grew up playing
basketball , and played in a high-level league before being noticed by
Ejike Ugboaja , who suggested he enter the UpRise
American football camp, hosted by
Osi Umenyiora to identify talent from African countries.
[2]
[3] He struggled at the camp, but Umenyiora thought he performed well enough to take a shot on him and invited Okoye to the 2022 NFL Africa camp held in
Ghana .
[2]
Okoye at first was trained to play
offensive lineman , and was named the offensive
most valuable player at the NFL Africa camp.
[2]
[3] He then became one of 38 players to be invited to the NFL International Combine in
London ,
England .
[2] He made the cut, being selected as one of 13 players for the
National Football League (NFL)'s
International Player Pathway Program (IPPP) and trained at
IMG Academy in
Florida .
[2]
[4] He made the final cut and was chosen as one of eight players to be allocated to NFL teams.
[2]
[5]
Professional career
Okoye was allocated to the
Los Angeles Chargers as a
defensive lineman in May 2023.
[6] He played in their first preseason game against the
Los Angeles Rams and recorded a
sack on
Stetson Bennett , in what was the first organized game of football in his life.
[5]
[7]
[8] He was awarded the game ball afterwards, and was invited to speak on The
Rich Eisen Show , where he said that he did not even know what he did was a sack.
[5]
[7]
[9] He was waived on 29 August, 2023, and re-signed to the
practice squad .
[10]
[11] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 11, 2024.
[12]
References
^
"C. J. Okoye" .
ESPN .
Archived from the original on 17 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023 .
^
a
b
c
d
e
f Reedy, Joe (16 August 2023).
"Okoye's journey: Chargers defensive lineman from Nigeria records a sack in his first football game" .
Associated Press .
Archived from the original on 17 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023 .
^
a
b Malchow, Alex (18 December 2022).
"NFL International Player Pathway spotlight: Basil 'CJ' Chijioke Okoye, OL, Nigeria" . American Football International .
Archived from the original on 17 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023 .
^ Solms, Leonard (10 May 2023).
"Nigeria's CJ Okoye surprised by Los Angeles Chargers' interest after poor start to NFL life" .
ESPN .
Archived from the original on 17 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023 .
^
a
b
c Henson, Steve (14 August 2023).
"Chargers' 'Nigerian Nightmare'? 6-foot-7 lineman records sack in first organized game" .
Los Angeles Times .
Archived from the original on 17 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023 .
^ Smith, Eric (4 May 2023).
"Basil Chijioke Okoye Joins Chargers Through International Pathway Program" .
Los Angeles Chargers .
Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023 .
^
a
b Smith, Michael David (16 August 2023).
"CJ Okoye: I've never played football, I didn't know that was a sack when I tackled the QB" .
NBC Sports .
Archived from the original on 17 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023 .
^ Thompson, Scott (13 August 2023).
"Chargers go wild for Nigerian teammate who recorded sack in his first-ever organized football game" .
Fox News .
Archived from the original on 17 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023 .
^ Navarro, Omar (15 August 2023).
"CJ Okoye Named Rich Eisen's No. 1 Preseason Standout Performer" .
Los Angeles Chargers .
Archived from the original on 17 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023 .
^
"Los Angeles Chargers Reduce Roster to 53 Players" . Chargers.com . 29 August 2023.
Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023 .
^
"Los Angeles Chargers Sign 12 Players to Practice Squad" . Chargers.com . 30 August 2023.
Archived from the original on 3 September 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023 .
^
"Los Angeles Chargers Sign 11 Players to Contracts" . Chargers.com . 11 January 2024.