BJ Ojulari

BJ Ojulari
No. 9 – Arizona Cardinals
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (2002-04-05) April 5, 2002 (age 22)
Marietta, Georgia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:256 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High school:Marietta
College:LSU (2020–2022)
NFL draft:2023 / round: 2 / pick: 41
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2024
Total tackles:40
Sacks:4.0
Pass deflections:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Jamiu Bolaji "BJ" Ojulari (born April 5, 2002) is an American professional football linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU.

Early life

Ojulari grew up in Marietta, Georgia, and attended Marietta High School. As a senior, he set a school record with 19 sacks and was named the Area Defensive Player of the Year with Marietta Daily Journal.[1] Ojulari initially committed to play college football at Tennessee, but flipped his commitment to LSU during senior season.[2]

College career

Ojulari played in all ten of LSU's games as a freshman and finished the season with 16 tackles, four sacks, and five tackles for loss with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery and was named to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) All-Freshman team.[3] He was named the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week after sacking South Carolina quarterback Collin Hill three times for a loss of 21 yards.[4] Ojulari was named the conference Defensive Lineman of the Week a second time after a 2½ sack performance in a 49-21 win over Central Michigan in the third week of his sophomore season.[5]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 2+3⁄8 in
(1.89 m) 		248 lb
(112 kg) 		34+1⁄4 in
(0.87 m) 		10+1⁄2 in
(0.27 m)		 7.57 s 33.5 in
(0.85 m)		 10 ft 6 in
(3.20 m)		 24 reps
Sources:[6][7]

Ojulari was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round, 41st overall, of the 2023 NFL draft.[8] As a rookie, he appeared in all 17 games in the 2023 season. He finished with four sacks, 40 total tackles (23 solo), and one pass defended.[9]

On August 2, 2024, Ojulari suffered a torn ACL, ruling him out for the 2024 season.[10]

Personal life

Ojulari's parents immigrated to the United States from Nigeria and his maternal grandfather was the Yoruba artist Twins Seven Seven.[11] His older brother, Azeez Ojulari, played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs before being drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft.[12][13]

References

  1. ^ Bednarowski, John (December 25, 2019). "MDJ Defensive Player of the Year: Ojulari leads Marietta defense to new heights". Marietta Daily Journal. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  2. ^ Toppmeyer, Blake (October 27, 2019). "Four-star DE BJ Ojulari flips commitment from Tennessee to LSU". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  3. ^ Dixon, Shea (January 6, 2021). "BJ Ojulari returns in 2021 after Freshman All-SEC season". 247Sports. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  4. ^ Auzenne, Josh (October 26, 2020). "LSU DE BJ Ojulari and KR Trey Palmer named SEC Players of the Week". WAFB.com. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  5. ^ Mickles, Sheldon (September 23, 2021). "BJ the Beast: Ojulari using 'natural-born' pass-rushing skills to help LSU lead the nation in sacks". The Advocate. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  6. ^ "BJ Ojulari Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  7. ^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout BJ Ojulari College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  8. ^ Urban, Darren (April 28, 2023). "Cardinals Get Edge Rusher BJ Ojulari In Second Round". AZCardinals.com. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  9. ^ "BJ Ojulari 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  10. ^ Weinfuss, Josh (August 3, 2024). "Source: Cards LB Ojulari tears ACL, out for season". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  11. ^ Kubena, Brooks (September 22, 2020). "Meet LSU's B.J. Ojulari: grandson of a Nigerian prince, descendant of a king — and a key pass rusher". The Advocate. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  12. ^ Emerson, Seth; Miller, Brody (October 29, 2020). "'For family': Behind what drives the SEC's Ojulari-brother pass-rush tandem". The Athletic. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  13. ^ Schwartz, Paul (April 30, 2021). "Giants score potential NFL Draft coup with Azeez Ojulari pick". New York Post. Retrieved May 1, 2021.