American football player
C. J. Okoye Position: Defensive end Born: (2001-10-20 ) 20 October 2001 (age 22) Nkwerre , Nigeria Height: 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) Weight: 315 lb (143 kg) Undrafted: 2023
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status: Practice squad/international Player stats at 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]
On August 27, 2024, Okoye was waived by the Chargers and re-signed to the practice squad.[ 13] [ 14]
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.
^ "Los Angeles Chargers Reduce Roster to 53 Players" . Chargers.com . 27 August 2024.
^ "Chargers Claim Hassan Haskins; Sign 15 Players to Practice Squad" . Chargers.com . 28 August 2024.
External links
Active
Practice squad
Reserve lists