John Ojukwu
| No. 61 – Tennessee Titans | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Offensive tackle | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | January 9, 1999 Nampa, Idaho, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 309 lb (140 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Boise (ID) | ||||||
| College: | Boise State (2017–2022) | ||||||
| Undrafted: | 2023 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||
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John Ojukwu (born January 9, 1999) is an American professional football offensive tackle for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Boise State Broncos and was signed by the Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2023.
Early life
[edit]Ojukwu was born on January 9, 1999.[1] He attended Boise High School and was a three-year starter at offensive tackle, earning two first-team all-conference honors as well as an all-state selection.[2] As a junior, Ojukwu weighed only 185 pounds.[3] Knowing that he needed to gain weight to have a chance in college, he ate large amounts of food and constantly worked out, gaining close to 100 pounds in nine months, with a diet that included a daily gallon of milk and sometimes whole pizzas.[3] He was a three-star recruit and was ranked as the third-best prospect from Idaho, eventually committing to play college football for the Boise State Broncos.[2]
College career
[edit]Ojukwu redshirted his first season at Boise State, 2017.[2] He began the 2018 season as a backup before being put into action against Nevada on October 13, and he never missed a start in the games he played afterwards for the rest of his college career.[2][3][4] Ojukwu started the final seven games of the year at right tackle and finished the season having appeared in all 12 games.[2][5] He remained starting right tackle in 2019, starting 11 games and helping block for an offense that was 14th-nationally in scoring.[2][4] Ojukwu switched to being a left tackle in 2020 and was named second-team All-Mountain West Conference (MWC) while starting all seven games.[2][4] In 2021, he started 12 games and earned first-team All-MWC honors while allowing four sacks and committing only one penalty.[2][6]
In his final season, 2022, Ojukwu was the only Boise State player to start all 14 games on offense and allowed no sacks while committing just two penalties.[2][6] He finished his stint with the Broncos having played close to 1,900 snaps, on which he allowed just 11 sacks, additionally allowing just eight quarterback hits in his final three seasons.[2] He was invited to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and the East–West Shrine Bowl at the conclusion of his college career.[2]
Professional career
[edit]| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 5+3⁄4 in (1.97 m) |
309 lb (140 kg) |
34 in (0.86 m) |
10+3⁄4 in (0.27 m) |
5.24 s | 1.81 s | 2.98 s | 4.52 s | 7.52 s | 28.5 in (0.72 m) |
8 ft 8 in (2.64 m) |
26 reps | |
| Sources:[7][8] | ||||||||||||
Despite being projected by several sources as a late-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft, Ojukwu went unselected.[9] Afterwards, he was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent.[10] He was waived on August 29, 2023.[11] A day later, he was re-signed to the practice squad.[12] On December 23, Ojukwu was signed to the 53-man roster.[13] He finished the 2023 season having appeared in three games, each as a starter.[14]
Ojukwu was waived by the Titans on October 8, 2024 and re-signed to the practice squad two days later.[15][16] He was promoted back to the active roster on October 26.[17]
References
[edit]- ^ "John Ojukwu". ESPN. Archived from the original on July 28, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Garrett, Tommy (April 18, 2023). "John Ojukwu, OT, Boise State | NFL Draft Scouting Report". Pro Football Network. Archived from the original on July 28, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ a b c Southorn, Dave (November 16, 2018). "Boise State's homegrown lineman Ojukwu keeps growing". The Times-News. p. B2. Archived from the original on August 5, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Counts, Ron (October 11, 2020). "Veteran Ojukwu fills Cleveland's spot at left tackle for Broncos". The Idaho Statesman. p. B1, B6. Archived from the original on August 21, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Southorn, Dave (March 10, 2019). "Big fish on O-line reels them in". The Idaho Statesman. p. B1, B2. Archived from the original on August 21, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Pool, Colton (April 27, 2023). "NFL Draft: John Ojukwu of Boise State Ready To Compete At NFL Level". HERO Sports. Archived from the original on July 28, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ "John Ojukwu Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
- ^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout John Ojukwu College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
- ^ Moraitis, Mike (July 27, 2023). "Titans' John Ojukwu a surprise early frontrunner for right tackle job". USA Today. Archived from the original on July 28, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ Arias, Greg (May 4, 2023). "Undrafted Offensive Tackle John Ojukwu Could Add To Titans Depth". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ Wyatt, Jim (August 29, 2023). "Titans Trim Roster Ahead of NFL's Deadline". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ Rowland, Tyler (August 30, 2023). "Tennessee Titans Officially Set Their Practice Squad, Reportedly Add Kicker Cade York". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ Wyatt, Jim. "Titans Make a Flurry of Roster Moves Ahead of Sunday's Game vs the Seahawks". Tennessee Titans. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
- ^ "John Ojukwu Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ Wyatt, Jim (October 8, 2024). "Titans Waive Offensive Lineman John Ojukwu". TennesseeTitans.com.
- ^ Wyatt, Jim. "It's Colts Week: Quick Hits on the Titans After Thursday's Practice". tennesseetitans.com. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
- ^ Wyatt, Jim (October 26, 2024). "Titans Make a Flurry of Roster Moves Ahead of Sunday's Game vs the Lions". TennesseeTitans.com.