Kenneth Odumegwu

Last updated
Kenneth Odumegwu
No. 98 – Green Bay Packers
Position: Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (2000-11-29) 29 November 2000 (age 23) [1]
Lagos, Nigeria
Height:6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:259 lb (117 kg)
Career information
High school: Bright Future College
(Lagos, Nigeria)
College: National Open University
Undrafted: 2023
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active/international
Player stats at PFR

Kenneth Ikechukwu Odumegwu (born 29 November 2000) [1] is a Nigerian professional American football defensive end for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He joined the Packers as part of the NFL's International Player Pathway Program (IPPP) in 2023.

Contents

Early life

Odumegwu was born in Lagos, Nigeria and grew up in Anambra State. [2] [3] He attended high school in Lagos at Bright Future College, then studied for two years criminology at the National Open University of Nigeria. [2] He initially played association football (soccer) at defensive midfielder as a youth; his favorite player was Ivan Rakitić. [4] He eventually grew too tall for the sport and switched to basketball, with his favorite player being Giannis Antetokounmpo. [4] [5]

Odumegwu played basketball as part of the Educational Basketball program run by Iseolupo and Olutobi Adepitan. [4] While, there he was noticed by American football scouts sent by Osi Umenyiora and was offered the chance to tryout the sport as part of Umenyiora's academy The Uprise, designed to get Africans opportunities to play in the National Football League (NFL). [6] He trained there for a month and was later selected to the NFL Africa Touchdown Camp in Ghana in June 2022. [4] He was assigned the position of defensive end and ultimately won defensive most valuable player honors at the camp, being chosen to attend the international player combine in London. [7]

Odumegwu posted a reported 4.8-second 40-yard dash and a 33.5 inch vertical jump at the combine. [8] Of the 38 participants, he was among the 13 that performed well enough to be chosen for the NFL's International Player Pathway Program (IPPP), which gives foreign players chances in the league. [6] He spent 10 weeks training at IMG Academy and held a pro day with the University of South Florida. [6] He won selection as one of eight IPPP players to be allocated to NFL teams. [6]

Professional career

Odumegwu was allocated to the Green Bay Packers through the IPPP on May 4, 2023. [9] [10] He appeared in the team's preseason win over the Cincinnati Bengals, playing 14 combined snaps (12 defense, two special teams) in his first organized football game. [11] Afterwards, he was given the game ball by head coach Matt LaFleur. [12] He was released at the final roster cuts on August 29, 2023, and then re-signed to the practice squad a day later while being given the IPPP exemption for international players. [13] [14] After having spent the entire 2023 season on the practice squad, he was signed to a reserve/future contract on January 22, 2024. [15]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Kenneth Odumegwu". ourlads.com. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Kenneth Odumegwu". Green Bay Packers.
  3. ↑ Malchow, Alex (May 5, 2023). "Green Bay Packers add 6'5 Nigerian DL Kenneth Odumegwu from NFL IPP". American Football International.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Solms, Leonard (June 7, 2023). "From Lagos to Lambeau - Packers' Kenneth Odumegwu on (Jordan) Love and basketball". ESPN.
  5. ↑ Hill, Kassidy (May 8, 2023). "Nigerian Odumegwu continues whirlwind year". Stevens Point Journal . p. B2 – via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  6. 1 2 3 4 Schneidman, Matt (May 9, 2023). "How Packers' Kenneth Odumegwu made unlikely journey from Nigeria to NFL". The Athletic .
  7. ↑ MacKenzie, Daniel (December 3, 2022). "NFL International Player Pathway spotlight: Kenneth Odumegwu, Nigeria". American Football International.
  8. ↑ Hill, Kassidy (May 4, 2023). "Green Bay Packers add Kenneth Odumegwu, part of International Player Pathway program, bringing roster to 89". PackersNews.com.
  9. ↑ Kruse, Zach (May 4, 2023). "Packers given DL Kenneth Odumegwu from NFL International Pathway Program". USA Today .
  10. ↑ Krupp, Cody (May 6, 2023). "Nigeria to Green Bay, Packers Odumegwu's first taste of football". WLUK-TV.
  11. ↑ Helmbrecht, Lauren (August 14, 2023). "Packers give game ball to rookie Kenneth Odumegwu after first-ever football game". WFRV-TV.
  12. ↑ Krupp, Cody (August 22, 2023). "Get to Know Your Packers: LB Kenneth Odumegwu from Nigeria". WLUK-TV.
  13. ↑ "Packers announce roster moves". Green Bay Packers. August 29, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Packers sign 16 players to practice squad". Green Bay Packers. August 30, 2023.
  15. ↑ Kruse, Zach (January 22, 2024). "Packers sign 14 practice squad players to reserve/future contracts". USA Today .
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