No. 97 – Philadelphia Eagles | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||
Personal information | |||||
Born: | Lagos, Nigeria | 15 August 2001||||
Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||
Weight: | 292 lb (132 kg) | ||||
Career information | |||||
High school: | Katy (Katy, Texas) | ||||
College: | Texas (2018–2022) | ||||
NFL draft: | 2023: 7th round, 249th pick | ||||
Career history | |||||
| |||||
Roster status: | Active | ||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||
| |||||
Career NFL statistics as of Week 7, 2024 | |||||
|
Morotoluwa Ojomo (born 15 August 2001) is a Nigerian professional American football defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). A native of Lagos, he moved to the United States in 2009 and played college football at Texas.
Ojomo was born on 15 August 2001, in Lagos, Nigeria. [1] [2] He began primary school at age three, and his family moved to California in 2009. [3] His father is a pastor and his mother worked for an information technology company. [3] While in seventh grade, his family moved again, this time to Houston, Texas. [3] [4] [5] Ojomo attended Katy High School, being two years younger than most of his classmates due to having started his education at 3 in his home country. [3] He did not play varsity football as a freshman or as a sophomore, and additionally said that he had not figured out how to workout by that time. [3] However, following his sophomore year, he began getting serious with weight training and running, and made the varsity team as a junior, eventually earning All-District honors as a defensive lineman at the end of the year. [3]
Ojomo became a highly-regarded recruit following his senior year, during which he led a defense that allowed under eight points-per-game, while recording eight sacks, 15 tackles-for-loss, three forced fumbles and two recoveries. [6] He was a unanimous first-team All-District selection, was named the defensive most valuable player of the district, and was named second-team all-state. [6] 247Sports ranked him one of the top-300 recruits nationally, as well as the 36th-best in Texas, and the 25th-best defensive tackle overall. [6] Ojomo was a three-star recruit and received numerous Division I offers, including from Notre Dame, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Alabama and Miami, among others. [3] [7] He eventually accepted an offer from Texas. [8]
Ojomo was only 16 when he enrolled at Texas, and as a true freshman redshirted while appearing in three late-season games, including the conference championship game. [9] He saw his first time as a starter in the 2019 season, appearing in all 13 games with two starts, and posted 13 tackles, including 2.5 for a loss, and one fumble recovery. [9] The following year, in a season shortened by COVID-19, Ojomo became a full-time starter and made 21 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss, two sacks, three quarterback hurries, and one pass breakup. [9]
Ojomo remained a starter during the 2021 season and, despite being under a new coaching staff, earned honorable mention All-Big 12 Conference after recording 29 tackles, three of which were for a loss, in addition to three quarterback hits and one pass breakup. [9] [10] As a fifth-year senior in 2022, he recorded career-highs with 32 tackles, 5.5 for a loss, and three sacks. [11] Although given one remaining year of eligibility, Ojomo opted to declare for the 2023 NFL draft and thus finished his five-season stint at Texas with 50 total games played, 95 tackles and five sacks. [12]
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 2+5⁄8 in (1.90 m) | 292 lb (132 kg) | 34+1⁄2 in (0.88 m) | 10+3⁄8 in (0.26 m) | 5.04 s | 1.77 s | 2.88 s | 4.60 s | 7.45 s | 33.0 in (0.84 m) | 9 ft 4 in (2.84 m) | 29 reps | |
Sources: [13] [14] |
Ojomo was one of five Texas players to be invited to the 2023 NFL Combine. [12] [15] He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the seventh round (249th overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft. [16] He signed his rookie contract on 4 May. [17] During week 17 Ojomo recorded his first tackle against the Arizona Cardinals. As a rookie, he appeared in eight games. [18]
In the 2024 season, Ojomo appeared in 17 games and made one start. [19] He recorded a sack in the Divisional Round win over the Rams. [20] He had two tackles, including one for loss, in Super Bowl LIX, a 40–22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. [21]