TAMPA, Fla. — In February 2020, the soccer program at Georgia State held an open tryout for potential walk-ons, and about 40 college students confirmed as much as run via drills. However just one made an assistant hurry into head coach Shawn Elliott’s workplace.
“He stated, ‘I do not know if this man can play, however he is huge,'” Elliott recalled. “I stated, ‘The place is he?’ and he pointed him out on the sector. I stated, ‘Inform that dude he would not need to undergo tryouts. We will take him, regardless. He is bought a roster spot.'”
That was step one for Ben Chukwuma, who moved to Georgia from his native Nigeria when he was 17, loving soccer and basketball however understanding nothing in any respect about American soccer. The previous 5 years have been a sluggish however persistent journey, however the outcome, amazingly, is similar: He has a roster spot within the NFL.
After the NFL Draft concluded on Saturday, Chukwuma bought a name from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and unattainable because it appears, the undrafted free agent who bought essentially the most assured cash from any NFL staff this 12 months — $300,000 — had by no means performed in a soccer sport at any stage till two years in the past.
“My potentiality is what makes the NFL groups excited,” he stated Sunday. “They see with my little expertise what am I in a position to do.”
At that Georgia State exercise, Elliott made a degree to introduce himself to Chukwuma, who was towering at 6-foot-6 and weighed about 240 kilos then. He had listed himself as a defensive finish at a pal’s suggestion, however Elliott, a longtime offensive line coach, knew his future was there.
“Very lean, athletic-looking, robust. I may inform this was going to be a complete new ballgame for him,” Elliott stated. “I advised him he seemed like an NFL sort out proper now, and we have been going to show him all the pieces we may, assist develop him and see if we may get him to the NFL.”
Whereas most NFL rookies have performed near 100 soccer video games between highschool and faculty, Chukwuma has solely performed in 23, complete. He has a profile on LinkedIn, touting his diploma in pc data techniques and cybersecurity, and this time final 12 months, he was interning with the Fulton County authorities, engaged on cyberattack response plans. So he is equal components IT and OT, an absolute firewall of an NFL prospect.
“He is only a massive piece of clay you can make nevertheless you need,” stated former NFL coach Hue Jackson, now Georgia State’s offensive coordinator. “Someone can actually pour the fitting issues into him. His progress over the subsequent a number of months — he’ll be round NFL guys they usually’ll take him underneath their wings and let him be what he may be. He is athletic, he is lengthy, he is robust and he loves soccer, and he’ll work laborious at it.”
Chukwuma had the dimensions and athleticism to play soccer, however needed to study the game from a basic stage. This wasn’t about stance or hand placement, however how massive the sector is, what number of gamers are on the sector at a time, actually all the pieces.
“Folks will use the time period quite a bit that he is uncooked. Ben was so uncooked, it was unbelievable,” Elliott stated. “I might attempt to talk with him about defensive fronts and methods, he would take a look at you and simply say that he did not know what you have been speaking about. If you happen to had given him a fundamental check on soccer, how massive the sector was, the place do you kick off from, what’s an additional level, he would have smiled and stated, ‘I do not know.’ It was from the bottom up so far as instructing him the sport.”
So earlier than they bought to footwork, blocking assignments, the right way to keep away from penalties, it was simply fundamental mission statements. Elliott remembers a blocking drill when he simply advised him: “Do me a favor: Do not let this man transfer.” Chukwuma’s default expression in follow was a really critical look, however teammates knew they have been in hassle when he out of the blue cracked an enormous smile, as a result of it was in recognition of choosing up a brand new talent like a kickstep or one other piece of method.
His path from walk-on to even getting on the enjoying discipline at Georgia State wasn’t straightforward. His first season’s progress was basically derailed by COVID, and whilst he realized the game and grew — 280 kilos by his third season — he hadn’t performed a snap. The largest factor he’d performed was win the staff’s hot-dog consuming contest — with 9 — in the summertime of 2022.
At one level, his father, who has Parkinson’s, wanted again surgical procedure, and since Ben was his major caretaker, he needed to transfer dwelling to deal with him, going to Elliott one spring and telling him he’d have to go away the staff. A few month later, his father was wholesome sufficient that Chukwuma may return, although Elliott sometimes didn’t permit gamers again after they left. He requested the leaders on his staff, they usually agreed they needed him again, so he was.
Chukwuma bought into his first faculty video games in 2023, however he did not get to begin till an harm pressed him into obligation within the closing sport of the common season. He performed properly sufficient that Georgia State moved him to left sort out for its bowl sport, and the staff rushed for 386 yards in a 45-32 win over Utah State in Boise, Idaho. Elliott resigned and took a job as an assistant at South Carolina, however underneath new coach Dell McGee, Chukwuma, now 310 kilos, began 11 video games this previous season.
“He is new to soccer, however you undoubtedly see the dimensions, the size, the quickness, and the upside that he’ll doubtlessly present within the NFL in due time,” stated McGee, who got here to Georgia State from the College of Georgia, the place he coached with present Bucs receivers coach Bryan McClendon and knew Todd Bowles as a result of his son, Todd, was a Bulldogs security. “Tampa Bay did a superb job of doing their analysis on Ben and evaluating him. You are going to get somebody who’s going to work laborious and be an excellent pillar in the neighborhood. His ceiling in regard to offensive sort out may be very excessive.”
Chukwuma’s username on Twitter is “odogwu,” a phrase within the Igbo language of his native Nigeria that interprets to “robust man” or “warrior.” He helped himself within the draft course of with a powerful sport final October in opposition to Marshall, the place edge rusher Mike Inexperienced led the nation with 17 sacks and ended up a second-round decide of the Ravens on Friday. Inexperienced had sacks in all however three video games final season, however one among them got here in opposition to Georgia State and Chukwuma, who stepped as much as meet an enormous problem.
“When the sport began, my primary objective was to attempt to be extra bodily than him,” Chukwuma stated. “I attempted to be so bodily that it disrupted his sport and bought in his head. As soon as I had that sport, I simply tried to construct from that.”
Tampa Bay despatched scout Tony Hardie to Georgia State’s professional day, and Chukwuma participated within the Falcons’ native professional day, so different groups additionally had their eyes on him. The Bucs went out of their means to ensure they bought him. He acquired a $55,000 signing bonus — late seventh-round picks get round $80,000 — they usually took the additional step of guaranteeing him $245,000 in wage, which within the least quantities to shut to a full season on the follow squad.
“I knew this man had the expertise. He simply wants the years of expertise,” Elliott stated. “He is simply going to proceed to develop and get higher, and it is nice to see him now enjoying at such a excessive stage and seeing him having fun with the sport like I knew he would. He is nonetheless so new to this sport that the sky is the restrict.”
Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports activities. He beforehand spent a decade protecting the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Occasions and The Athletic. You’ll be able to observe him on Twitter at @gregauman.
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