Yoshihito Omi’s start in football may not be the typical one that Global prospects tend to share.
Whereas many of the Global players that make their way to the CFL do so after finding football later in their adolescences, Yoshihito grew up with the game.
“First thing’s first. My father was an American football player,” he told CFL.ca at the CFL Combine last month. “I started football (when) I was 10 years old.”
RELATED
» View: 2022 CFL Global Draft order
» Ferguson: Top 5 Global performers from the CFL Combine
» Mexican prospect Espinosa looking to bring physicality
YOSHIHITO OMI HAS TRAVELED THE GLOBE CHASING HIS FOOTBALL DREAM. HE’S HOPING FOR A LONG STOP IN CANADA WITH THE CFL NEXT (CHRIS TANOUYE/CFL.CA)
The five-foot-11, 190-pound receiver always felt a passion for the game, playing from elementary into junior high and high school then college. While he played in Japan’s X League, Omi was working for an insurance company during the week. After leading the X League in receiving, he wanted to dedicate himself full-time to the game. So, he jumped over to the European Football League and played for the Leipzig Kings.
He’s since played in The Spring League and worked out at the NFL International Combine last year in London, England.
At the CFL Combine, he posted a 33.5-inch vertical leap and tested especially well in the speed drills, with a 4.18-second shuttle, which tied him for first among Globals and a Global-best 6.65-second 3 cone finish. He did not run the 40-yard dash.
His desire to play the game at its highest levels has already taken him around the world. On May 3, after showing his ability at the CFL Combine, Omi is hoping that his next stop will be a long one, with a CFL team.