NFL International Player Pathway spotlight: David Ebuka Agoha, Nigeria

| American Football | 01/06/2023

Following the success of three Nigerian athletes in the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP) program last year, 2022 saw nearly a dozen more young men from the west African nation garner attention. 

Six of the 11 chosen to attend the next stage are from Nigeria, making it without a doubt the most successful country in the program this year. All six of those athletes have at one point or another attended the IPP combine in London apart from one, linebacker and defensive end David Ebuka Agoha who is still yet to leave the country.

Agoha’s 6 ‘5″, 245-pound frame was unable to make the combine in London due to visa issues in Nigeria. Despite this, his performance at the NFL Africa camp in Ghana hosted by NFL Super Bowl champion Osi Umenyiora and Up Rise left scouts with little doubt as to how high the young man’s ceiling is.

Hailing from Bende in Abia State, Nigeria, Agoha was first noticed by Educational Basketball founders and brothers Olutobi and Iseolupo Adepitan while playing in Nigeria’s Premier Basketball League for the Invaders of Ado Ekiti.

Agoha posted his highlights online following the roundup of the season and was soon after contacted by the Adepitan brothers who felt his unbelievable mix of size and athleticism could lead to a future in the NFL.

Agoha was one of the most anticipated, and youngest, athletes invited to the London combine. His absence was a disappointment to fans, but he will now have months of training and a college Pro Day to prove his athleticism belongs in the NFL, and a high-performance training facility in Arizona (OLP) to show him how to do it.

Daniel Mackenzie is a Press Association graduate who works in journalism and communications in the third sector. Daniel began playing football for the London Warriors and Team Great Britain and has since played across Europe.