Olakunle Fatukasi facts for kids
| St. Louis Battlehawks | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker | ||
| Personal information | |||
| Born: | June 11, 1999 Far Rockaway, New York, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Weight: | 240 lb (109 kg) | ||
| Career information | |||
| High school: | Grand Street Campus (Brooklyn, New York) |
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| College: | Rutgers (2017–2021) | ||
| Undrafted: | 2022 | ||
| Career history | |||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||
Olakunle Fatukasi (born June 11, 1999) is an American professional football player. He plays as a linebacker for the St. Louis Battlehawks in the United Football League (UFL). Before turning pro, he played college football at Rutgers University.
Contents
College Football Journey
Olakunle Fatukasi started his college football journey at Rutgers University in 2017. He was considered a promising player when he joined the team.
Early Years at Rutgers
In his first year (freshman season), Olakunle played in all twelve games for Rutgers. This was a great start for him. In 2018, he played in eleven games. He made twenty tackles, playing both as a linebacker and on special teams. Special teams are groups of players who handle kickoffs, punts, and field goals.
Becoming a Key Player
By 2019, Olakunle was a major contributor. He played in all twelve games and started ten of them as a weak-side linebacker. In the 2020 season, which was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, he became a team captain. He started all nine games and led the entire Big Ten Conference in tackles. This means he made more tackles than any other player in that league!
During this season, he was even named the Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week once. He was also a semifinalist for the Butkus Award, which goes to the best linebacker in college football. He earned high honors, being named First-team All-Big Ten by the media and Second-team by the coaches.
Final College Season
Because of a special rule due to COVID-19, Olakunle was able to play another season at Rutgers in 2021. He switched from playing outside linebacker to inside linebacker. Even though he missed some games due to an injury, he was still named Third-team All-Big Ten.
Professional Football Career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1+1⁄4 in (1.86 m) |
234 lb (106 kg) |
32+7⁄8 in (0.84 m) |
9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) |
4.79 s | 1.63 s | 2.78 s | 4.36 s | 6.76 s | 38.0 in (0.97 m) |
10 ft 2 in (3.10 m) |
21 reps | |
| All values from Pro Day | ||||||||||||
After college, Olakunle began his professional football career.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
In 2022, Olakunle signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He joined them as an undrafted free agent. This means he wasn't chosen in the NFL draft but was signed by a team afterward. He managed to make the Buccaneers' main 53-player roster after training camp. He played in 13 games before the team decided to release him in December 2022.
Denver Broncos
Soon after, in December 2022, Olakunle joined the Denver Broncos. He was signed to their practice squad. A practice squad is a group of players who train with the team but are not on the main active roster. They can be called up to play if needed. He was released by the Broncos in January 2023.
New England Patriots
In January 2023, Olakunle signed a "reserve/future" contract with the New England Patriots. This type of contract means a player is signed for the next season. However, he was released by the Patriots in August.
Kansas City Chiefs
Just a few days later, in August 2023, Olakunle signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. He was later released with an injury designation. This means he was released because of an injury. He then went on the Chiefs' injured reserve list. After reaching an agreement about his injury, he was released from that list in September.
Los Angeles Rams
Olakunle then joined the Los Angeles Rams practice squad in October 2023. He signed another reserve/future contract with them in January 2024. He was later released by the Rams in August 2024.
St. Louis Battlehawks
In December 2024, Olakunle Fatukasi signed with the St. Louis Battlehawks. This team plays in the United Football League (UFL).
About Olakunle's Family
Olakunle Fatukasi comes from a Nigerian family. He has two brothers who also play football. His younger brother, Tunde, played at Rutgers and now plays for Bowling Green. His older brother, Folorunso, played at the University of Connecticut and is currently a player for the Houston Texans. Olakunle also has his own t-shirt company called O3.
