Big British Bam Olaseni’s Unlikely Journey to the NFL Draft

As Bamidele Olaseni awaits to hear his name called in the 2022 NFL Draft, Sports Illustrated Utah sat down with the former Utah offensive lineman to discuss his unlikely journey to the league.

There are some athletes whose performances and legacy mean their names are synonymous with the sports they competed in: Muhammad Ali, Joe Montana, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, and Barry Bonds to name but a few. Playing sports professionally is a dream for many that few will ever achieve, but one that humble British athlete Bamidele Olaseni is close to fulfilling.

The NFL Draft is imminent. This rare opportunity for any NCAA athlete is the final roadblock in a tremendously arduous journey from pee wee flag football to NFL star. Every practice, every sprint, every game, and every drop of sweat leads to this potentially life-changing moment.

Upbringing

For Olaseni, the road to the NFL Draft is quite different to the traditional route. Bam grew up in the UK in the northeast London district of Walthamstow. Son to Afro-Caribbean parents, Benson and Yvette Olaseni, Bam’s upbringing focused on education first and sports second. Following in the footsteps of his sister, he pursued his interest in fashion and streetwear. Unbelievably, this 6’8” NFL prospect used to be an avid skateboarder.

The thought of pursuing sports as a career never crossed Bam’s mind through his teenage years. His older brother, Abodunrin, found his way over to the US playing basketball at the NCAA level for Iowa earning the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year award in 2015. The Olaseni’s were very proud of Abodunrin’s accomplishments, something that helped open doors to Bam’s sporting future stateside.

Grassroots

Super Bowl LVI saw an estimated 208 million in television viewership. Despite the level of interest stateside, the sport is not so popular in the UK. Few know that the short-lived NFL Europe existed from 1991-2004 in the UK. Although interest in the sport has grown over the last decade with the introduction of NFL London games being played sometimes three times per year, exposure has historically been limited.

Currently, the sport is reduced to a grassroots level with some fields resembling a “dirt field” according to Olaseni. For Bam, his interest was sparked when he was urged to conduct his own research. Seeing players like Ray Lewis pushed Bam to find a local team to play with. Fortunately for him, the London Blitz, a British American Football Association team trained close to his home. In a poorly funded sport with expensive equipment, Bam had no option but to strap on his £15 ($20) rugby boots and borrow equipment from the team in order to participate in tryouts. Needless to say, this 6’5” 300lb 18-year-old made the cut and played two seasons at the U-19 level, playing 9v9 and 11v11 versions of the sport, and a single season at the over 19’s level. In his time with the Blitz, Coach Anthony Fitzpatrick convinced Bam to shift from a defensive role to an offensive lineman role, something his physical frame was more suited toward.

Bamidele Olaseni, London Blitz — Courtesy of Bamidele Olaseni

Moving Stateside

While the Blitz offered Bam the chance to let out aggression in the legal confines of competitive sport, there was more to be offered from stepping up to the next level. One of Bam’s coaches believed he had size and ability to play in the states. Not thinking much of it, Bam sent out highlight tapes to several junior colleges eventually accepting a partial book scholarship to Garden City Community College in Kansas. Although he would have to repeat parts of his higher education in order to play football, Bam recalled what his father had always instructed him to do, which was “finish what you started”. Some thought he wouldn’t last a year. Bam only booked a one-way ticket to Kansas.

Bamidele Olaseni, Garden City — Courtesy of Bamidele Olaseni

For Bam, Garden City was a “trial by fire” as he put it. His play lacked technique but he had attributes that couldn’t be taught, athletic and physical dominance. JUCO proved that he couldn’t just run people over because of his size anymore. His teammates and opponents knew the game better. This forced him to better learn his role and study the playbook hard which was easy considering “nothing good happens after 10 p.m.” in Garden City in Bam’s mind.

During his first season, Bam played at left tackle to little recognition. However, year two saw him shift to right tackle where he received an NJCAA First Team All-American nomination and was rated a four-star recruit in his position. His performances attracted many offers from Division 1 universities including Alabama and Utah. Coach Jim Harden played a huge role in Bam’s decision to move west to the Salt Lake Valley. Harden visited Bam several times at the campus, opting to drive from Denver rather than take the once-daily flight into Garden City. Even Head Coach Kyle Whittingham made the trek to see Bam’s talents in person. It was one of Bam’s teammates who offered the advice to “go where you’re wanted, not where you’re tolerated” that helped him decide that Utah would be his future home. Harden in particular kept in regular contact with Bam and his tutors to make sure he would academically and athletically succeed at Utah.

Moving West

Bam’s Utah career didn’t get off to the perfect start. In 2019 he was redshirted playing only two games. During 2020, the Utes played only 5 games during a COVID stricken year with Bam playing as part of the special teams. 2021 was Bam’s last year of eligibility but had potential to be awarded an extra year by the NCAA. Not knowing the outcome, Bam “played like it was [his] last year”.

The Utes 2021 season got off to a rocky start with an early loss to in-state rivals BYU. But thanks to a player-led change of focus, they ended up as Pac-12 Champions and attended the programs first ever Rose Bowl, barely missing out on victory in a thrilling 45-48 loss to Ohio State.

During the pre-season, Bam’s focus was to improve himself mentally, physically, and spiritually. As he put it, to “stop disrespecting himself’. He came to the states for an education, but wanted to play at the highest level on a Power 5 team, and that meant finding a starting role on the offensive line.

Choosing to better himself off the field by changing his diet and working out on his own in addition to practices, he felt that he helped better the team. Bam saw action in all 14 games starting 11 at left tackle. Bam’s 2021 performance helped improve his draft stock leading to interest from several NFL teams.

NFL Draft

In any given year there are roughly 1.1 million high school football players in the US. Of those players, 6.5% will play at the college level (roughly 70,000). Only 1.2% (853) of college-level players will get drafted to the NFL, that’s 0.00075% of the original 1.1 million high school athletes. The likelihood of being struck by lightning at some point in your life is higher than you chances of playing in the NFL. For a British-born athlete with roughly 8 years of experience playing the game, I dare hazard a guess at how low the likelihood is to make it to the NFL. However, “statistics don’t matter to me,” said Bam. Obstacles are meant to be run through.

“American Football is kind of the sport where… it doesn't matter where you're from, doesn't matter what creed, race, gender. Look, it doesn't doesn't matter. You can make it… I have a story to tell and like it's just going to be a new chapter,” Bam said.

Since his Pro Day performance in mid March, Bam has been invited to the Las Vegas Raiders and Green Bay Packers facilities to tour and talk with the General Managers and coaching staffs. If selected, Bam will boast the longest wingspan in the NFL at 7’3” wide. His fluidity and understanding of drills are not only what set him apart, “I believe I’m coachable… I’m a student of the game and… willing to do whatever I need to for the team… if they tell me to play defensive tackle I will play,” he said.

Giving Back

If selected to play in the NFL, Bam’s focus is on giving back to those who helped him get his start in the sport. “I’ll help out my community, definitely. Hopefully I can do some sort of camp… bring awareness so the teams get different kinds of sponsorship… just try to help in any way I can either financially or bringing awareness to UK Football,” Bam said.

Bam is hopeful to join fellow NFL Brits, Efe Obada (Buffalo Bills, DL), Christian Wade (Buffalo Bills, RB), Jamie Gillan (Cleveland Browns, Punter), Jack Crawford (Arizona Cardinals, DL), and Jermaine Eluemunor (Miami Dolphins, Guard). Whatever the outcome of the draft, Bamidele Olaseni will be remembered as a ferocious lineman with great athleticism and speed in his 6’8” 330lb frame that defied the odds by making it this far.

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