They Laughed At Him

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In today’s edition…

People laughed at him when he told them his plan.

But he proved them wrong, rising from the bottom of the freshman team depth chart to do the unthinkable.

Now he’s gearing up for the NFL’s biggest stage.

Let’s dive in 👇

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Moro Ojomo's Path From Freshman B-Team Backup to Super Bowl LIX

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“People used to laugh at me…”

Those early doubters never would've predicted where Moro Ojomo’s path would take him.

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, where education begins early, he started school at an age that would surprise most Americans.

“I started kindergarten when I was three,” he told a reporter.

When he was 7 years old, his mother got an offer to work for an IT company in California.

So the whole Ojomo family made the 7,669-mile flight to the west coast of America to start their new lives.

His father was a pastor and opened a church in Santa Clarita.

“My dad gives me great perspective,” Moro said.

“He always says you’ll always have a better tomorrow. And that’s how I live my life. I’m always trying to build on days.”

When he got to California, Moro stayed on his academic track from Nigeria, so he was always two years younger than his classmates.

In middle school, he went out for the football team without knowing much about the game.

“They threw me in,” he told The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“I went to tryouts and everyone was trying to be the quarterback. I tried to throw a football and they were like ‘Go over there.’”

Discouraged by the experience, he quit the sport altogether.

Around that time, his older sister, Omodele, was diagnosed with leukemia.

“We were in and out of the hospital for almost two-and-a-half years,” their mother told The Athletic in 2018.

“So it was tough. It was tough for Moro, too. Our faith has helped us as a family to go through challenges like that.”

The family’s beliefs played a big role in Moro’s development.

“I think it shaped a lot of ways that I am with work ethic and attitude in life,” he said.

“I think faith allows you to not feel like the world’s weight is on your shoulders and allows you to move in freedom. I know that God has me regardless of whatever so it allows you to pursue anything to the best of your ability, even if you fall short you know there’s a better plan in hand.”

After several years of hospital visits and chemotherapy, Omodele was cancer-free.  But the battle took a toll on everyone and they needed a fresh start.

Just before Moro started high school, his family moved to Texas where his father became a pastor of a Holiness-Pentecostal church near Houston.

Moro had no idea how serious high school football was in the Lone Star State, especially at Katy High School, where the football program had produced seven state championships and more than six NFL players up to that point.

Freshmen tryouts came and went.

12-year-old Ojomo never showed up.

But once the season started, Katy head coach Gary Joseph asked the middle school coach if there was anyone who might've slipped through the cracks.

The coach told him about a big lineman who was two years younger than the other kids.

“I went to his house and talked to him,” Joseph said.

“You’re intimidated when you’re that young and playing against older people. Most of those kids that were freshmen in high school were 14 or 15 and getting ready to get their driver’s licenses. He was 12.”

With some convincing, Moro decided to give football another shot.  The coach made a spot for him.

“Freshman team backup,” Ojomo said. “Freshman B-team backup. The fourth guy in my position.”

The next season, he didn’t even make the JV team.

“I was always big for my age, but people didn’t know that because people didn’t realize how young I was,” he said. “I kind of fit in, but I didn’t stand out much.”

Determined to change that perception, Moro made a promise to himself.

“I knew, if I don’t start this year, I’m quitting football,” he said.  “I’d already made my mind up, if I don’t start junior year, I’m gonna quit football.”

The 13-year-old sophomore poured every ounce of free time into his training.

He stayed after school for hours, often as late as 6 p.m.  Eventually, his dad started wondering where he was.

“I said, ‘Son, what’s going on here?’” his father remembered.

“He said, ‘Dad, I have this dream and I want to pursue it.’”

The extra hours in the gym paid off, and Moro finally made the varsity team as a junior.

“He’s a late-blooming kid, and that’s why you never give up on kids,” coach Gary Joseph said. “You never give up on people like that.”

After starting the fall as a third-stringer, he gained confidence with more time on the field.

He worked his way into a starting role and ended the season earning all-district honors.

Then, in his senior year, he became one of the most dominant defensive linemen in the state.

“There were people that had to double and triple-team him to block him and stop him,” his coach said.

When Moro put out his senior tape in late December, recruiters swarmed.

Within 23 days, he took five official visits: Oregon, Miami, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Most coaches didn’t realize he was only 16 years old until he stepped foot on campus.

Still, each staff promised not to redshirt him.  He’d have a chance to compete for a spot right away, no matter where he went.

After a lot of discussions and prayer with his family, Moro chose the Longhorns.

“Texas had the right ingredients: fantastic school and a fantastic platform,” his father said.

Moro was one of the youngest players in college football – he didn’t turn 17 until the middle of Texas’ training camp.  But that wasn’t the only reason for the chip on his shoulder.

Despite his production, and the attention of top-tier programs, recruiting websites still overlooked him.

There were 63 defensive linemen ranked above him in the 247Sports composite rankings.

“Nothing comes in life without hard work. I know that,” Ojomo said then.

“That’s why my story is a lot different than a lot of these kids who’ve been good all their years in high school. They’ve been ‘The Guy’ ever since junior high. I know what it’s like to compete for a starting spot. A lot of these kids don’t know that.”

In five years with the Longhorns – a career that included the COVID pandemic – Moro totaled 95 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, and five sacks.

“I am incredibly excited about what the future holds,” he wrote in January of 2023 when he declared for the NFL Draft.

But a few months later, his optimism was turning into dread.  By the middle of the seventh round, his name still hadn’t been called.

“I thought it was over.”

With only 11 picks left, his phone finally rang.

It was Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman, who knows a thing or two about overcoming adversity himself.

“We’re gonna take you here, man,” Howie told him.

“We can’t believe you’re here in the seventh round. We know you’re gonna show the world what kind of player you are…and we’re excited to get you.”

In the recording of the call, you can hear his sister in the background, shrieking with joy.

“The kids who you’re really proud of are ones who are self-made football players,” said Katy head coach Gary Joseph.

“They work with what they have, and he’s one of those kids. He worked. It wasn’t a fluke.”

After playing just 6% of the defensive snaps as a rookie, Moro earned more playing time with the Eagles in 2024.

He notched his first NFL sack when it mattered most: in the fourth quarter of a playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams.

“People used to laugh at me in sophomore year when I told ’em I was gonna start,” he said back in 2018.  “They’re gonna realize it when I do what I plan to do…They’re gonna be like, ‘Wow, we really missed on this one.’”

Now a second-year NFL defensive tackle, Ojomo is gearing up for the biggest game of his life: Super Bowl LIX.

Yet his approach is the same as it was when he was an unknown high schooler fighting to make the varsity squad.

“I’m just always excited to go to work…I got one life to live, you know? So why not compete? Why not shoot for the moon?”

“When you look at my story, what are the odds? The most random kid from Nigeria…He starts playing football, and now he’s in the NFL. What are the odds? A seventh-round pick makes a deep, talented defensive line like this. Just keep believing in yourself and keep working. Just try. You only get one life, so why not give it 110 percent?”

🐶 

This story was written by yours truly. If you enjoyed it, share it with a friend who can’t wait for the Super Bowl!

Here are two more stories you might also like:

• The 300-Pound Late Bloomer Who Traveled 6,000 Miles to (Accidentally) Make NFL History

• How Josh Butler Wrote The Best Under-the-Radar Story of the 2024 NFL Season

What did you think of today’s story?

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As we head into February, what kinds of stories would you like to see?

Baseball has always been my bread and butter, but we’ve got some time before the season to explore a wide variety of stories.

Let me know what you want to see more (or less) of in the coming months.

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

Til next time,
Tyler

Extra Innings…

🏀 “I might not look like all the people that are on television.” But John Fanta never tries to be anyone but himself. And that’s exactly why his star is on the rise in college hoops.

🏠 Non-sports news: After his brother became homeless, this man invented “Tiny Tiny Homes” that fit on the back of bicycles to end sleeping on the street.

🌟 Trivia Answer: D) 12 penalties – the 1977 Dallas Cowboys somehow overcame all those flags to win the Lombardi Trophy.

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