‘They call me the James Brown of the NFL!’

Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Foyesade Oluokun has been compared to the ‘hardest working man in show business’ James Brown

Foye Oluokun has stormed his way to becoming recognised as one of the NFL’s premier tackling machines, but he won’t be thinking about defending his crown when the Jacksonville Jaguars enter their crucial final game of the regular season on Sunday. 

The linebacker has led the league in tackles for two-straight seasons and recently became just the fourth player since 2000 to post at least 150 tackles across three consecutive campaigns.

Oluokun now heads into his side’s Week 18 matchup ranked third on the year, his 166 tackles bettered only by Bobby Wagner’s 168 and Zaire Franklin’s NFL-leading 170, as the Jaguars look for a win over the Tennessee Titans that would secure them the AFC South division title.

History remains within reach. But for Oluokun, the sole focus is on helping steer Jacksonville to a deep January playoff run.

“It [the tackling title] is really not important right now. I really just want to win as many games as possible,” he told Sky Sports.

“We’ve been having a great year so far. If it does happen, then that’s cool and I can tell my grandparents about it, but I don’t put too much importance on the tackling title, it just happens while trying to win games.

“I’m trying to be productive, be the best player I can be. Some teams will run away or will do quick gains, so the tackles might not be there if we are doing our part and getting off the field.

“If we’re winning games, that’s something to hang your hat on more than the tackle title.”

Oluokun grafting to gain respect from NFL peers

Oluokun’s soaring numbers embody his response from NFL Draft obscurity, as a product of Ivy League Yale, the perception of which he believes sees the school’s famous academic prowess overshadow athletic talent.

He didn’t receive an invite to the Scouting Combine in 2018 and was largely considered an unknown commodity before eventually landing with the Atlanta Falcons as a sixth-round pick. Doubts over his NFL credentials have since fuelled his success.

“Every year I feel like I’ve got to prove myself or re-prove myself because there’s definitely a lot of doubters that see my name and don’t really know about me,” Oluokun continues. “At the end of the year we have all those top 100 player lists and I’ve never been on them.

“Regardless of what I do on the field, I always have motivation that I need to get my game better. Every year that I play, I want to get a little bit better at something else, while also working on the stuff that I need to keep up, it’s the only way to get the respect I feel like I want.

“Once I get that, we’ll see what happens but, luckily, they haven’t given it to me yet, so I’m still working!”

The traits of a Yale student remain evident six seasons later, given Oluokun’s intense commitment to studying, with the balance of academics and football producing both a diligent learner and an over-prepared leader on the field. So much has been made of his work ethic, that Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell nicknamed him James Brown this past offseason.

“It’s something the defensive coaches called me and it stuck,” says Oluokun. “James Brown was the hardest working man in showbusiness and, during OTAs, I was always around, even when the veterans had their days off.

“I would come to the facility and do my lifts in the gym, be around the guys as much as possible and study to learn as much as possible.

“Communication goes a long way and just being close with the guys you’re supposed to be communicating with will go a long way. I always felt that it was advantageous for me to be around.

“It’s been the same all the way through the season… I just devote myself to being around the guys and doing what I can for the team.”

How Yale helped shape NFL tackling machine

Growing up in Missouri, Oluokun went to the top schools and played for the top sports teams as his parents sought to challenge him against the best. Slack off and there came the risk of falling behind.

Yale would later present its own learning curve as Oluokun came to understand the value of independence among some of the most coveted resources and intelligent young minds in the nation. Very quickly, he realised he controlled his own path, regardless of the risk of the NFL turning a blind-eye to his potential.

“The pre-conception, everything on TV about Ivy League kids and life, it’s really not like that,” Oluokun continues.

“The school part I guess is like that, and really planned out, but you’ve got to learn to find success on your own. A lot of kids will go there thinking they are the smartest kid ever and they might overdo the workload and then have to find out who they are.

“There are a bunch of gifted kids with all these resources, but if they don’t learn to understand who they are, how they learn, how to be successful, then it doesn’t happen.

“It’s a lot of learning on the fly, and then you add football on top, nobody is helping you with that, so time management is one of the most important things.”

Oluokun attacked academics with everything, realising the burden he might have felt on the football field had he let himself offer anything less than his best in the classroom. Once draft season arrived, he went full throttle to impress during combine drills at his Pro Day and put himself on one or two more radars around the league.

“When you get on the football field, you can’t let any hours go to waste, so any breaks when you get home you’re working at your craft,” Oluokun recalled. “Even while class is going on, you’re working at your craft, trying to be the best player you can be.

“But you have to pick and choose. If you go too hard on one, you might lack in the other, so it’s a grind they don’t really tell you about – but it was a fun journey.”

Oluokun didn’t dream of being drafted until ‘Zeke’

The NFL had not always been in the picture for Oluokun, given Yale’s limited recent draft history. In fact, he didn’t stop to even consider the NFL might be possible until a close friend was drafted.

That close friend was running back Ezekiel Elliott, for whom Oluokun had blocked as a fullback during their time together at John Burroughs High School. Elliott was selected fourth overall out of Ohio State by the Dallas Cowboys in 2016.

Former Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott was drafted fourth overall by the team in 2016

“I never really thought about the NFL until Ezekiel Elliott got drafted,” Oluokun explained. “My coaches said I had good talent and that I had to keep improving. But I was used to being under-recognised, even in college.

“I knew the kind of athlete I was, and I knew that if Ezekiel could go fourth overall, there was no way there wasn’t a spot for me in the league to be on special teams or a rotational player. I could find a way.

“That’s been the way my whole life: I found a way in school, I found a way in sport, I find a way to be successful.

“I remember training when nobody knew about me. I told my friend from college I was nervous about training with all these big school guys and he said he didn’t know why I was nervous, because I never let myself not be one of the top people.

“It’s just been about that mindset that, no matter where I start, I’ll find a way to be respected and I go out and make it happen.”

Watch Oluokun in action as the Jacksonville Jaguars look to wrap up the AFC South title when they face the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, live on Sky Sports NFL from 5pm ahead of kick-off at 6pm. Stream the NFL and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership