Julian Okwara (born December 27, 1997) is an English born Nigerian

gridiron football Gridiron football,"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Ret ...

outside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

for the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Notre Dame and was drafted by the Lions in the third round of the

2020 NFL Draft The 2020 NFL Draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The d ...

Early years

Okwara was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

while his mother was visiting family, but raised in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. Okwara lived in

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

and was raised in Lekki before moving to the United States when he was in the third grade. He attended Ardrey Kell High School in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

. He committed to the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

to play college football.

College career

As a true freshman at Notre Dame in 2016, he played in 11 games, recording four tackles. As a sophomore in 2017, he played in 12 of 13 games, recording 17 tackles, 2.5 sacks and an interception. As a junior in 2018, he started 12 of 13 games, finishing with 38 tackles and eight sacks. Okwara returned to Notre Dame for his senior season in 2019.

Professional career

The

selected Okwara in the third round with the 67th overall pick of the

. On June 9, 2020, the Lions signed Okwara to a four-year contract. He was placed on injured reserve on October 21, 2020, after suffering a right leg injury in Week 6. On December 22, 2020, Okwara was activated off of injured reserve. On December 3, 2022, Okwara was placed on injured reserve.

Personal life

Okwara's older brother, Romeo Okwara, also played college football at Notre Dame and also currently plays in the NFL for the

References

External links

Notre Dame Fighting Irish bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Okwara, Julian 1997 births Living people Sportspeople from London American football defensive ends Nigerian players of American football Players of American football from Charlotte, North Carolina Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players Detroit Lions players American sportspeople of Nigerian descent English people of Nigerian descent English emigrants to the United States