Roman "R.J." Oben Jr. (born June 17, 2001) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

for the

Notre Dame Fighting Irish The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the athletic teams that represent the University of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish participate in 23 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I intercollegiate sports and in the NCAA's Division ...

. He previously played for the

Duke Blue Devils The Duke Blue Devils are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Associatio ...

Early life and high school

Raised in

Montclair, New Jersey Montclair () is a township in Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a wealthy and diverse commuter town and suburb of New York City within the New York metropolitan area. As ...

, Oben attended high school at

St. Peter's Preparatory School Saint Peter's Preparatory School ("Saint Peter's Prep" or "Prep") is a private, all-male, Jesuit, college-preparatory school located in Jersey City, in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. T ...

. Coming out of high school Oben was rated as a three-star recruit where he decided to commit to play

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 ...

for the

College career

Duke

In Oben's first season in 2019, he played in four games, making just one tackle before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury. In the 2020 season, Oben made four tackles with half a tackle being for a loss. In the 2021 season, Oben totaled 25 tackles, with seven going for a loss, five sacks, three forced fumbles, an interception, and a pass breakup. During the 2022 season, Oben notched 20 tackles with six and a half being for a loss, four and a half sacks, and two forced fumbles. In the 2023 season, Oben tallied 17 tackles, with six going for a loss, and five sacks. After the conclusion of the 2023 season, Oben decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal. In Oben's career with the Blue Devils, he recorded 67 tackles with 20 being for a loss, 14 sacks, five forced fumbles, and an interception.

Notre Dame

Oben decided to transfer to play for the

Personal life

R.J. is short for 'Roman Junior' and is the son of former NFL offensive tackle

Roman Oben Roman Oben (born October 9, 1972) is a former professional American football player. He played college football at the University of Louisville before being drafted by the New York Giants in 1996. Oben spent 12 years as an offensive tackle in t ...

References

External links

Duke Blue Devils bioNotre Dame Fighting Irish bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oben, R.J. 2001 births Living people Players of American football from Essex County, New Jersey Sportspeople from Montclair, New Jersey American football defensive ends St. Peter's Preparatory School alumni Duke Blue Devils football players Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players