Benjamin Ijalana ( ; born August 6, 1989) is a former

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 ...

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

. 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 ...

for Villanova and was drafted by the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

in the second round of the

2011 NFL Draft The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...

Early years

Ijalana's parents immigrated to the U.S. from Nigeria. A native of

New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Willingboro High School Willingboro High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Willingboro Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of ...

in his freshman and sophomore year, before moving to Hainesport Township and transferring to

Rancocas Valley Regional High School Rancocas Valley Regional High School is a regional high school and public school district serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from five communities in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. The district encompasses approxi ...

, where he was a two-way lineman, and district champion in wrestling.

College career

He started every game at left tackle since his

true freshman Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

year at Villanova. Ijalana was named to the 2010

Outland Trophy The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best college football interior lineman in the United States as adjudged by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named an All-Ame ...

watch list as the only Football Championship Subdivision player.

Professional career

2011 NFL Draft

The Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

'' listed Ijalana as one of the five most "intriguing small-school prospects". He was selected 49th overall by the

in the

, the highest selected Villanova Wildcat since

Howie Long Howard Matthew Moses Long (born January 6, 1960) is an American sports analyst and former professional football player. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons as a defensive end, spending his entire career with the Raide ...

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

. Entering draft day, Ijalana was listed as a second round prospect with the possibility of jumping into the first round. He was projected as a right tackle, following his strong showing as a left tackle in college and his good arm length and hand size. Additionally, he had the ability to fall back as a guard. On day two of the draft, the Indianapolis Colts traded their 53rd and 152nd pick to the Redskins for the 49th pick to draft Ijalana.

Indianapolis Colts

Ijalana played four games in his rookie season before tearing his ACL and landing on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

. A few weeks after being cleared to play, Ijalana tore his ACL again during training camp in 2012. Ijalana was eventually declared out for the 2012 season. He was waived/injured on August 1, 2012, and he was subsequently placed on injured reserve on August 5.

New York Jets

Ijalala was claimed off waivers by the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

on September 1, 2013. On April 9, 2016, Ijalana signed a one-year contract extension with the Jets. On March 9, 2017, Ijalana signed a two-year, $11 million contract extension with the Jets. On February 19, 2018, the Jets declined the second-year option on Ijalana's contract, making him a free agent. However on March 16, 2018, Ijalana re-signed with the Jets on a one-year deal. He was placed on injured reserve on August 15, 2018.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On August 11, 2019, Ijalana was signed by the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

. He was placed on injured reserve on August 31, 2019.

Executive career

On June 3, 2022, Ijalana was hired by the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

as a scouting assistant.

References

External links

*
Villanova Wildcats bio

New York Jets bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ijalana, Ben 1989 births Living people American sportspeople of Nigerian descent People from Hainesport Township, New Jersey People from Willingboro Township, New Jersey Sportspeople from Burlington County, New Jersey Sportspeople from New Brunswick, New Jersey Players of American football from New Jersey Nigerian players of American football American football offensive tackles American football offensive guards Rancocas Valley Regional High School alumni Villanova Wildcats football players Willingboro High School alumni Indianapolis Colts players New York Jets players Jacksonville Jaguars players