Former Ohio State Club Football wide receiver Praise Olatoke has been named to the NFL’s International Player Pathway Class of 2024, joining 15 other athletes making the transition to American football.
The NFL’s IPP program “aims to provide elite international athletes with the opportunity to compete at the NFL level, improve their skills and ultimately work to earn a spot on an NFL roster.” Olatoke, who was a letterman for Ohio State’s track and field team before joining Ohio State Club Football, is a native of Nigeria and Scotland.
Olatoke played just one season for Ohio State Club Football, catching seven passes for 231 yards and four touchdowns in 2022. His 33.0 yards per catch was best in the National Club Football Association amongst players who participated in seven or more games that season. The 2022 season was his first and only year playing organized American tackle football.
Along with the 15 other members of his class, Olatoke will report to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. where he will participate in a 10-week minicamp before an NFL Pro Day in March. Olatoke is the only wide receiver in the IPP Class of 2024.
Since its inception, 37 international players have signed with NFL teams (allocated, drafted or signed as a free agent), with 18 IPP athletes currently on NFL rosters. Five players – Jordan Mailata, Jakob Johnson, Efe Obada, Sammis Reyes and David Bada – have seen active rosters with the Philadelphia Eagles, Las Vegas Raiders and Washington Commanders, since the program began in 2017. At the conclusion of training camp, the group of 16 IPP athletes will be eligible to fill a 17th practice squad roster spot across any of the 32 teams — an additional spot reserved for an international player — following the rule change beginning with the 2024 season applicable to athletes outside of the United States and Canada.
Olatoke is looking to become the third Ohio State Club Football player in team history to earn an NFL training camp invite. Eli Goins, who played for Ohio State Club Football in 2014 before earning a walk-on opportunity with Ohio State’s varsity program, earned a training camp invite with the Tennessee Titans in 2018. Chris Booker, who played for Ohio State Club Football in 2018 before his own time as a walk-on, earned training camp invites with the Arizona Cardinals and Washington Commanders in 2022.
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