Nigerian EDGE/Linebacker Benson Jerry's commitment to NCAA Division II program Northern State Wolves from the NFL Academy in Loughborough was a win for the NFL's efforts to grow the game in Africa, using flag football as a gateway.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Brian Asamoah recently told ESPN that he felt flag football had the potential to grow quickly in Africa as a participation sport, serving as a pathway to tackle football.
As it turns out, Jerry - who was the Defensive MVP at the 2023 NFL Africa camp in Kenya, where Asamoah was coaching - has proven to be one example.
Jerry was born in Benue, but spent his formative years in Abuja. Passionate about sports, he grew up playing soccer like many young boys in Nigeria, but also tried out every other sport he came across - even dance.
In 2019, Jerry first came across American football when he tried out for a coach in the US who was friends with one of his youth sports coaches in Nigeria.
"I don't know where he came from," Jerry told ESPN, reflecting on how unlikely his introduction to American football was.
Jerry was not initially one of the players who succeeded in getting selected to advance in the program. However, he retained an interest in the sport thereafter and got in touch with then-Texas A&M offensive lineman Smart Chibuzo, who had family in Nigeria.
"Smart Chibuzo was giving me tips for me to watch or maybe practice - or some videos for me to watch and learn and then put into practice," Jerry said.
Jerry played flag football for local side Abuja Alphas. In 2020, his talent was spotted by Ejike Ugboaja, a former Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Draft pick who has partnered with Osi Umenyiora's Uprise program to produce American football talent.
"I spotted him in 2020. He was so skilled and he was trying other positions. I know he will be great in this game because he has always loved the game," Ugboaja told ESPN.
"Roy [Mbaeteka], Kehinde [Oginni Hassan] and Haggai [Ndubuisi] were different animals. But he was strong in the heart to be around and compete."
Ugboaja took him under his wing, but when he performed for Umenyiora alongside the likes of Haggai Ndubuisi, Kehinde Oginni and Roy Mbaeteka, Jerry was not yet ready to stand out. As a result, while some of his peers joined the NFL Academy and IPP Program, he remained in Nigeria until 2023.
However, he kept working and was the Defensive MVP of that year's NFL Africa camp in Kenya, led by Umenyiora.
Initially a defensive back who modelled his game on Jalen Ramsey, Jerry converted to a linebacker/EDGE, playing in those positions at the NFL Academy in the UK.
He received praise from an accomplished linebacker - Emmanuel Ogbah (then of the Miami Dolphins and now the Jacksonville Jaguars) - while in Kenya.
"He stood out as soon as I saw him. The first day, he stood out. He's been working on his pass rush drills. He's a natural and hard worker," Ogbah said at the time, as per the NFL.
The Northern State Wolves - a Division II school in Aberdeen, South Dakota - have thus gained a talent with an unusual resume for a player at his level. While the road to the top is steep from here, American football - through the gateway of flag football - has already changed Jerry's life forever.