Freedom Akinmoladun
Freedom Akinmoladun (born February 11, 1996) is an American football defensive end for the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL. He was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2019 following his college football career with the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
No. 98 – St. Louis Battlehawks | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position: | Defensive end | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Grandview, Missouri, U.S. | February 11, 1996||||||
Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 286 lb (130 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Grandview HS (Grandview, Missouri) | ||||||
College: | Nebraska | ||||||
Undrafted: | 2019 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
| |||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
Roster status: | Active | ||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||
| |||||||
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Professional career
New York Giants
Akinmoladun signed with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent following the 2019 NFL Draft on May 14, 2019.[1] He was waived during final roster cuts on August 31, 2019,[2] and signed to the team's practice squad the next day.[3] He was released on November 12, 2019.[4]
Cincinnati Bengals
Akinmoladun signed to the Cincinnati Bengals' practice squad on November 19, 2019.[5] He was promoted to the active roster on December 14, 2019.[6]
Akinmoladun was waived during final roster cuts on September 5, 2020,[7] and signed to the team's practice squad the next day.[8] He was elevated to the team's active roster on September 17 for the team's week 2 game against the Cleveland Browns and reverted to the practice squad the next day.[9] He was elevated again to the team's active roster on October 3 for the week 4 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and reverted to the practice squad after the game.[10] He was placed on the practice squad/COVID-19 list by the team on November 18, 2020,[11] and restored to the practice squad on December 2.[12] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 4, 2021.[13] He was waived on August 22, 2021.[14]
Tennessee Titans
On August 24, 2021, Akinmoladun was claimed off waivers by the Tennessee Titans.[15] He was waived on August 29, 2021.[16]
New York Jets
On December 21, 2021, Akinmoladun was signed to the New York Jets practice squad.[17]
Philadelphia Stars
Akinmoladun was selected with the sixth pick of the second round of the 2022 USFL draft by the Philadelphia Stars.[18]
St. Louis BattleHawks
The St. Louis BattleHawks selected Akinmoladun in the first round of the 2023 XFL Supplemental Draft on January 1, 2023.[19]
Personal life
Freedom's older brother, Olu'Kayode Akinmoladun, played college football at Nebraska–Kearney before going on to play professionally for various indoor football teams, including the Green Bay Blizzard, Texas Revolution, and Omaha Beef; additionally, Freedom's younger brother, Justice Akinmoladun, was playing college football at Washburn as of 2022.[20]
References
- Schwartz, Paul (May 14, 2019). "Giants shuffle roster, add Nebraska defensive end Freedom Akinmoladun". NYPost.com. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- Eisen, Michael (August 31, 2019). "New York Giants announce 53-man roster". Giants.com. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- Eisen, Michael (September 1, 2019). "Giants place CB Sam Beal on IR, sign TE Eric Tomlinson and 8 to practice squad". Giants.com. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- Eisen, Michael (November 12, 2019). "TE Scott Simonson re-joins Giants". Giants.com. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- "Bengals Sign Akinmoladun And Thompson To Practice Squad". Bengals.com. November 19, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- "Bengals Sign Akinmoladun To Roster, Place Wren On Reserve/Injured". Bengals.com. December 14, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- "Bengals Reduce 2020 Roster To 53 Players". Bengals.com. September 5, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- "Bengals Establish Practice Squad". Bengals.com. September 6, 2020. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- "Akinmoladun; Henderson Elevated To Active Roster". Bengals.com. September 17, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- "Bengals Make Four Player Moves Ahead Of Week 4 Matchup Versus Jacksonville". Bengals.com. October 3, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- "Bengals Make Midweek Player Moves". Bengals.com. November 18, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
- Alper, Josh (December 2, 2020). "Bengals activate Xavier Su'a-Filo, put Auden Tate on IR". NBCSports.com. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
- "Bengals Sign 10 Players To Reserve/Future Contracts". Bengals.com. January 4, 2021.
- "Bengals Make Roster Moves Ahead Of Third Preseason Game". Bengals.com. August 22, 2021.
- Wyatt, Jim (August 23, 2021). "Titans Claim Former Bengals DL Freedom Akinmoladun off waivers". TennesseeTitans.com.
- Wyatt, Jim (August 29, 2021). "Roster Moves: Titans Part Ways With Five Players While Placing One on Injured Reserve, Another on Reserve/COVID-19 List". TennesseeTitans.com.
- Greenberg, Ethan (December 21, 2021). "Jets Place TE Ryan Griffin on Injured Reserve, Activate QB Mike White". NewYorkJets.com.
- "Three Huskers Selected in USFL Draft". Nebraska Cornhuskers. February 23, 2022. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- "Supplemental Draft Picks 2023". XFL.com. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- Goodwin, Max (January 23, 2022). "Professional Indoor Football Champion Honored at Grandview Aldermen Meeting". Martin City Telegraph.