Ifo Ekpre-Olomu

Ifomeno "Ifo" Ekpre-Olomu (/ˈiːfoʊ ˌɛkpreɪ ˈoʊloʊmuː/ EE-foh EK-pray OH-loh-moo; born July 10, 1993)[1] is a former American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the seventh round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He played college football for the University of Oregon.

Ifo Ekpre-Olomu
refer to caption
Ekpre-Olomu with the Oregon Ducks
No. 25, 33
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1993-07-10) July 10, 1993
Chino, California, U.S.
Height:5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight:200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school:Chino Hills (Chino Hills, California)
College:Oregon (2011–2014)
NFL Draft:2015 / Round: 7 / Pick: 241
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

Ekpre-Olomu, who is of Nigerian descent, attended Chino Hills High School in Chino Hills, California and played both running back and defensive back.[2] He was named to the 2010 California All-State Defensive first-team, All-Southern Section Defensive first-team and was the Sierra League MVP.[3]

Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Ekpre-Olomu was listed as the No. 17 cornerback in the nation in 2011.[4]

College career

Over the course of three seasons at Oregon, Ekpre-Olomu helped the Ducks to a 35–5 record with three consecutive post-season bowl victories. He was praised by Duck's longtime secondary coach John Neal as, "(...) the best player I've ever coached.”[5] Despite being projected as a late first-round draft selection in the 2014 NFL Draft, Ekpre-Olomu decided to return for his senior season at the University of Oregon to complete his degree in general social science.[6]

As a true freshman in 2011, Ekpre-Olomu played in all 14 games while recording 34 tackles for the Ducks.[5]

He was named to the first-team All-Pac-12 and third-team All-American by the Associated Press[7] as a sophomore in 2012 after starting 13 games and recording 59 tackles with four interceptions.

As a junior in 2013, Ekpre-Olomu was named first-team All-Pac-12 for the second consecutive year while also earning first-team all-America status from ESPN[8] and was a second-team all-America according to no less than four organizations,[9] including the prestigious Walter Camp Football Foundation.[10] Starting in all 13 games, he recorded 84 tackles with three interceptions.[3]

The 2014 season featured #3 Oregon against #7 Michigan State in a highly anticipated game considered to be the best non-conference match-up of the season.[11] Oregon's win over #7 Michigan State was sealed after a game-changing interception by Ekpre-Olomu. Later in the year, Ekpre-Olomu sustained a knee injury which ended his season prior to the 2015 Rose Bowl, in which Oregon received the second seed for the new College Football Playoff.[12] Phil Steele called Ekpre-Olomu the best cornerback in the NCAA.[13]

Professional career

NFL draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN rated Ekpre-Olomu as the top senior cornerback available in the 2015 NFL draft. However, an anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACL) he suffered in December 2014 during practice left many teams no longer interested in him.[14] Ekpre-Olomu later revealed that he had also dislocated his knee.[15] He underwent two major reconstructive surgeries, with his ACL reconstruction being much more extensive than usual. An insurance policy taken out by his family through International Specialty Insurance disability insurance program paid him $3 million.[16]

Cleveland Browns

Ekpre-Olomu was picked by the Cleveland Browns in the seventh round of the 2015 NFL Draft.[17] He was the 241st player picked overall.[15] His injury meant that he fell at least four rounds during the draft.[16] On May 13, 2015,[15] Ekpre-Olomu signed a four-year, $2.337 million with the Browns. His contract includes a $57,300 signing bonus.[18] On July 28, 2015, the Browns said Ekpre-Olomu would sit out the entire 2015 season so that he could continue to recover from his knee surgery. Head coach Mike Pettine said the team knew Ekpre-Olomu was unlikely to play when they drafted him.[19]

Ekpre-Olomu was waived by the Cleveland Browns on April 2, 2016.[20]

Miami Dolphins

On April 5, 2016, Ekpre-Olomu was claimed off waivers by the Miami Dolphins.[21] The Dolphins waived him on August 7, 2016 and placed him on injured reserve after he injured his other knee.[22]

On February 16, 2017, Ekpre-Olomu was released by the Dolphins.[23][24]

Personal life

His parents Joshua and Queen Ekpre-Olomu are Nigerian, and his birth name of Ifomeno means "something that fits you well."[25]

References
  1. "Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB". CBSSports.com. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  2. "Chino Hills' Ifo Ekpre-Olomu heading to Oregon". Best High School Sports Blog. November 24, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  3. "Ifo Ekpre-Olomu Bio". goducks.com. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  4. "Ifo Ekpre-Olomu". yahoo.com. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  5. "As Ifo Ekpre-Olomu makes his name as one of nation's best cornerbacks, he makes his family proud". OregonLive.com. November 20, 2013. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  6. "Ekpre-Olomu will remain at Oregon for his senior season". goducks.com. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  7. "Oregon State's Jordan Poyer, Oregon's Kenjon Barner and Ifo Ekpre-Olomu named AP All-Americans". OregonLive.com. December 11, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  8. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  9. "Ekpre-Olomu will remain at Oregon for his senior season". goducks.com. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  10. "Ekpre-Olomu garners All-America accolades". goducks.com. Archived from the original on July 23, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  11. Michael Weinreb (September 4, 2014). "How the Michigan State-Oregon series has already changed college football". SBNation.com. Vox Media. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  12. "Rose Bowl: Ifo Ekpre-Olomu injury a spiritual and communicative loss for Oregon". Emerald Media. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  13. "Marcus Mariota, Hroniss Grasu and Ifo Ekpre-Olomu named preseason All-Americans -- again". OregonLive.com. June 7, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  14. "Mel Kiper's early ranking of top cornerback prospects for the 2015 NFL draft". ESPN.com. June 11, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  15. Cabot, Mary Kay (May 14, 2015). "Cleveland Browns sign 7th-rounder Ifo Ekpre-Olomu". Cleveland Plain Dealer. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  16. Fowler, Jeremy (May 13, 2015). "Ekpre-Olomu: 'It only takes one team'". ESPN. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  17. "2015 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  18. Pokorny, Chris (May 14, 2015). "Cleveland Browns Sign 7th Round Draft Pick, CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu". DawgsByNature.com. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  19. Cabot, Mary Kay (July 29, 2015). "Browns' CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu expected to sit out 2015 with serious knee injury". Cleveland Plain-Dealer. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
  20. "Browns release DB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu". www.clevelandbrowns.com. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  21. Walker, James (April 5, 2016). "Dolphins claim Ifo Ekpre-Olomu off waivers from Browns". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  22. Cabot, Mary Kay (September 4, 2016). "With all 14 Browns draft picks making the team, is this one of the best drafts in recent history?". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved September 4, 2016; "Ifo Ekpre-Olomu waived by Dolphins". Associated Press. August 8, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  23. "Dolphins Make Roster Moves". MiamiDolphins.com. February 16, 2017. Archived from the original on February 17, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  24. Greif, Andrew (February 17, 2017). "Ifo Ekpre-Olomu is optimistic during NFL comeback in Oregon: 'I don't have any doubt that I will be healthy'". Oregon Live. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  25. Gary Horowitz, Statesman Journal (September 8, 2014). "Ekpre-Olomu making big-time plays for Ducks". Statesman Journal. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
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