Praise Olatoke, the new Scottish wide receiver for the Los Angeles Chargers, has described his journey from Nigeria to the NFL via Glasgow as “crazy.”
The 24-year-old joined the Chargers after failing to secure a spot with the Philadelphia Eagles during a rookie minicamp in May. Now, he’s competing to make the Chargers’ final 53-man roster for 2024.
Born in Nigeria, Olatoke moved to Scotland at the age of five, attending Cardonald Primary School in Glasgow and later St Columba’s in Kilmacolm.
“It’s a crazy journey, honestly,” Olatoke said. “I was just talking to my mom yesterday about how far I’ve come. From Kinning Park to Los Angeles, it’s nuts to think about all the different places I’ve been to get here. It feels great. It’s a crazy story.
“I strive to live a life of adventure, and this proves it. I’m just going for adventure. I’m excited and ready to see where this takes me.”
After missing out on a place with the Eagles, Olatoke was uncertain if his NFL dream would come true until he received a call from LA.
“To be candid, after returning from Philadelphia, I wasn’t sure if the NFL would work out for me,” he said. “I spent two or three weeks decompressing from football and reflecting on what I wanted to do. I started planning my next adventure without knowing where life was headed.
“But I don’t limit myself or what I think I can do. I want to go to Mars, so I’ll go to the Moon. Eventually, I believe I’ll get there.”
Olatoke will return to Scotland next week before heading back to the US for the Chargers’ four-week summer training camp ahead of the NFL season in September.
Joining the Chargers through the NFL’s international pathway program, which allows 16 athletes from around the world to train with and compete for a spot on a top team’s roster, Olatoke does not count towards the Chargers’ 90-man off-season roster during training camp. The Chargers will gradually reduce the roster to 53 players by September.
If he makes it to the practice squad, he won’t count towards the Chargers’ practice squad limit either.
