The rangy linebacker out of the University of Washington retold a story about an encounter with a moose and credits his parents for a work ethic that never quit despite long odds.
Anchorage, Alaska is hardly known as a hotbed of high-level football prospects. According to Pro Football Reference, just 15 players born in the state have ever played a game in the NFL. That list includes names like Mark Schlereth, Travis Hall, 2023 first-round draft pick Tyree Wilson, and former Packer Daryn Colledge.
The list should expand by one this fall, as linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio should hear his name called during the 2024 NFL Draft. The son of Nigerian immigrants, Ulofoshio was born in Anchorage and lived there for much of his youth before the family moved to the Las Vegas area after his freshman year of high school. Ulofoshio enrolled at powerhouse Bishop Gorman High School, playing with a number of future NFL players like Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Brevin Jordan, and Jalen Nailor, but he had to walk on at the University of Washington for the 2018 season after he did not receive a single scholarship offer from an FBS program.
Now he’s on the doorstep of an NFL career, meeting with teams and media at the 2024 NFL Combine and preparing to work out on Thursday in the biggest job interview of his life.
“It’s just a blessing, man,” Ulofoshio said on Wednesday. “It’s a long time coming. Ever since I was in Alaska before I moved to Vegas, I always wanted to be in a scene like this. After a whole lot of hard work and dedication, it takes a village for a guy like me to get here. I’m finally here and just hoping to maximize this opportunity.”
That village includes massive support from his parents, who helped instill their perseverance and determination in their son, who is one of five sons in the family. Steve Ulofoshio manages real estate and started a company in Alaska that provides personal care services to the elderly and people with disabilities. “My dad was just someone that he’s always been working — he has properties in Alaska, Nevada, Nigeria and he’s always on the go, always working nonstop. As a young kid just seeing him grind like that, it gives me the motivation to pursue my dreams.”
Meanwhile, Joyce is now a practicing psychologist in the Las Vegas area after she got her degree while Edefuan was in high school. “My mom … we didn’t make it easy on her,” he said. “So for me to see her get her degree and actually practice is one of those things that for me as a person, (I know) whatever I want to do in my life I’m just able to work hard and go after it.”
Ulofoshio worked his way up the depth chart for the Huskies over his six years in the program, which culminated in an appearance in the College Football Playoff National Championship this January. He earned some All-American buzz during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, but dealt with injuries in both 2021 and 2022 that cost him more than half of each season. So when he was able to come in for his final season fully healthy, he was prepared to seize the opportunity and deliver a big statement that he is worthy of being an NFL Draft pick.
He did just that, recording 94 total tackles with 8 tackles for loss, three sacks, and a pick-six in his final season while earning a trip to the Senior Bowl. Ulofoshio was at his best in the playoff semifinal, the Sugar Bowl against Texas, when he had a pair of TFLs and seven tackles in total. Now he is about two months out from likely hearing his name sometime early on day three of the draft; a current consensus draft board has him as the 178th-ranked prospect and the 13th linebacker in the class, but APC’s Justis Mosqueda and Tyler Brooke have him rated significantly higher, both putting him in the top five at the position in this class.
A lanky player who moves well in space, Ulofoshio is certainly hoping to test well here in Indianapolis, but he is also focused heavily on the technical drills he will perform on Thursday at Lucas Oil Stadium. After first saying he wants to show off his fluidity, he shifted to commenting on how working in the drills is a chance to demonstrate his leadership and commitment to the process. “We’re all doing the same thing,” he said, “so you just want to have a high intensity in what we’re doing to show that you’re taking every single step seriously. Maybe the drills aren’t as TV-worthy as the 40 but you want to take every single drill as important as you can make it.”
Ulofoshio, whose first name means “never afraid of war,” is hardly afraid of the challenge ahead of him. There is one thing that did scare him as a kid, however: moose. Take a listen below as he discusses his run-in with one of the giant animals on his way to school as a young boy:
In the future, Ulofoshio will have to deal with a very different type of six-foot-seven creature coming for him: NFL linemen looking to move him away from ball-carriers rather than the mercurial mammal with the giant antlers. But odds are that this Alaska native isn’t afraid of anything that size any more.
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