Growing up in Nigeria, Jason Maduafokwa never really thought about playing football, but that all changed when he arrived in America for boarding school.
“I moved to America when I was 13,” he said. “In Nigeria, I went to an American International school and saw American students playing with a football, but I never really played the sport.”
After arriving at The King’s Academy, a boarding school in Seymour, Tennessee, Maduafokwa was quickly recruited to the football team for his size.
“My freshman year, one of the coaches that worked in the dorm told me to come to practice and try it out,” he said. “I liked it a lot, so I tried out for the team in the fall.”
After several standout seasons in high school, Maduafokwa realized he could make it at the collegiate level.
“I was able to come to ETSU because of my high school coach, Coach Lowe,” he said. “He knew Coach Billy Taylor, ETSU’s defensive coordinator, through recruiting. Coach Taylor trusted him, and he came to visit me at my high school.”
Fast-forward to present day, and Maduafokwa finds himself here at ETSU, on the verge of his redshirt-senior season. The 6-foot-3, 280 pound defensive lineman has been a part of the football team since its inaugural season in 2015.
Maduafokwa played in all 12 games during the 2018 campaign. He had 39 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks on the season.
Off the field, Maduafokwa studies business and has several goals set for his future career if football doesn’t happen to work out at a professional level.
“My long-term goal is to become a marketing coordinator for a sports team,” he said. “Short-term, I will probably start off working at ETSU, and, hopefully, I will eventually work my way up.”
As for his football career, be sure to keep an eye for him this upcoming 2019 season as he takes the field with some high hopes.
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