John Daka
Personal information
Born: (1997-12-07) December 7, 1997
Upper Marlboro, Maryland, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High school:Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School
College:James Madison
Position:Linebacker
Undrafted:2020
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com

John Daka (born December 7, 1997) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at James Madison University. He was the first player of Zambian descent to sign with a National Football League team.[1]

College career

Daka enrolled at James Madison University despite interest from FBS schools and got off to a slow start to his career with 23 tackles and one sack over his first two seasons.[2] He led the Football Championship Subdivision with 16.5 sacks and 28 tackles for loss in the 2019 season[3] and was named to the All-Colonial Athletic Association first-team.[2] He played in 51 games for the Dukes, totaling 137 tackles, 47.5 tackles for losses, 27.5 sacks, four pass defenses, six forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.[3]

Professional career

Baltimore Ravens

Daka was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent on May 6, 2020.[4] He was waived during final roster cuts on August 31, 2020.[5]

New York Jets

On January 12, 2021, Daka signed a reserve/future contract with the New York Jets.[3] He was waived on May 3, 2021.[6]

Los Angeles Rams

On May 4, 2021, Daka was claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Rams.[7] He was waived on August 31, 2021.

Chicago Bears

On January 6, 2022, Daka was signed to the Chicago Bears practice squad.

Houston Roughnecks

On November 17, 2022, Daka was drafted by the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL.[8] The Roughnecks brand was transferred to the Houston Gamblers when the XFL and USFL merged to create the United Football League (UFL).[9]

References

  1. Neumann, Sam (January 14, 2021). "Jets sign NFL's first Zambian player to reserve/future contract". Jetswire.com. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Scouting Jets edge defender John Daka". Gang Green Nation.com. February 4, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Greenberg, Ethan (January 12, 2021). "Jets Sign OLB John Daka to Reserve/Future Contract". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  4. Valente, Tom (May 6, 2020). "Press Release: Ravens Sign Three Draft Picks, Four Rookie Free Agents". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  5. Mink, Ryan (August 31, 2020). "Ravens Waive Three Players, Place One on IR as Roster Trimming Begins". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  6. Greenberg, Ethan (May 3, 2021). "Jets Release DE John Daka". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  7. DaSilva, Cameron (May 4, 2021). "Rams claimed OLB John Daka off waivers from Jets". USAToday.com. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  8. "Rosters for all eight XFL teams: Full draft results and where Vic Beasley, Martavis Bryant landed". ESPN.com. November 18, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  9. Seifert, Kevin (January 1, 2024). "Newly formed United Football League sets 8 markets, tabs coaches". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 14, 2024.

Further reading

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.