Photo: New York Jets, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons²

Joseph Ossai

Defensive End, New York Jets · #46.

Player facts

Team: New York Jets
Position: Defensive End
Number: 46
Born: Apr 12, 2000 (age 26)
Birthplace: Conroe, TX, USA
Height: 6' 4"
Weight: 253 lbs
College: Texas
Experience: 6 seasons
Status: Active

Stats

2026 Defense

	TOT	SOLO	AST	SACK	FF	FR	YDS	INT	YDS	AVG	TD	LNG	PD	STF	STFYDS	KB
Regular Season	9	5	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	1.5	0	0
Career	125	64	61	14.5	4	2	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	3	17.5	12	2

Recent games

			Tackles				Fumbles		Interceptions
Date	Opponent	Result	TOT	SOLO	AST	SACK	FF	FR	INT	YDS	AVG	TD	LNG	PD	KB
Sun, Oct 11	vs CLE	W 17-12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
Sun, Oct 4	@ CHI	L 23-12	7	5	2	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
Sun, Sep 27	@ DET	L 31-24	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0

Last 3 games. Click a game for its box score.

About

Joseph Ossai (born 12 April 2000) is a Nigerian professional American football defensive end for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Longhorns, where he was a consensus All-American. He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft.

From Wikipedia’s article on Joseph Ossai, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.¹

Background

Early life

Ossai was born in Ketu Ijaniki, Lagos, Nigeria, and lived there until his family moved to Conroe, Texas when he was 10.

He attended Oak Ridge High School, where he played basketball and football and was a two-time all-district and academic all-district honoree. As a senior, he recorded 58 tackles, eight sacks, 15 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles and was named first-team All-District 12-6A, and first-team All-Greater Houston by the Houston Chronicle. Ossai was rated a four-star recruit and committed to play college football at Texas over offers from Texas A&M, Notre Dame and Oregon.

College career

In three seasons with the Longhorns, Ossai played in 36 games and made 24 starts, earning consensus All-America honors in 2020 with first-team recognition from the Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America and Walter Camp Football Foundation and second-team honors from the American Football Coaches Association and Sporting News. He was a finalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy and a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award in 2020 and earned honorable mention as the Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year and Defensive Lineman of the Year. He chose to forego the 2020 Alamo Bowl and his senior season to go pro.

As a true freshman, Ossai played in all 14 of the Longhorns' games with two starts and made 20 total tackles with one a sack and a forced fumble.

He led the team with 62 tackles in his sophomore season while also recording five sacks, two interceptions, one pass broken up, one forced fumble and also blocked a kick. In the postseason, he was the 2019 Alamo Bowl Defensive MVP. In the following spring, he made the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

Ossai was named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award and Lott IMPACT Trophy watchlists entering his junior season. That year, he had 55 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks on his way to being named first team All Big-12 and an All-American. On 14 December 2020, Ossai announced his decision to enter the 2021 NFL draft, choosing to forgo Texas' 2020 Bowl game and his senior season.