Yale's NFL presence got a prime-time spotlight this week, and Foye Oluokun delivered the headline moment.
Oluokun Takes AFC Defensive Player of the Week
Foyesade Oluokun, the Jaguars' linebacker and Yale alumnus, earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors after a commanding Week 4 performance in Jacksonville's 22–17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct. 4. The award caps what has been a steady ascent for the linebacker, who entered the league as a sixth-round pick and has now logged 132 NFL games.
Oluokun's stat sheet for the Bengals game included an interception — a fitting signature play for a defender who has quietly become one of the more reliable coverage linebackers in the conference. The Jaguars' defense was integral to holding Cincinnati to 17 points, and per Sports Illustrated, Oluokun's week wasn't an outlier: he's simply continuing a pattern of elevated play that has defined his recent seasons in Jacksonville.
What makes Oluokun's trajectory worth tracking isn't just the hardware — it's the consistency. Undrafted talent often flames out; sixth-rounders who grow into weekly award candidates are a different breed. For Yale fans, he's the clearest proof point that Bulldogs can develop into legitimate NFL contributors at premium defensive positions.
Thomas Logs Action in Seattle Win
On the other side of the country, safety Rodney Thomas II was on the field as the Seattle Seahawks topped the Los Angeles Chargers 30–23 on Sunday. Detailed stats for Thomas weren't available in the brief, but the Seahawks' win keeps him active and relevant in a secondary that needed the result.
The Rest of the Bulldog Roster
Yale's NFL footprint extends further across the league. Kiran Amegadjie (Eagles, OT), Dieter Eiselen (Texans, G), and Nick Gargiulo (Broncos, C) represent the trenches, while Jackson Hawes (Bills, TE), Mason Tipton (Saints, WR), and Ben Mann (Giants, LS) round out a roster that spans nearly every positional group. No notable stats from those players surfaced during the Oct. 4–10 window, but the breadth of Yale's active NFL presence — nine players across eight franchises — underscores a pipeline that continues to produce.
This week, though, belonged to Oluokun. A Bulldog anchoring a winning defense and taking home conference honors is exactly the kind of moment the Yale alumni base circles on the calendar.
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