When Prince Tega Wanogho arrived in the United States from Nigeria, he had two goals: "play in the NBA" and "somehow become the next LeBron James."

Wanogho, on the other hand, ended up in the NFL rather than the NBA, and in February, he won a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs alongside their brilliant quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

And the offensive tackle, 25, is still trying to wrap his brain around it all.

"I began playing soccer just to stay in shape," he explains to BBC Sport Africa.

"So many people have played for 10, 15, 20 years and haven't been able to get to that stage, which is the biggest stage in (American) football."

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"That's something I'll be able to brag about someday and say, 'yeah, I did that.'"

"It continues to feel like a dream to me." There are a lot of feelings running around."

Delta State University to Alabama

Wanogho's adventure began in 2014 when the organizer of a basketball camp in Nigeria connected him with a coach in the United States.

Todd Taylor was that coach, a father figure who became Wanogho's host when the young Nigerian was awarded a basketball scholarship to Edgewood Academy, an elite private institution in Montgomery, Alabama.

"I'm just an African kid with a big dream." I grew up in a family where the next meal was never scheduled.


"It's a big deal if you ever get an opportunity to leave the country and come to the United States."

Wanogho's NBA dreams were destroyed when he fractured his leg during his first season with Edgewood Academy.

"The objective was to play in the NBA and perhaps become the next LeBron James," he says, "but I guess God had a different plan."

Edgewood, fortunately, had a backup plan. Wanogho resumed his scholarship in a different sport, one that put less strain on his wounded leg, after arriving in the United States.

''When I first got to the United States, I had no idea what American football was," he says, describing how the opportunity for free education also inspired him.


"I received a scholarship and completed a year of high school football, so it was a simple choice to say, 'Okay, I'm going to school, I'm going to college.'"

"I went to college and just kept going."

Wanogho's career took off at Auburn University, located in Alabama.

Following five years of learning and playing collegiate football, he was taken as the 210th overall choice in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.