Does anyone from the UK play American Football professionally?

Yes! A handful of our countrymen play the most American game of all (don’t come for us, baseball fans).

Here’s a few of our home-grown stars:

1. Jamie Gillan (aka the “Scottish Hammer”)

Jamie Gillan (Arbroath, Scotland): Known as the “Scottish Hammer,” Gillan is a punter for the New York Giants. He initially played rugby in Scotland before switching to American football. He has been a consistent performer, with over 10,000 punt yards in the NFL.

It’s natural that footy and rugby mad Brits would ultimately end up plying their trade as kickers and punters. But if you look closely, there’s a few of us playing elsewhere too!

2. David Ojabo

David Ojabo is a fearsome linebacker for the feared Baltimore Ravens. He was born in Nigeria, but grew up in Scotland before moving the U.S. at 17 where he discovered his true talent, hitting people very very hard in an American Football context. He’s had some injuries early in his career, but he’s a bright young star in a talented team. Definitely one to watch.

3. Julian Okwara

A linebacker for the Detroit Lions, Okwara was born in London and moved to the US as a child. He was drafted by the Lions in 2020 and has been building his career with solid defensive performances.

What happened to Louis Rees-Zammit?

Louis Rees-Zammit, formerly a Welsh rugby union star, left the game for the NFL after he was selected to take part in the NFL’s International Pathway Program.

The NFL set this up to find truly exceptional athletes from other countries and give them a shot at playing in the NFL.

LRZ’s skills and blazing speed impressed and he won a spot on the Kansas City Chiefs to join them during the summer. But ultimately, they didn’t think he was ready for a spot on their team.

He was most recently on the practice squad of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

What is a practice squad, anyway?

The practice squad is a small group of players that teams are allowed to hire who aren’t part of the active roster, so they can’t take part in games. They help the team train. If a player needs to be removed from the active roster, for example, because he suffers a serious injury, teams are allowed to call up players from their practice squad.

So Louis might still make it! And actually, given that he only started playing the sport a couple of months ago, a year of training might be exactly what he needs.

What about Travis Clayton?

This time last year, Travis Clayton was toiling away at an office job and playing for his local rugby team in Basingstoke. But after attending an NFL Academy event in London, Travis was selected for the same international pathway as Louis Rees-Zammitt.

Yet, whilst LRZ didn’t make the Chiefs active roster, Travis was such a hot property that he was actually chosen by the Buffalo Bills in the NFL draft. Without going into all the details of what this means, it’s a huge vote of confidence in him. Unfortunately, a shoulder injury means he won’t play this year, but look out for him next season!