Boseko Lokombo (born October 15, 1990) is a

Congolese Congolese or Kongolese may refer to: African peoples * Congolese people (disambiguation) * Kongo people, a Bantu ethnic group who live along the Atlantic coast of Africa from Pointe-Noire (Republic of Congo) to Luanda, Angola, primarily defined by ...

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

former professional

Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

. During his career from 2014 to 2024, Lokombo played nine seasons in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL), eight of them with the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. Lokombo has also been a member of the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...

and

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

of the CFL, and the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

and

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL).

Early life

Lokombo was born in

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ), formerly named Léopoldville from 1881–1966 (), is the Capital city, capital and Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-grow ...

Zaire Zaire, officially the Republic of Zaire, was the name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1971 to 18 May 1997. Located in Central Africa, it was, by area, the third-largest country in Africa after Sudan and Algeria, and the 11th-la ...

, but moved to

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

in 1996. Lokombo was raised in

Abbotsford, British Columbia Abbotsford is a city in British Columbia next to the Canada–United States border, Greater Vancouver, and the Fraser River. With a census population of 153,569 people (2021), it is the most populous municipality in the province outside metropol ...

, where he attended

W. J. Mouat Secondary School W.J. Mouat Secondary is a public secondary school located in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. The school was recognized in the August 23, 2004 edition of MacLean's magazine as one of the "Ten Most Innovative Schools in Canada." W. J. Mouat ...

. As a senior, he recorded 47 tackles with four interceptions and also played wide receiver and running back. He ran for 1,556 yards on 107 carries (14.54 avg.) and 22 touchdowns, and caught 37 passes for 728 yards. He was named the Provincial AAA Eastern Conference All-Star Offensive MVP. He played his junior prep season at

South Eugene High School South Eugene High School is a public high school located in Eugene, Oregon, United States. History The school was founded as Eugene High School in 1903, and was located at Willamette Street and West 11th Avenue in a brick building that later se ...

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie River (Oregon), McKenzie and Willamette River, Willamette rivers, ...

where he recorded more than 50 tackles. Considered a three-star recruit by ''

Rivals.com Rivals.com (stylized as ''rivals'') is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was found ...

'', he was rated as the 27th best

outside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the lin ...

prospect of his class.

Professional career

BC Lions (first stint)

In the

's Amateur Scouting Bureau final rankings, he was ranked as the best player for players eligible in the 2013 CFL Draft. Because he was a probable

draft selection in

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, his CFL draft stock fell, leading him to be drafted in the third round, 21st overall, by his hometown

. He returned to play with the Oregon Ducks for the 2013 season, but went undrafted and unsigned in the NFL. He signed with the BC Lions on September 8, 2014. Joining the Lions midway through the season, Lokombo spent one game on the injured list before being activated to the Lions' 46-man roster and appearing in the final seven regular season games as well as the post-season. Seeing action exclusively on special teams, he recorded nine tackles on the year, which was seventh place on the club. In 2015, Lokombo saw action mostly on special teams. He recorded 26 defensive tackles (12th on the team), despite limited action. He got his first CFL sack on a missed snap in a game at Hamilton. Bo Lokombo led the league on special teams with 24 tackles, earning his first CFL West All-star. The Lions granted early free agent status to Lokombo so he could pursue an NFL opportunity.

Baltimore Ravens

On January 31, 2017, Lokombo signed a reserve/future contract with the

. He was waived on September 2 and was signed to the Ravens' practice squad the next day. He was released on September 26.

Oakland Raiders

On September 28, 2017, Lokombo was signed to the

' practice squad. He was released on October 10.

San Francisco 49ers

On November 29, 2017, Lokombo was signed to the

' practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the 49ers on January 2, 2018. Lokombo was released on April 30.

BC Lions (second stint)

On May 7, 2018, the Lions announced that Lokombo would be returning to the CFL, having signed a new contract to play for the Lions. He recorded 71 defensive tackles, 16 special teams tackles, four sacks, and two interceptions in 18 regular season games.

Montreal Alouettes

On the first day of free agency in 2019, Lokombo signed a one-year contract with the

. He played in 15 regular season games where he had 51 defensive tackles, 8 special teams tackles, and two interceptions as he split time between

and

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

Toronto Argonauts

Lokombo was traded to the

on January 31, 2020. He did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the

2020 CFL season The 2020 CFL season would have been the 67th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it would have been the 63rd season of the Canadian Football League. It was originally scheduled to begin on June 11; on April 7, the start of the ...

and was released by the Argonauts on January 31, 2021.

BC Lions (third stint)

On the day following his Toronto release, Lokombo returned to the Lions on February 1, 2021. He scored his first career touchdown on a 20-yard interception return on September 11 against the

Ottawa Redblacks The Ottawa Redblacks (officially stylized as REDBLACKS) (Canadian French, French: ) are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL ...

. Lokombo played in all 14 regular season games and finished with 66 defensive tackles, 11 special teams tackles, four sacks, three interceptions, one forced fumble, and one touchdown. For his strong season, he was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian. On January 21, 2025, Lokombo announced his retirement from professional football.

References

External links

Oregon Ducks player bioBC Lions bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lokombo, Boseko 1990 births Living people Sportspeople from Kinshasa American football linebackers BC Lions players Democratic Republic of the Congo emigrants to Canada Oregon Ducks football players Sportspeople from Abbotsford, British Columbia Players of Canadian football from British Columbia Democratic Republic of the Congo players of American football Democratic Republic of the Congo players of Canadian football Baltimore Ravens players Oakland Raiders players San Francisco 49ers players Canadian football linebackers Montreal Alouettes players Toronto Argonauts players Canadian Football League Most Outstanding Canadian Award winners