Remilekun Ayodele (born April 22, 1983) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

in 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) for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

, and

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

. 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 ...

for the

Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the college athletics in the United States , athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman, Oklahoma, Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to ...

Early life

Ayodele attended South Grand Prairie High School in

Grand Prairie, Texas Grand Prairie is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Dallas County, Texas, Dallas, Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant, and Ellis County, Texas, Ellis counties with a small part extending into Johnson County, Texas , Johnson county. It ...

, where he played as a

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

. He accepted a football scholarship from

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

, following on the footsteps of his older brother Akin Ayodele. As a

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Sports * Redshirt (college sports) Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically ...

freshman, he was asked to switch positions to

, so he made the decision to transfer to

Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College (NEO) is a Public college, public community college in Miami, Oklahoma. Established as the Miami School of Mines in 1919, NEO has an enrollment of approximately two thousand students. The Golden Norsemen is th ...

. In his 2 seasons with the Golden Norsemen, he contributed to the team having a 21–3 record. He posted 50 tackles, 3 sacks and one fumble recovery. As a sophomore in 2003, he helped the team win a second straight conference championship, a second place national ranking and a bowl title. He transferred after his sophomore season to the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

. As a junior, he started 2 games at

, making 11 tackles, 3 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. As a senior, he started 6 games, posting 11 tackles (6 for loss), one sack and one fumble recovery.

Professional career

Early career

Ayodele was signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

by the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

after the

2006 NFL draft The 2006 NFL draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with additional coverage offe ...

on May 8. He was waived on June 16. On July 27, he was signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

by 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 ...

. He was released on September 2. On November 7, 2006, he was signed by the

to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

. He was cut in November 27. He was signed to the

practice squad on December 5. On February 9, 2007, he was re-signed by the

and allocated to the Frankfurt Galaxy of

NFL Europa NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa) was a professional American football league that functioned as the developmental minor league of the National Football League (NFL). Originally founded ...

on February 12. He made 15 tackles, one sack and one pass breakup. He was released by the Cowboys on September 1. On September 3, 2007, he was claimed off waivers by the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

. He was released before the season opener on September 7.

Dallas Cowboys (second stint)

On September 11, 2007, he was signed by the

for depth purposes, after starting

nose tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

Jason Ferguson was lost for the year with a biceps injury. He appeared in 7 games and was declared inactive for 5 contests, as a backup to

Jay Ratliff, who was moved from

to replace Ferguson. He tallied 5 tackles and one forced fumble. Ayodele also had a chance to play on the same team with his brother Akin. On December 11, he was released and signed to the

on December 14, where he spent the final four weeks of the season. He was cut on August 31, 2008.

New Orleans Saints (first stint)

On September 3, 2008, he was signed by the

to the

. He was promoted to the active roster on October 4. On November 11, he was cut and re-signed to the

three days later. On December 20, he was promoted to the active roster for the last 2 games of the season. He appeared in 6 games, making 7 tackles (2 solo). In 2009, he became a starter (13 starts) at left defensive tackle after Kendrick Clancy injured his knee in the season opener. On October 4, he scored his first touchdown after defensive lineman

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. Known for his work in both Will Smith filmography, the screen and Will Smith discography, music industries, List of awards and nominations re ...

forced Jets quarterback

Mark Sanchez Mark Travis John Sanchez (born November 11, 1986) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football for the USC Trojans ...

to fumble, with Ayodele recovering the ball and returning it for a touchdown. He made 8 tackles against the

. He registered 53 tackles (22 solo), 1.5 sacks, one pass defense and one fumble recovery during the regular season. On January 24, 2010, he had 8 tackles (4 solo) and recovered one fumble in the

NFC Championship Game The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semifinal National Football League playoffs, playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional Ame ...

that led to a touchdown against the

. He was a part of the

Super Bowl XLIV Super Bowl XLIV was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champions New Orleans Saints and the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Indianapolis Colts to decide the National Football League (NFL) c ...

winning team. In 2010, he started all 16 games, posting 73 tackles (25 solo), one sack, one pass defensed and one forced fumble, helping the defense ranking improve from 25th to 4th. In his Saints career, he appeared in 37 games, with 29 starts at

, while posting 133 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2 passes defensed, one forced fumble and on fumble recovery, which came in the

end zone The end zone is the scoring area on the field, according to gridiron-based codes of football. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on the opposite side of the field ...

for a touchdown.

Minnesota Vikings

On July 28, 2011, he signed a three-year deal as a

with the

, with the intention of replacing the veteran Pat Williams. He played in 16 games (13 starts), registering 22 tackles (11 solo) and 1½ sacks. He was released on March 21, 2012.

New Orleans Saints (second stint)

On May 7, 2012, Ayodele returned to the

with a one-year contract. He was cut on August 27.

Personal life

His older brother Akin Ayodele played

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 ...

in the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a 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 Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayodele, Remi 1983 births Living people Sportspeople from Grand Prairie, Texas Players of American football from Ellis County, Texas American football defensive tackles American players of American football of Nigerian descent Purdue Boilermakers football players Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Golden Norsemen football players Oklahoma Sooners football players South Grand Prairie High School alumni Baltimore Ravens players Dallas Cowboys players Rhein Fire players Atlanta Falcons players New Orleans Saints players Minnesota Vikings players New England Patriots players American expatriate sportspeople in Germany American expatriate players of American football