JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — For the Jacksonville Jaguars, one of the leaders on the defense—and a name you'll hear a lot next to Josh Hines-Allen—is linebacker Foye Oluokun.
He led the NFL in solo tackles in 2022 and 2023.
The Jaguars' defense is looking strong during training camp, even with changes and additions to the coaching staff. But it's those tweaks, Jaguars linebacker Foye Oluokun said, that are making him thrive.
"Coach Nielsen is a pretty hard guy to impress, and I'm trying to be the best for him because I think if I play well for him, he's going to take my career to a whole other level," Oluokun said.
Oluokun said defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen has an intriguing personality, one he can appreciate.
"I think that's just how he is, man. He's not going to make you feel good about yourself, and I like that about him," Oluokun said.
Oluokun believes his full potential is ahead of him, and Nielsen can help him get there.
"I have another gear to get, another step to take, and it's going to bring out the best of me. I'm trying to do that, and he wants the best out of me. I ain't trying to make him somebody he's not, and I hope he's not trying to make me somebody I'm not," Oluokun said.
And Nielsen has just as much trust in Oluokun as Oluokun does in him.
"The way he finishes plays, he's aggressively going to get the ball, punch outs, he's had a really good career so far. You're seeing that. It's really cool to watch that because he's taken this role and made it his," Nielsen said.
Despite his great numbers last season, Oluokun said the only numbers he's focused on are wins.
"I just keep saying, 'the team wins, we all win,'" Oluokun said.
Nielsen, the guy who is "pretty hard to impress" spoke very highly of Oluokun.
"Smart, tough, aggressive. Add one more, if I could, phenomenal-effort player. He's flying around as good as any player we have on our defense right now," Nielsen added.
Here's a full list of the rest of the training camp days:
- Wednesday, July 31
- Friday, August 2
- Sunday, August 4
- Monday, August 5
- Wednesday, August 7
- Thursday, August 8
- Monday, August 12 – Gates open at 11:45 a.m.
- Wednesday, August 14 – Gates open at 9 a.m./Joint practice with Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Thursday, August 15 – Gates open at 9 a.m./Joint practice with Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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