If Kansas City Chiefs fans were polled before the season, very few would be able to share who 28-year-old quarterback Chris Oladokun is. No one would be able to blame them, as the veteran had only thrown one pass before a week ago.
However, after legendary starter Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL and LCL, and notable backup Gardner Minshew suffered a similar injury during the second quarter of their matchup against the Tennessee Titans, Oladokun was forced into action.
Now, Oladokun will take center stage on Christmas Day against the Denver Broncos and likely start the final game of the regular season, but who is he?
A Look Into Chris Oladokun’s Background
Attending Shawnee Mission South High School in Overland Park, Kansas, Oladokun shone as a dual-threat quarterback, earning a three-star ranking. Recruited by schools like South Florida, Nebraska, and Iowa State, he ultimately decided to sign with the South Florida Bulls.
After redshirting in 2017, he played sparingly as a backup in 2018, which ultimately led him to transfer to Samford. When recalling his first transfer, Oladokun said, “I just felt like many people didn’t believe in me.”
While appearing in all 12 games for Samford in 2019, Oladokun started eight of them, throwing for 2,058 yards and 18 touchdowns, with only seven interceptions.
He was also able to showcase his running ability, adding another 491 yards and eight touchdowns, which helped him earn SoCon Offensive Player of the Month honors for September, in addition to multiple weekly offensive awards.
In 2020, he started only one game as part of a rotation of quarterbacks during the unusual COVID-19 season, leading to his final transfer in 2021 to South Dakota State. There, he excelled, racking up 3,164 passing yards and 25 touchdowns, guiding the team on an FCS playoff semifinal run before losing to Montana State.
On his 2021 season at South Dakota State, Oladokun said, “Everything came to fruition. All the hard work that I’ve put in this last five, six years all came out this year. It’s something that I always knew I could do. But, I feel like a lot of people didn’t and they got to see that this year.”
His efforts earned him a 7th-round draft pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers, although he was released before the regular season began. The Chiefs would go on to pick him up, where he’s been developing on the practice roster since being inserted mid-game last week.
Oladokun now has a chance to stake his claim as a reliable starter against the Broncos this week and the week after, in which they travel to play the Las Vegas Raiders.
