UPDATE: Congrats Arnold! The Atlanta Falcons selected Arnold in the second round of the NFL Draft. Watch and read below to learn more about Albert!
From Cameroon to the doorstep of the NFL.
Arnold Ebiketie did not play organized football until he was a sophomore in high school. Today, Ebiketie has turned himself into one of the top collegiate defensive end's in the country.
He made a big impact at Temple for three years, then transferred to Penn State prior to the 2021 season, earning a spot on the All-Big Ten's first team.
7News sports anchor Scott Abraham spoke with Ebiketie just days before one of the biggest nights of his life.
"I feel great, I can't really put into words what this moment means to me. It's been a long journey and it all comes down to this final moment," Ebiketie told Abraham. "I'm excited to see what's coming ahead. For me, it's about going to the best system that I fit with the best and will put me in a position to succeed. I'm ready to go to any team and give them 100% of what I have."
Ebiketie moved to Montgomery County when he was just 13-years old. He spent one year at Richard Montgomery High School before attending Albert Einstein High School.
He wanted to meet new friends, so he tried out for the football team.
"I had no clue, I was just a kid trying to have fun, trying to play sports," Ebiketie said. "I really fell in love with the process, things that you learn from the game of the football. You practice, you workout all year long for that one season in the fall."
Ebiketie was a star with the Nittany Lions. This past season, he racked up nine sacks and 18.5 tackles for a loss. He's 6'2, using his 82-inch wingspan to get off the edge and sack the quarterback.
"I'm one of a kind. My approach to the way I pass rush, I think no one does it the way I do it. How unpredictable I am," Ebiketie said. "I believe in this draft class, I'm one of the best to do it. I'm confident I will be able to do the same thing at the next level."
If selected in the NFL Draft, Ebiketie will become the first Albert Einstein high school graduate ever selected by an NFL team. It would be an accomplishment he takes a lot of pride in.
"I went to Albert Einstein high school, it's a school that's never had an NFL prospect," Ebiketie said. "Just to be that guy that motivates other people to do the same thing because now they have someone to look at and say "if he made it, I can make it too." To be that inspiration to other people is something that I take very seriously and I hope to continue to motivate those people that want to follow in my footsteps."
You can watch the NFL Draft beginning on Thursday on 7News.