Moise Fokou (/ˈmzɪs/ "Moses"; born August 28, 1985) is a former Cameroon-born American football linebacker who played six seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL draft. He played college football at Maryland and Frostburg State.

Moise Fokou
refer to caption
Fokou with the Tennessee Titans in 2013
No. 53, 58, 52
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1986-08-28) August 28, 1986 (age 38)
Douala, Cameroon
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:238 lb (108 kg)
Career information
High school:Potomac (Potomac, Maryland)
College:Maryland
NFL draft:2009 / round: 7 / pick: 230
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:235
Sacks:3.0
Forced fumbles:4
Fumble recoveries:3
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Fokou was also a member of the Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, New Orleans Saints, and Cleveland Browns.

Early life

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Fokou was born in Cameroon to parents Jean-Marie and Louise Takougne.[1] In 1990, his parents moved to Rockville, Maryland.[2] His brother, Achille Kolla, played as a defensive back for Catholic University. Fokou attended Westland Middle School in Bethesda, Maryland, the Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in Bethesda, Maryland and Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland, where he played football as a running back and linebacker. There, during his senior year in 2003, he was named an All-IAC and Washington Post second-team All-Met player. He was also named the conference most valuable player.[1] In 2008, Fokou took the citizenship test after three years on the waiting list.[2]

College career

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In 2004, Fokou attended Frostburg State University. On the football team, he saw action in all ten games and recorded the second-most tackles on the team with 70. He had 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and blocked two kicks.[1]

In 2005, Fokou transferred to the University of Maryland, where he was required by NCAA rules to sit out for one season. He was twice named the scout team defensive player of the week prior to the games against Virginia and Boston College. In 2006, he played in all 13 games as a reserve "Will" linebacker behind Erin Henderson and in a role on special teams. He recorded 21 tackles and tied for fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in forced fumbles with 0.18 per game. In 2007, Fokou started all 13 games at the "Sam" linebacker position. He ranked third on the team with 84 tackles including 7.0 for loss. Fokou also forced one fumble and recorded one interception.[1]

In 2008, he saw action in all 13 games, including 12 starts, as a Sam linebacker. He recorded 77 total tackles, including 41 solo and 12.0 for loss, five sacks, two passes broken up, and one quarterback hurry. Fokou led the team in sacks and ranked fifth in total tackles. He accounted for the most sacks by a Maryland linebacker since Shawne Merriman in 2004.[1][3]

Fokou played in the 2009 Under Armour Senior Bowl as a member of the South squad.[4]

Professional career

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Pre-draft

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He also participated in the 2009 NFL Combine.[5] The NFL Draft Scout assessed him as the 30th-ranked outside linebacker prospects for the 2009 NFL draft.[6]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1 18 in
(1.86 m)
233 lb
(106 kg)
33 34 in
(0.86 m)
10 14 in
(0.26 m)
4.76 s 1.71 s 2.81 s 4.28 s 7.09 s 31 in
(0.79 m)
10 ft 1 in
(3.07 m)
12 reps
Arm and hand spans from Pro Day, all other values from NFL Combine.[6]

Philadelphia Eagles

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Fokou was selected in the seventh round by the Philadelphia Eagles as the 230th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.[7] He played all 16 games and won the starting strong-side linebacker job for the final four games. He ended the season with 39 tackles.

After starting for most of the season at strong-side linebacker in 2011, Fokou was placed on injured reserve on November 29 due to a sprained ankle suffered during a week 12 loss to the New England Patriots.

Indianapolis Colts

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On August 2, 2012, Fokou and Greg Lloyd were traded to the Indianapolis Colts for Kevin Thomas and a conditional seventh round pick in the 2013 NFL draft.

Tennessee Titans

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Fokou signed with the Tennessee Titans on March 13, 2013.[8] He was released on August 30, 2014.[9]

New Orleans Saints

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On November 18, 2014, Fokou was signed by the New Orleans Saints.

Cleveland Browns

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On August 10, 2015, Fokou was signed by the Cleveland Browns. On August 31, 2015, he was released by the Browns.[10]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2009 PHI 16 4 39 27 12 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0
2010 PHI 16 11 51 44 7 1.0 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0
2011 PHI 11 7 22 14 8 0.0 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
2012 IND 16 1 43 31 12 1.0 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0
2013 TEN 12 12 78 62 16 1.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0
2014 NOR 2 0 2 1 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
73 35 235 179 56 3.0 9 0 0 0 0 6 4 3 0 0

Playoffs

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2009 PHI 1 1 5 3 2 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
2010 PHI 1 1 3 3 0 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2012 IND 1 0 2 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
3 2 10 8 2 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Player Bio: Moise Fokou Archived 2009-01-30 at the Wayback Machine, University of Maryland, retrieved 22 January 2009.
  2. ^ a b A different kind of test Archived 2017-12-23 at the Wayback Machine, The Washington Post, August 6, 2008.
  3. ^ 2008 Cumulative Season Statistics Archived 2008-10-19 at the Wayback Machine, University of Maryland, 30 December 2008, retrieved 22 January 2009.
  4. ^ Fokou Added to Senior Bowl Roster Archived 2009-01-22 at the Wayback Machine, University of Maryland, 20 January 2009, retrieved 22 January 2009.
  5. ^ 2008 Senior/Draft Eligible Player Bios Archived 2012-11-12 at the Wayback Machine (PDF), University of Maryland, p. 2, 13 January 2009, retrieved 22 January 2009.
  6. ^ a b "Moise Fokou, DS #30 OLB, Maryland". DraftScout.com. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  7. ^ "2009 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  8. ^ "Titans add Moise Fokou". March 13, 2013. Archived from the original on March 17, 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  9. ^ Wyatt, Jim (August 30, 2014). "Titans cut Maikon Bonani, Moise Fokou; Edwards traded". Tennessean.com. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
  10. ^ Gantt, Darin (August 31, 2015). "Browns begin the process of getting to 75 with some vet cuts". NBCSports.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
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