BUFFALO, N.Y. — Kayode Awosika spent five years on the University at Buffalo campus. Now he's a win away from the Super Bowl.
Awosika has played in 11 games this season for the Detroit Lions, who traveled west to play the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game on Sunday night.
The Lions lost 34-31. A victory would have sent Detroit to the Super Bowl for the first time in the history of franchise.
Awosika's time in college started the same way it did for many others, with a redshirt season.
In 2017, Awosika played five games in a reserve role. In the 2018 and 2019 seasons, he started 25 games at right tackle and helped lead the Bulls' ground game under coach Lance Leipold.
Finally, in 2020, Awosika moved to left tackle, where he started seven games and was a first-team selection to the all-MAC team. That season, Buffalo's offense ranked second in the nation in rushing at 287.4 yards per game. The Bulls were also a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, which goes to the top offensive line in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Awosika signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2021, then spent the 2022 season with the Lions, who released him on Aug. 29, 2023. He was then re-signed by the team to the active roster on Sept. 19.
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