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Former Husker Competing in New Dating Show

After a four-year career at Nebraska and several seasons in the NFL, Joshua Kalu is starring on a new dating show on OWN.

Kaleb Henry

Joshua Kalu (10) celebrates the Huskers' 2016 win against Illinois.
Joshua Kalu (10) celebrates the Huskers' 2016 win against Illinois. / Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images
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A former Husker is looking for love, and you can watch it unfold in a new dating show.

Joshua Kalu, the former Nebraska football and NFL player, stars on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) show "#Somebody's Son". The show premiered April 12 and runs through June.

IMDB describes the show as "Three charming, single, and successful men embark on a high stakes search for true love, with their mothers offering guidance, support, and a little drama."

Nebraska Cornhuskers cornerback Joshua Kalu (10) celebrates an interception against the Northwestern Wildcats.
Joshua Kalu celebrates an interception against Northwestern in 2016. / Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

Based in Houston, Kalu is joined by his Nigerian aunt Oma. He is the youngest of three men at 28 years old, with the other two listed at 30. Each bachelor has four women competing to go on a date with him.

Kalu is the first bachelor to be introduced on the show, stating that he is looking for "someone who loves him for who he is."

"I had offers from Harvard, Yale, Washington State," Kalu said. "I chose Nebraska because I wanted to play football for a living."

ennessee Titans safety Joshua Kalu (28) huddles with his teammates before taking the field to face the New York Giants.
Joshua Kalu huddles with his Tennessee Titans teammates in 2022. / George Walker IV-Imagn Images

Kalu signed with Tennessee as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He would stay with the Titans through 2020 and go on to have contracts with the New York Giants, Washington Commanders, and Miami Dolphins.

A defensive back at Nebraska from 2014-17, Kalu appeared in 46 games during his time in Lincoln. Between his recruitment and time as a Husker, he had six separate position coaches due to repeated staff turnover.

But Kalu wants to be known for more than just being an athlete, which is why he doesn't disclose his athletic past to the women. Instead, he introduces himself as an entrepreneur who “dabbled with some modeling” and who participated in Fashion Week in New York and Paris.

Nebraska Cornhuskers cornerback Joshua Kalu (10) points skyward after touching the sign honoring punter Sam Foltz (27).
Joshua Kalu points skyward after touching a sign honoring the late Sam Foltz before Nebraska's 2016 game at Ohio State. / Greg Bartram-Imagn Images

"#Somebody's Son" airs Saturdays at 8 p.m. CDT.

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Kaleb Henry
KALEB HENRY

Kaleb Henry is an award-winning sports reporter, covering collegiate athletics since 2014 via radio, podcasting, and digital journalism. His experience with Big Ten Conference teams goes back more than a decade, including time covering programs such as the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon Ducks, and USC Trojans. He has contributed to Sports Illustrated since 2021. Kaleb has won multiple awards for his sports coverage from the Nebraska Broadcasters Association and Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kaleb was a Division I athlete on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Track and Field team where he discussed NCAA legislation as SIUE's representative to the Ohio Valley Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. 

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