Rugby Player Turned OT Announces Commitment Timeline Amid National Interest

Despite not playing a down of football, this rugby player from Europe has emerged as one of the most talked about recruits in college football, and he's ready to make his decision.

Michael Lehmkuhle/The Advocate / USA TODAY NETWORK

Neff Giwa has never played a down of American tackle football, but that hasn’t stopped some of the best college football programs in the country from taking a considerable interest in the Irish rugby player, and now he’s ready to make his decision official.

Standing at 6 foot 8 inches and around 300 pounds with 37 inch arms, the Irishman by way of Nigeria has been the subject of serious attention from several elite programs to develop as an offensive tackle, and now those schools are set to hear his announcement.

When will he make it official?

Giwa will make his formal commitment decision this coming Sunday, and he’s set to choose from five programs, including two ACC contenders and three SEC programs.

The son of Nigerian parents, Giwa grew up in Ireland playing soccer and basketball and since then has developed into a rugby union player of considerable skill and has been training at a PPI Recruits field in the Emerald Isle.

Premier Prospects International is a recruiting service and placement program that helps European players gain athletic scholarships at American schools.

Despite never playing organized football, Giwa’s size and athleticism are enough for several Power Four coaches to credibly project him as an offensive tackle prospect.

Who’s in the race? 

From the ACC, national title runner up Miami alongside Bill Belichick and North Carolina have taken a serious interest in Giwa’s potential.

And in the SEC, the likes of Texas and Tennessee and most recently South Carolina are among the schools the rugby player will be considering.

NEWS: Class of 2027 OT Neff Giwa is set to Commit on Sunday, @BCollierPPI tells @Rivals

The 6’8 300 OT from Ireland is a rugby-player-turned OT with 37-inch arms and runs a 4.88 40https://t.co/47LvHMIrdJ pic.twitter.com/uqP1xs6ZaW

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) March 27, 2026

Of those schools, two have secured the commitment of an offensive tackle in 2027.

The Hurricanes picked up three-star, No. 71 ranked Zaquan Linton, and the Volunteers grabbed national No. 12 four-star positional prospect Princeton Uwaifo.

Becoming a football prospect

Brandon Collier, the former UMass defensive tackle and PPI founder, has heralded Giwa as a natural for American football, going as far as saying he will be a first round draft pick in the future.

This 6’8 300lb OT @NeffGiwa came from rugby.. he will be a 1st round pick one day! Remember this tweet!!!

He’s big, athletic, tough, and work hard to be great!! I would take him at any college in America!!! Special talent , work ethic and character pic.twitter.com/qYfGyJOE0B

— Brandon Collier (@BCollierPPI) March 17, 2026

“He’s so tall, but he actually had good leverage,” Collier told The Athletic.

“He’s also got this toughness about him. He’s like a fighter. He’s got something inside him that I haven’t seen from many kids.... He was physical as heck.”

International players becoming more popular

While the vast majority of college football players are still found stateside, many prospects from around the world are getting more exposure in recent years.

Over the most recent 2026 recruiting cycle, a total of 23 FBS commitments had international backgrounds, although most of them play on special teams.

A dozen of those 23 recruits are place kickers or punters, given the recent success of Australian style punters in American football.

But other positions are being recruited from overseas, too.

Florida State signed the 6 foot 7, 370 pound Nikau Hepi from New Zealand to play offensive tackle, and Tennessee brought on 29th ranked tight end Luca Wolf, who played at the NFL Academy in London in 2026.

Neff Giwa appears to be next, and several elite college football programs now await his decision to see where he’ll play.