Larry Ogunjobi ’16

Outstanding Young Alumnus Award

Larry Ogunjobi, an American football defensive tackle and current free agent, was a man of many firsts at Charlotte.  A member of the 49ers first recruiting class, he was the first to wear the honorary No. 49 jersey, was the first 49er to earn first team all-Conference USA honors and the first to surpass 200 career tackles. Larry was also the first 49er to be taken in the NFL Draft, the first to play in an NFL game and the first to go to the Super Bowl.

Larry was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He played four seasons with the Browns, and was named the Dino Lucarelli “Good Guy Award” winner by the local chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America in December 2020. The award is given annually to a player for his cooperation with the media and for the way the player carries himself in the community and with his teammates.

Larry joined the Cincinnati Bengals in March 2021 as an unrestricted free agent. In his first season in Cincinnati, Larry put up career numbers with 7.0 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and 16 quarterback hits. He started 17 games including the Bengals’ first-round playoff win vs. the Las Vegas Raiders and had a fumble recovery in Raiders’ territory to set up a first-quarter field goal before suffering a season-ending injury. On February 13, 2022, Larry was the first player to represent Charlotte in the Super Bowl.

While Larry’s on-field achievements stacked up, he also had a desire to make an impact off the field.  Once in Cleveland, he stayed engaged with the Charlotte organization Dream on 3, providing once in a lifetime experiences to children with chronic illnesses, intellectual and developmental disabilities, or life-altering conditions.  He sponsored 30 children in need from the Cleveland community each year through his “Christmas with Larry” event while also holding back-to-school supply drives each Fall.  In the Spring of 2020, Larry donated 100,000 meals to the Cleveland Food Bank to support those in need during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Larry has a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the College of Computing and Informatics. Known as a “gentle giant” by his professors, Larry was driven by his constant desire to excel on the field and in the classroom.  It is that drive that still fuels him everyday.