Knights Under Lights: Olakunle Fatukasi
In Knights Under Lights, The Daily Targum looks at athletes who distinguished themselves during their time on the Banks.
During his five-year career, Olakunle Fatukasi was a stellar linebacker for the Rutgers football team.
Born in Far Rockaway, New York, Fatukasi was a three-star recruit in the 2017 class. After fielding various offers and having official visits with Temple and Indiana, Fatukasi signed with the Scarlet Knights and came to the Banks.
Fatukasi would waste no time getting on the field, appearing in all 12 Rutgers games his freshman year. Fatukasi would only improve as a sophomore for the Knights, almost tripling his tackle total from seven to 20. In the season opener against Texas State, Fatukasi would score his only career touchdown on a recovered fumble.
Fatukasi played primarily on special teams for the first two years, but as a junior, he proved to be ready for a starting role. He would play in all 12 Rutgers games that year, starting in 10 of them at weak-side linebacker. His first-ever start was in the season-opening win against Massachusetts. Fatusaki amassed 85 combined tackles, five tackles for loss and an assisted sack for the Knights.
In his senior season, Fatukasi continued to shine in his role and was named a team captain for the season. Starting in nine games as a linebacker, Fatukasi finished the year as 1 of 16 national semifinalists for the Butkus Award, which goes to the best linebacker in college football.
Fatukasi also finished the year with First Team All-Big Ten honors by the media. Leading the Big Ten with 101 tackles, Fatukasi had the most tackles in a season for a Rutgers player since 1999.
Due to the extra year of eligibility awarded to players during the COVID-19 pandemic, Fatukasi returned for a fifth season.
As a team captain once again, Fatukasi started nine games as a linebacker and finished as one of 16 national semifinalists for the Butkus Award for the second consecutive season. Fatukasi finished his career on the Banks 12th in tackles in program history, totaling 302 career tackles in 53 games.
Fatukasi reached the highest level, signing a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2022. In his career, he has appeared in 14 games and has totaled seven tackles.
For more updates on Rutgers athletics, follow @TargumSports on X.
