A native of Gabon who grew up in France and only started playing football as a teenager, Jeffrey M'ba took a four-school college odyssey to reach the NFL with Washington at age 27.
Jeffrey M'ba's path to the NFL runs through Gabon, France, a Baltimore prep school, and four different college programs. After going undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft, he signed with Washington and immediately became one of the league's more unusual and intriguing rookie stories given his age and international background.
Path to the league
Born in Libreville, Gabon and raised in France, M'ba moved to the United States and enrolled at Saint Frances Academy in Baltimore for his senior year of high school. He originally committed to Virginia as a four-star recruit but de-committed over academic transcript issues and instead enrolled at Independence Community College, where he finished as the top overall junior college recruit in the country.
Career highlights
M'ba's college career took him from Independence Community College to Auburn in 2022, then to Purdue for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, and finally to SMU for his last year of eligibility. He was also selected by the Edmonton Elks in the second round (12th overall) of the 2026 CFL Global Draft, giving him professional options on both sides of the border before he signed with Washington.
2025 season recap
In his lone season at SMU, M'ba recorded 42 tackles, including 7.5 for loss and five sacks, production that helped him land a rookie minicamp invite and, ultimately, an undrafted free agent deal with the Commanders despite his age and relative inexperience in the sport.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Jeffrey M'Ba
- CBS Sports: From Africa to the NFL - Why 27-year-old Jeffrey M'ba is the Commanders' most intriguing rookie
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive Tackle
- Group
- defense
- College
- SMU
- Hometown
- Libreville, Gabon
- Age
- 26
- Status
- active
