Joshua Weru was raised in a rugby-loving environment, inspired by his father’s path as a professional player. While attending high school in the UK, he consistently honed his skills in the sport, eventually earning his first professional contract with the Kenya Simbas in 2021.
He later advanced to compete at a high level in the UK before securing a place in a French Rugby Sevens developmental league in 2023, marking another significant step in his career progression.
In January 2024, Joshua decided to explore other pro sports options turning his attention to American Football training in the summer of 2024. Later that year he enrolled at the Arizona state and met with American football personnel early in the 2025 season. Currently playing intramural flag football at ASJ, he also had four weeks of combined training at Exos in August 202
Tell us about your journey into American football and how it all started?
For me, the journey started through rugby. I played rugby my whole life and had the chance to represent Kenya when I was 19. At the time, I thought rugby would be my long-term path, and I even tried pursuing professional opportunities, including signing with a club in France, but things didn’t work out the way I had hoped.
During that period, while I was still training and waiting for the next opportunity, I kept thinking about American football. It was something I had always considered, but rugby was my focus until then. I eventually decided to seriously pursue it and moved to the US, where I joined Arizona State University.
I initially hoped to be picked up quickly by the football team, but that didn’t happen. Then one of the IPP scouts, Mark, reached out and offered me a workout. It went well, and that led to a tryout in Loughborough, England. From there, I was fortunate to earn a place in the IPP program in Florida. Everything was new, but I had been training hard, and I’m grateful that it all led me here.
What does it mean to be part of the IPP program and represent Kenya on this stage?
For me, it means a lot because, as you know, there’s no other Kenyan who has been in the IPP program. I’m the first one, so I take that responsibility seriously firstly for myself and my family, and to try and make the most of this opportunity I’ve been given.
But even more than that, I know I’m representing Kenya. I know that if I perform well, there can be pathways that open for young athletes in Kenya. As you said, there haven’t been many Kenyans in this space. I think there’s only been one other Kenyan-born rugby player in the NFL.
So, I’m hoping that through my performance, I can help scouts and decision-makers see Kenya as a place to find talent. I just hope there will be more opportunities for young Kenyans if I do well.
How has your experience been so far training and competing at this level?
It’s been good. Coming here and training has been quite new. I was lucky to be in very good rugby teams from when I was young and I had good trainers, but coming to the US and seeing how seriously they take sports performance, nutrition and all of these things and also working with the other athletes here has been a big step up.
It has raised my standard for what I expect of myself, and even what I see as impressive. The bar just keeps getting raised. We’ve also been training next to college football players, and seeing how they play, how professional they are, and their athleticism has been really valuable.
It’s also been great to see the improvements we’ve made as a group in the IPP and individually. Honestly, I wouldn’t have imagined we could make this big of a leap in the time we’ve been here.
What has been the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome since joining the program?
I think the biggest challenge has been being focused every day. That might not sound like the biggest challenge, but we’re not only doing physical work. For me, the physical side hasn’t been the biggest challenge because I’m used to working very hard from rugby and being pushed physically.
The bigger challenge has been learning a new game. At least when I started, it felt like learning a new language how quickly you have to process everything they’re telling you, how accurate you have to be in the language you use, in how you draw up plays and all of that. That has probably been the biggest challenge, but we’ve had a very good group supporting us as we learn all these things.
How would you describe your playing style, and what sets you apart on the field?
I’d say my playing style is fast and aggressive. One of the reasons I enjoy this game is that it’s 100% all the time. I was used to rugby, where the game was longer and it would be too tiring to go 100% every single phase. But in football, especially in the few times we’ve gone full contact, it’s nothing like that.
The way I think about it is that you’re like a sprinter and a boxer at the same time you’re going full speed and trying to hit people as hard as possible. I enjoy that, and that’s how I’d describe my playing style: fast and aggressive.
Do you have any NFL players you currently look up to or model your game after?
One of the big things I was told when I came here was to look at players who are in a similar mold similar height, weight, athletic measurements, speed and all of those things.
I’ve looked, and I think the number one guy for me is Micah Parsons. He’s one of the best, if not the best, edge rushers in the NFL right now. I also like looking at Nik Bonitto. Those two are really inspiring because of the way they play and how they push big guys players who are almost 80 pounds heavier than them. So those are two guys I really look up to from a playing perspective.
What have you learned from the coaches and environment that you didn’t expect?
I’d probably say one of the biggest things I’ve learned is how important the details are. We’ve been doing combine testing and training for the drills you see at the NFL Combine the agility drills, the 40-yard dash and all of that.
As much as I knew you had to train hard for those things, I didn’t realise how specific you have to be with the details. For example, when you’re doing the three-cone drill, you have to know exactly how many steps you’re taking when you make your first touch, when you turn, and when you make your second touch. In other agility drills, you need to know it’s exactly eight steps before you start turning.
I had assumed that as an athlete it was just about reacting to what you see, but seeing the level of detail that goes into these movements has been surprising and also fun, because it challenges you to really understand how precise you have to be in order to perform.
How do you see this opportunity shaping your future, both on and off the field?
On the field, this opportunity has obviously opened up the NFL for me, and I just hope and pray I’ll get the chance to sign with a team soon. It opened that door. But even more importantly, it has shown me how much I’ve improved physically. It’s opened up opportunities for me in ways I didn’t expect I didn’t think I’d be this fast at this weight.
The way I can play, or the way I’m hoping to play after seeing how I’ve developed, makes me excited to see what I can do.
Off the field, our coach Skyler keeps reminding us that as much as this opportunity is huge for what we can do on the field, there are also so many opportunities because people are willing to talk to us and connect with us. We also know that every player eventually retires, so how we play and how we treat the people we work with can also open opportunities for us in sports and even outside of sports. That’s also exciting, although I don’t want to think about that too soon.
What message would you like to give to young athletes in Kenya and across Africa who want to follow a similar path?
Firstly, I’d say work hard. You can’t cheat working hard and you can’t beat working hard. At least for me, the way I think about it is that if you work hard for long enough, it compounds like compounding interest. That’s what’s happening with your athletic skill and ability. When you work consistently over time, you keep building and building.
Even if there doesn’t seem to be an opportunity right now, the hard work you put in keeps stacking up. When you do get your opportunity, you’ll be grateful that you worked so hard before it arrived.
The other thing I’d say is that while many people work hard, you also have to be very intentional about how you work. There was a long time when I was in the gym or running and I wasn’t being intentional about what I was trying to get out of it I was just doing it because I knew that’s what you’re supposed to do to get stronger or faster.
But when it comes to the NFL, you can look at the players in the position you want to play, see the athletic standard they’ve set, and work however long it takes to reach that standard or even surpass it. So, I’d say be very intentional in how you train. Look up the players or the position you want to play, find the standard, and use that as something to compete with. You can get online and see how they’ve performed in combine drills or find other information about their athleticism, and then push yourself to get faster, bigger and stronger than them. That will only help you.
Who has been your biggest support system on this journey?
My support system has been very strong. I obviously must talk about my mum. She has supported me throughout this whole journey when I was playing rugby, and even when I was at home training without clear opportunities in front of me. I understand how stressful that must have been for her, seeing her son training while things didn’t seem to have a very clear direction.
But she never spoke negatively about any of it. She always supported me and was almost even more supportive of me than I was of myself at times when I wanted to be negative. She helped keep my head positive. So, I must give a shoutout to my mum and my whole family.
My extended family has also been so supportive throughout the journey. Whether I was playing for Kenya or not, they were always rooting for me, and I always felt that love from my family and friends. So yes, I’d say my support system is very strong.
