After moving to Egypt when he was six years old, Boise State defensive end, Ahmed Hassanein, would begin one of the most circuitous routes to the NFL imaginable.
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Originally a three-star prospect from Loara High School in Southern California, Hassanein chose Boise State over offers from Duke, Fresno State, and Kansas. He has had a remarkable college career, highlighted by a junior year with 53 total tackles and 12.5 sacks, and a senior year with 48 tackles, 8.5 sacks, and one forced fumble entering the Fiesta Bowl. Hassanein is a key part of Boise State’s powerful pass rush, which recorded 51 sacks in the 2024 season, second only to Ole Miss.
Unfortunately, the earlier days of Hassanien’s youth were not this prosperous. Dealing with both language and discipline issues, the young prospect found a purpose in sports.
“I grew up in Egypt, in this different tradition. Did not know anything about football, couldn’t speak English, but sports was kind of the big thing in Egypt. I did cross fit, I did judo, I did ping pong… I did everything. But, I was really good at CrossFit. I was ranked top ten in Africa, number one in Egypt in the cross games,” he told Rich Eisen.
The breakout star detailed a time in his youth when he wasn’t even aware of the fact that gridiron football existed. Following his relocation back to the States at the age of 18, still not knowing how to speak English, Hassanein moved in with his older brother who just so happened to coach football.
Despite his brother introducing him to the sport, it wasn’t until Hassanein saw the dominance of Aaron Donald that he became truly inspired.
“I was watching the NFL and I saw Aaron Donald play. I was like ‘What high school he goes to?’ He goes ‘That’s the NFL… The National Football League.’ Okay, I want to go there. I want to play that, I want to be like that guy… I’m going to be the one to two percent. What do I need to do?”
Having openly discussed his admiration for Donald, Eisen inquired about what Hassanein might say to the future Hall of Famer should he ever get to meet him.
“Teach me. I want to be great like you. I just want to follow in his footsteps because I know he’s not the tallest guy, but he’s the strongest. He has a tremendous work ethic,” the young Egyptian said eagerly.
With Hassanein standing at 6 feet tall and weighing 190 pounds, his brother had him try out at various positions before ultimately settling on DE.
“I had a wide receiver type of body…Couldn’t catch the ball. ‘Try him as a linebacker.’ There’s just too much stuff going on… So they just put me on the d-line and told me ‘Go get the guy who has the ball.’ …Okay, see ball, get ball. I can do that.”
A series of successful camp visits with his brother after that were followed by “…the offers just rolling in.” Not long after, a phone virtual meeting with the Idaho staff saw the young Egyptian commit on the spot.
After facing some initial struggles, while drawing a ton of penalties for his team, Hassanein eventually learned the ways of the gridiron. After recording just 18 combined tackles throughout his first two seasons in college, he would enjoy a breakout in 2023, amassing a total of 101 combined tackles throughout the final two seasons of his collegiate career.
While it is unlikely that any man will ever replicate what Donald was able to do throughout his 10-year career, if there is anyone who has the heart and determination to do so, it is Hassanein. Now looking forward to hearing his name called at the 2025 NFL Draft, the self-made prospect currently awaits the next chapter of his underdog story.
