Top 2016 College Football Recruits with International Backgrounds

Football may be America's game, but it continues to evolve into a global interest. The NFL and NCAA now play regular-season contests on multiple continents, while expansive media coverage provides a look at action like never before in various corners of the world. 

A new generation of promising players features phenoms from beyond United States borders, bringing a fresh element of talent into the mix. The game's growth outside of North America remains in a relatively fledgling state, but the emergence of foreign-born athletes provides a glimpse of what could lie ahead.

Foreign athletes who've flourished at the highest level of football include wide receiver Nate Burleson (Canada), defensive tackle Star Lotulelei (Tonga) and linebacker Tamba Hali (Liberia).

Here's a look at several prospects who have landed on the radar of college recruiters via their international endeavors.

Players listed in alphabetical order.

5-Star DE Oluwole Betiku

Credit: 247Sports

Native Country: Nigeria

School: Junipero Serra High School (San Mateo, California)

Size: 6'3 ½", 240 lbs

247Sports' Composite Ranking: No. 18 overall; No. 1 weak-side defensive end

Recruitment Status: Offers include those from Florida, Florida State, Notre Dame, Penn State and UCLA

Dominant edge-defender Oluwole Betiku continued his rise to prominence at The Opening, where he manhandled elite offensive linemen who've played the sport much longer than he has. His latest performance and past efforts thrust him into the conversation as one of this class' top overall defensive ends.

Betiku, who emigrated from Nigeria in 2013, left his family behind but found new motivation in football. Through a series of serendipitous events and key connections, he came under the guardianship of former Washington Redskins linebacker and Penn State legend LaVar Arrington.

His potential warranted collegiate offers before Betiku's first high school tackle in America. His exposure increased exponentially as he earned a spot with Southern California powerhouse Junipero Serra, where Betiku bullied opponents en route to 59 tackles—24 for loss—and 11.5 sacks as a junior.

"My mom and dad are still in Nigeria. My sister is over there and my brother. I want to be the breadwinner of the family one day," Betiku told Bleacher Report. "I feel like sports was going to be the way. ... I saw a chance to come here and play football and I just took it."

4-Star WR Chase Claypool

Credit: 247Sports

Native Country: Canada 

School: Abbotsford Senior Secondary School (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada)

Size: 6'5", 205 lbs

247Sports' Composite Ranking: No. 299 overall; No. 51 wide receiver

Recruitment Status: Committed to Notre Dame

Top-ranked Canadian prospect Chase Claypool committed to the Fighting Irish over fellow favorites Oregon, Michigan and Rutgers. His scholarship offer sheet spans America, ranging from Arizona to Mississippi State.

The long-striding receiver put his skills to the test at The Opening, an annual football showcase held at Nike's world headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. He followed the footsteps of Ontario defensive tackle Neville Gallimore, who competed at the event last summer and is approaching his freshman season at Oklahoma.

Claypool, who tallied 1,218 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2014, per Howard Tsumura of the Province, displays enough size and athleticism to potentially transition to outside linebacker at the next level. Regardless of his ultimate destination on the field, he's managed to exceed personal athletic aspirations.

“It’s surreal. I thought I was going to go to a Canadian university and have to pay for my education, so the fact that I get it for free and at Notre Dame, it’s kinda crazy,” Claypool told Tyler James of the South Bend Tribune. 

4-Star RB Carlin Fils-Aime

Credit: 247Sports

Native Country: Haiti

School: Naples High School (Naples, Florida)

Size: 5'11", 180 lbs

247Sports' Composite Ranking: No. 268 overall; No. 10 running back

Recruitment Status: Offers include those from Auburn, Georgia, Miami, North Carolina and Tennessee

Carlin Fils-Aime journeyed from Haiti as a young child, eventually becoming an adopted member of his friend and football teammate's family. The rise to nationally pursued recruit following a 2002 arrival still surprises him sometimes and could create opportunities he covets.

Fils-Aime carries the football in his hand and loved ones in his heart.

"They've taken me as their own, and my biggest wish is to pay them back," he told Bleacher Report of his surrogate family. "I know the way they’d want me to do that is by being the first one to go to college from my (biological) family. If things work out in college, maybe I can get to the NFL and pay them back even more."

An ankle injury, which limited Fils-Aime to 232 yards and three scores, shortened his junior season. He tallied 873 yards and 15 touchdowns as a sophomore.

4-Star DE Daniel Joseph

Credit: 247Sports

Native Country: Canada

School: Lake Forest Academy (Lake Forest, Illinois)

Size: 6'3", 240 lbs

247Sports' Composite Ranking: No. 265 overall; No. 14 strong-side defensive end

Recruitment Status: Committed to Penn State

This Canadian defensive lineman is slated to become the second member of his family in a Big Ten uniform. Daniel Joseph's older brother, Faith Ekakitie, is a junior defensive lineman at Iowa. 

A Toronto native, Joseph also considered the Hawkeyes before announcing a decision June 30. His lengthy offer list includes Stanford, Michigan, Nebraska and Michigan State.

Various personal goals and a desired atmosphere ultimately led him to Happy Valley, including “Being able to pursue football and my education, to be more responsible for myself and my actions and to mature as an adult, but also to play at the collegiate level, not only that but in front of a wonderful crowd that has great tradition and history," Joseph told Nate Atkins of ChicagoFootball.com.

3-Star OL Frederick Mauigoa

Credit: 247Sports

Native Country: American Samoa (unincorporated United States territory in the South Pacific)

School: Tafuna High School (Pago Pago, American Samoa)

Size: 6'4", 290 lbs

247Sports' Composite Ranking: No 513 overall; No. 21 offensive guard

Recruitment Status: Offers include those from BYU, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon State and UNLV

College football and the NFL have each seen a steady rise in players of Samoan heritage. Fearsome offensive lineman Frederick Mauigoa represents the island territory well, attracting attention from several collegiate coaching staffs.

He was selected to compete at The Opening and appears likely to eventually play in the Pac-12. Mauigoa already locked in an official visit to Washington State, per Lars Hanson of 247Sports.

"I love Wazzu, just waiting for my visit later," he told Hanson. "I've been in contact with [defensive line] coach [Joe] Salave'a often. Plus most of the polys over there graduated from Tafuna and I know them better than other polys. He's always sending me information about the team and words of inspiration."

Given his physical stature and skill set, Mauigoa may be in line for early reps at the next level.

3-Star K J.J. Molson

Native Country: Canada

School: John Abbott College (Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada)

Size: 6'1", 190 lbs

247Sports' Composite Ranking: No. 831 overall; No. 3 kicker

Recruitment Status: Committed to UCLA

Many American adults have enjoyed Molson products, but the name now represents another import from north of the border. J.J. Molson, a top-tier kicker and punter, collected scholarship offers from Alabama and UCLA before committing to the Bruins in June.

He is in a solid position to compete for starting place-kicker and field-goal duties in Los Angeles as a true freshman. Molson may prove to be a diverse special teams weapon for head coach Jim Mora.

"Whenever you can be a triple threat—kickoffs, field goals, and punting—that helps the team because it's fewer scholarships they need to use on specialists," Molson told David Woods of Scout.com. "So right now, I do all three, and I'll absolutely compete my tail off wherever I'm needed in college." 

3-Star LB Amen Ogbongbemiga

Native Country: Nigeria

School: Notre Dame High School (Calgary, Alberta, Canada)

Size: 6'0", 211 lbs

247Sports' Composite Ranking: No. 1,865 overall; No. 122 outside linebacker

Recruitment Status: Committed to Oklahoma State

Amen Ogbongbemiga spent a significant portion of his childhood living in Texas. However, his stop in the Lone Star State is sandwiched by life in Nigeria and Canada.

He left Nigeria in 2003, landing in the Houston area. Ogbongbemiga moved to Calgary in 2011, creating a name for himself on the football field since.

He is out to prove that quality players can be found anywhere.

"To me, football is football," he told B/R's Damon Sayles. "Where I'm from, we have some of the better football [Canada], but you don't hear about it too much [in the States]. There are some good players around here. There may not be a bunch of 5-star recruits, but there are good players here."

Ogbongbemiga collected 104 tackles—13 for loss—and three sacks last season. Nevada also extended an offer, but he ultimately went with OSU.

4-Star DE Prince Sammons

Credit: 247Sports

Native Country: Nigeria

School: Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (Cincinnati)

Size: 6'8", 280 lbs

247Sports' Composite Ranking: No. 158 overall; No. 9 strong-side defensive end

Recruitment Status: Offers include those from Alabama, Clemson, Duke, Ohio State and Texas

Prince Sammons holds 23 scholarship offers, placing him among the most prized foreign-born prospects on the college football scene in recent years. He initially traveled to America in 2011 with intentions to play basketball, but that focus gradually shifted.

Sammons started out as Cincinnati Hills' water boy, as documented by ESPN.com's Gerry Hamilton. His acclimation to the game soon led him to put on pads, and he began gathering scholarship offers as a sophomore.

Momentum has only grown since that stage, placing him on the radar of coaching staffs across the country. Sammons secured 69 tackles and five sacks last season, per Mike Dyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

"He's about as naive as it comes for a kid that everyone calls a high-profile recruit; he has no clue. We had a chance to go down South and meet Coach [Nick] Saban, [Gus] Malzahn and [Mark] Richt, and Prince couldn't have picked any of the three out of a lineup," his adoptive father, Brandon Sammons, told Hamilton. "That's part of what I like about it, though; he doesn't have any preconceived notions about it."

3-Star DE Thomas Schaffer

Credit: 247Sports

Native Country: Austria

High School: Lake Forest Academy (Lake Forest, Illinois)

Size: 6'7", 280 lbs

247Sports' Composite Ranking: No. 492 overall; No. 26 strong-side defensive end

Recruitment Status: Offers include those from Michigan State, North Carolina, Oregon, Stanford and Wisconsin

Thomas Schaffer developed into a two-way standout in the trenches at Lake Forest, which is located north of Chicago. He played for a local club team in Vienna, Austria, prior to his United State's arrival, as Bleacher Report's Sanjay Kirpalani chronicled in May.

"It wasn’t really organized. In Austria, it wasn’t a big deal like it is here with high school football," Schaffer told Kirpalani. "It was enough to help me fall in love with the game and try to pursue it at a higher level.”

His potential lies at both offensive tackle and defensive end, as elite length and developing skills create quite a compelling prospect. Schaffer should become the first Austrian to compete in an FBS environment next year.

“If I was a college coach, I would tell him to try the defensive side of the ball,” Lake Forest head coach Robin Bowkett said. “If that works out, great. If that doesn’t work out and he’s third-string at defensive end, and if he could move over to offensive line and help the team out that way and possibly make a lot of money on Sundays, then that opportunity would be there for him.” 

Recruit ratings courtesy of 247Sports. B/R National Recruiting Analyst Sanjay Kirpalani also contributed to this article.