George Arinze Iloka (born March 31, 1990) is an American former professionalfootball player who was asafety in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theBoise State Broncos and was selected by theCincinnati Bengals in the fifth round of the2012 NFL draft.^[1]

George Iloka

Iloka with the Bengals in 2017
No. 23, 43
Position:	Safety
Personal information
Born:	(1990-03-31)March 31, 1990 (age 35) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:	225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school:	Kempner (Sugar Land, Texas)
College:	Boise State
NFL draft:	2012: 5th round, 167th pick
Career history
Cincinnati Bengals (2012–2017) Minnesota Vikings (2018) Dallas Cowboys (2019)* Minnesota Vikings (2020)
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Third-teamAll-American (2011) First-team All-MWC (2011)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles: 365 Pass deflections: 32 Interceptions: 9 Forced fumbles: 3 Fumble recoveries: 1 Stats atPro Football Reference

Iloka attendedBoise State University from 2008 to 2011, where he was a three-year starter. In his four years as a Bronco, the team went 50–3 and finished each season ranked 11th or better in theAssociated Press (AP) National Poll. In his senior year, Iloka started 11 games at free safety and one at cornerback, helping the Broncos finish 12–1 in 2011. That year, he earned All-MWC first-team honors from league coaches and a trip to the2012 Senior Bowl; the national attention shot Iloka to the top of many NFL Draft boards. Iloka finished his college career with 231tackles, 24passes defensed, seveninterceptions and asack.^[2]

In 2008, Iloka was the youngest player in theWAC at 17, and played in every game with five starts for a Bronco team that went 12–0 before losing toTCU in the2008 Poinsettia Bowl. He compiled 62 tackles (5.0 solo), 10 passes defensed, 4 interceptions, and a sack on the year.

Iloka was an All-WAC selection in 2010.^[3]

On December 30, 2011, Iloka accepted his invitation to play in the2012 Senior Bowl. On January 28, 2012, Iloka recorded one tackle as part ofMinnesota Vikings' head coachLeslie Frazier's North team that defeated the South 23–13 to win the 2012 Senior Bowl.^[4] Prior to the NFL Combine, Iloka was ranked as the third best safety prospect in the draft by NFL analystMike Mayock.^[5] He attended theNFL Scouting Combine inIndianapolis, Indiana and performed all of the combine and positional drills. His combine performance received mixed reviews from scouts and analysts with some stating he had lack of movement and was too large to play safety and other scouts contending Iloka was the consensus third best safety, behindMark Barron andHarrison Smith, and could possibly elevate to the end of the first round.^[6] On March 22, 2012, he attended Boise State's pro day, but opted to stand on his combine numbers and only performed positional drills. Iloka attended pre-draft visits with theDenver Broncos andSeattle Seahawks.^[7] At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Iloka was projected to be a second or third round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked the top free safety prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com, but fell out of NFL analyst Mike Mayock's top five safety rankings.^[8] Iloka was also ranked the second best free safety in the draft, behindMarkelle Martin, byBleacher Report.^[9]

TheCincinnati Bengals selected Iloka in the fifth round (167th overall) of the2012 NFL draft.^[11] He was the 11th safety selected in 2012.^[12] His fall to the fifth round surprised many and was mainly attributed to concerns over his tackling and his low interception rate in college.^[13]

On May 9, 2012, the Cincinnati Bengals signed Iloka to a four-year,$2.26 million contract that includes asigning bonus of $160,300.^[14]

Throughouttraining camp, Iloka competed for the job as the starting strong safety after it was left vacant by the departure ofChris Crocker. He competed againstTaylor Mays,Jeromy Miles,Robert Sands, andTony Dye.^[15][16] Head coachMarvin Lewis named Iloka the backup safety behindReggie Nelson, Taylor Mays, and Jeromy Miles.

He made his professional regular season debut in theCincinnati Bengals' season-opening 44–13 loss at theBaltimore Ravens. The following week, he recorded his first career tackle with teammateRoddrick Muckelroy onJosh Cribbs after Cribbs returned a 27-yard kick in the second quarter. He finished the Bengals' 34–27 victory against theCleveland Browns with two assisted tackles.^[17] He finished his rookie season with two tackles in seven games without any starts.^[18] As a rookie, Iloka was a healthy scratch for nine games and was solely used on special teams. He was also inactive for the last six consecutive regular season games.^[19]

The Cincinnati Bengals finished second in theAFC North with a 10–6 record. On January 5, 2013, Iloka played in his first career playoff game as the Bengals' lost 19–13 at theHouston Texans in the AFC Wildcard Game.^[19]

During training camp in 2013, Iloka competed for the job as the starting strong safety against Taylor Mays, Jeromy Miles, and rookieShawn Williams.^[20] Defensive coordinatorMike Zimmer named Iloka the starting strong safety to begin the regular season, along with free safety Reggie Nelson.^[21]

He made his first career start in theCincinnati Bengals' season-opener at theChicago Bears and recorded four combined tackles in their 24–21 loss. On October 13, 2013, he collected a season-high eight combined tackles in the Bengals' 27–24 win at theBuffalo Bills. In Week 16, Iloka recorded two combined tackles, deflected a pass, and his first career interception off a pass by quarterbackMatt Cassel during a 42–14 victory against theMinnesota Vikings.^[22] He finished his first season as a full-time starter with 66 combined tackles (41 solo), six pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and an interception in 16 games and 16 starts.^[18] Iloka limited quarterbacks to the ninth lowest passer rating among safeties in pass coverage.

The Cincinnati Bengals clinched a playoff berth after finishing atop their division with an 11–5 record. On January 5, 2014, Iloka made his first career start in a playoff game and recorded two combined tackles in a 27–10 loss to theSan Diego Chargers.

Iloka entered camp slated as the starting strong safety and saw minor competition fromDanieal Manning, Taylor Mays, and Shawn Williams.^[23] The Bengals' new defensive coordinatorPaul Guenther retained Iloka as the starting strong safety to start the regular season, opposite free safety Reggie Nelson.^[24]

In Week 2, Iloka recorded a tackle, three pass deflections, and intercepted two passes by quarterbackMatt Ryan during a 24–10 victory against theAtlanta Falcons. On October 5, 2014, Iloka collected a season-high nine combined tackles in the Bengals' 43–17 loss at theNew England Patriots. In Week 9, he made five solo tackles, broke up two passes, and an interception during a 33–23 win against theJacksonville Jaguars.^[25] Iloka finished the2014 season with 74 combined tackles (48 solo), ten pass deflections, and three interceptions in 16 games and 16 starts.^[18] He received an overall grade of +3.4 from Pro Football Focus in 2014 and ranked 22nd among all qualifying safeties.^[26]

TheCincinnati Bengals finished the season second in the AFC North with a 10–5–1 record and received a wildcard berth. On January 4, 2015, Iloka recorded five combined tackles during a 26–10 loss at theIndianapolis Colts.

Iloka and Nelson returned as the Bengals' starting safety duo to begin the 2015 regular season.^[27] He was inactive for the Bengals' Week 4 victory against theKansas City Chiefs after aggravating an ankle injury he sustained in their season-opener.^[28] In Week 10, Iloka collected a season-high ten combined tackles in a 10–6 loss against theHouston Texans. On November 29, 2015, he made four combined tackles, a season-high two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass during a 31–7 win against theSt. Louis Rams. The following week, Iloka was inactive due to a groin injury he suffered the previous week.^[29] In Week 14, he made one tackle before leaving the Bengals' 33–10 loss against thePittsburgh Steelers in the second quarter after aggravating his groin injury.^[30] He was sidelined for the next two games (Weeks 15–16). Iloka finished the2015 season with 47 combined tackles (35 solo), four pass deflections, and an interception in 12 games and 12 starts.^[18] He had the 15th highest overall grade given byPro Football Focus among all safeties.^[31]

On January 9, 2016, Iloka started in theCincinnati Bengals' AFC Wildcard Game against thePittsburgh Steelers and recorded five combined tackles in a closely contested 18–16 loss.^[32]

Iloka became anunrestricted free agent after the 2015 season and received serious interest from multiple teams, including theDetroit Lions,Minnesota Vikings,New York Giants, andAtlanta Falcons. He received contract offers from the Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, and Minnesota Vikings.^[33]

On March 9, 2016, the Cincinnati Bengals signed Iloka to a five-year, $30 million contract extension that included $5 million guaranteed and asigning bonus of $3 million.^[14][34]

Head coach named Iloka the starting strong safety with Shawn Williams replacing Reggie Nelson at free safety. On October 23, 2016, Iloka collected a season-high ten combined tackles (eight solo) during a 31–17 victory against theCleveland Browns. The following week, he made five solo tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass byKirk Cousins in the Bengals' 27–27 tie with theWashington Redskins.^[35] He finished the2016 season with 74 combined tackles (49 solo), seven pass deflections, and a career-high three interceptions in 16 games and 16 starts.^[18] He received an overall grade of 75.0 from Pro Football Focus and ranked 53rd among all qualifying safeties.^[36]

On December 4, 2017, Iloka recorded five combined tackles during the Bengals' 23–20 loss to thePittsburgh Steelers onMonday Night Football. He received a penalty for unnecessary roughness after a helmet-to-helmet hit onAntonio Brown as Brown was making a touchdown reception in the endzone. The following day, Iloka was suspended for one game for the hit on Brown.^[37] On December 6, 2017, he appealed his suspension and had his penalty reduced to a $35,464.50 fine.^[38] In Week 14, Iloka recorded a season-high eight combined tackles during a 33–7 loss to theChicago Bears. He finished the2017 season with a career-high 80 combined tackles (54 solo), five pass deflections, and an interception in 16 games and 16 starts.^[18]Pro Football Focus gave Iloka an overall grade of 77.7, ranking him 45th among all safeties in 2017.^[39]

Iloka was released by the Bengals on August 19, 2018.^[40]

Three days after his release, he was signed by theMinnesota Vikings.^[41] The move reunited him withMike Zimmer, who was the Bengals' defensive coordinator during Iloka's tenure with the Bengals.

On March 23, 2019, Iloka signed a one-year contract with theDallas Cowboys.^[42] On August 30, 2019, Iloka was released by the Cowboys.^[43]

After sitting out the2019 NFL season, Iloka had a tryout with the Vikings on August 21, 2020.^[44] On September 17, 2020, Iloka was signed to the Vikings' practice squad.^[45] He was elevated to the active roster on September 26 and October 3 for the team's weeks 3 and 4 games against theTennessee Titans andHouston Texans, and reverted to the practice squad after each game.^[46][47] He was promoted to the active roster on October 10, 2020.^[48] He was placed on injured reserve on October 22, 2020.^[49]

Iloka attended Kempner High School inSugar Land, Texas. His younger brother, Kenny Iloka, played collegiate football atTCU and went undrafted as a safety in the2016 NFL draft.^[50]

The son of immigrants, he is ofNigerian descent.^[51]

• Career statistics fromYahoo Sports
•   Media related toGeorge Iloka at Wikimedia Commons