Despite being deep into their offseason training, the New England Patriots continue to strengthen both their on-field roster and support staff. The team’s newest addition is a newly established position on the coaching side.
Ekene Olekanma, formerly with the San Francisco 49ers, has joined the Patriots as their new Director of Coaching Analytics, as first reported by ESPN’s Seth Walder.
Olekanma spent the past three seasons with the 49ers after a prior year with the Baltimore Ravens. In San Francisco, he began as a football research and development analyst and was later promoted to R&D coordinator. According to Kyle Posey of Niners Nation, his work included analytical support for the coaching staff, conducting self-scouting, analyzing opponents, creating performance metrics, and player evaluation.
Before entering the NFL ranks as a coaching R&D fellow with the Ravens, Olekanma played linebacker in 47 games over five years at the University of Toledo, where he also studied bioengineering and biomedical engineering.
He later earned a master’s degree in data science from DePaul University, graduating with honors in 2021.
Now with New England, Olekanma is expected to collaborate closely with head coach Mike Vrabel and his staff. He joins a broader analytics group that includes John Streicher (VP of football operations and strategy), Marshall Oium (director of football strategy), and Richard Miller (director of research).
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