When the NFL released the International Player Pathway Program Class of 2026, the headline number was 13 athletes from 10 countries.
For Kenya, the number that mattered was one: that of Joshua Weru.
In a list dominated by athletes from traditional IPP pipelines like Australia and Nigeria, Weru’s inclusion stands out not just because he is Kenyan, but because of what it represents; A country better known globally for middle and long-distance running now has a direct footprint in one of the most competitive talent funnels in world sport.
The IPP program is not a trial camp or a marketing exercise. Since its launch in 2017, it has become a legitimate back door into the NFL, producing players who have gone on to sign contracts, make active rosters and carve out professional careers in American football. It is a pathway built on projection, raw athleticism and developmental upside. In that sense, Weru fits the mould perfectly.
From January 2026, Weru will enter a 10-week immersion program in Fort Myers, Florida, training at X3 Performance and Physical Therapy.
The work will be equal parts physical and intellectual. Learning the playbook language. Understanding positional technique. Adapting to a sport where milliseconds matter and repetition is ruthless. At the end of it, he will perform in front of NFL scouts, decision-makers who deal in potential as much as polish.
For Kenyan sport, this is unfamiliar terrain.
Unlike rugby nations where contact-sport transitions are common, Kenya does not have a deep American football culture or infrastructure. That makes Weru’s selection even more significant. It suggests that NFL scouts are no longer only fishing in known waters.
They are scanning for athletes whose movement patterns, strength profiles and mental adaptability translate, regardless of sporting background or geography.
It also reframes an old conversation. For years, Kenyan athletes with power-speed profiles have had limited global outlets beyond athletics.
The IPP program offers a different ceiling. One where athletic talent is not funnelled into a single discipline, but matched to opportunity.
The mechanics of the program matter too. Each NFL club is allowed one roster exemption for a qualifying international player through the offseason, and later a designated international practice squad spot. That breathing room is critical. It allows development without the immediate pressure of competing against players who have grown up in the system since high school.
For Weru, this does not guarantee a contract, let alone a career. The IPP is demanding, unforgiving and intensely competitive. Many participants do not make it beyond the showcase stage. But selection alone is validation.
It means evaluators see something worth investing time, resources and coaching into.
There is also a quieter implication. Kenyan sport often measures success by medals and trophies. Weru’s moment suggests a different metric. Exposure. Pathways. Systems that recognise transferable talent and are willing to take a calculated risk on it.
If Weru succeeds, even partially, he becomes a reference point. For young Kenyan athletes who do not neatly fit traditional pipelines.
For federations thinking beyond conventional development models. For scouts who now know Kenya is not just endurance territory.
The NFL likes to frame the IPP as a global growth project.
That may be true. But for Joshua Weru, it is something more immediate and more personal. It is a rare opening. A chance earned. And for Kenyan sport, a reminder that the map of opportunity is bigger than we have allowed ourselves to believe.
