It took one game for Foyesade Oluokun to prove why he's Jaguars mainstay

The Jacksonville Jaguars hardly had an enviable defense last year - it was, in fact, one of the worst in the league. Anthony Campanile was brought on to turn things around after Ryan Nielsen's disastrous turn as defensive coordinator. The defense was actually not bad until Nielsen got his hands on it; he made linemen put on weight unnecessarily, hampering their performance, and had an arrogant demeanor that alienated his players. Campanile had a lot to fix heading into 2025.

And in the offseason, he got to work; though changes clearly needed to be made, he also made sure to keep one thing in place: the Jaguars elite linebacker corps. Jacksonville had one of the best linebacker units in the league, and one of their best players is already making a statement in Week 1.

Foyesade Oluokun is a Jaguars veteran who is one of the last remnants of the Trent Baalke area, and has been a team captain for the last four years in a row. Despite only playing in 13 games last year, he still was second in tackles for the team. And, as with much of the rest of the defense, Nielsen didn't get the best out of Oluokun, who played the season through multiple injuries.

And it didn't take long for Oluokun to prove he's still the mainstay this Jaguars defense needs.

Oluokun starts the 2025 season with a bang

The Jaguars took on the Carolina Panthers to start the season, and at first, both teams traded field goals back and forth, with a tie 3-3 score going into the second quarter. But as the Panthers offense took the field again, and began driving towards Jacksonville territory, Carolina quarterback Bryce Young threw a pass that was intercepted by Oluokun.

That interception ended up being a huge play, because it not only stopped the Carolina offense cold, but it led to an immediate touchdown from Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars offense.

Oluokun was predicted to have a comeback season in 2025, with analyst Hays Carlyon predicting that the veteran leader would work well with Campanile. "Big time year coming for Foye Oluokun, and again, somebody that was having a great run as a Jaguar, leading the NFL in tackles, right at the top of the list every year that he's here," Carlyn said earlier this year. "And then, Ryan Nielsen arrives and decides we're going to play him at a different position."

Campanile is clearly already showing that Oluokun is going to benefit his new scheme. Jacksonville's defense was terrible last year, but just a few minutes into the first quarter, fans are already being shown that there is good reason to be optimistic.