'Last Chance U' stars Dakota Allen, Ronald Ollie land on NFL teams
For Dakota Allen and Ronald Ollie, their “last chance” turned into a dream come true.
The pair, who were featured in Netflix’s popular series “Last Chance U” in its first season when it covered East Mississippi Community College, have found NFL homes. Allen was drafted in the seventh round by the Los Angeles Rams, and Ollie is headed to the Oakland Raiders, according to ESPN.
Source: DT Ronald Ollie is now headed to rookie minicamp with the #Raiders. Last minute issue with the #Ravens and the offer was pulled before he signed. @LastChanceU https://t.co/Yit7yrbnag
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 28, 2019
Allen, a linebacker, was dismissed from Texas Tech in 2016 after a burglary charge. But he worked his way back onto the Red Raiders and can now say he was drafted by an NFL team.
Ollie overcame a difficult childhood before ending up at EMCC, where he received a lot of screen time on the Netflix series. But the defensive lineman impressed at his next stop — Nicholls State — and was able to sign a free agent contract after going undrafted.
A long journey back
Whether either Allen or Ollie will make the NFL roster remains to be seen, but just to be in this position is a tremendous accomplishment. Players featured on “Last Chance U” are portrayed as those so desperate to play professional football that they are willing to play for a small community college in Mississippi for one, final chance. These are players with rough backgrounds or a criminal history, and are down to their last opportunity to prove themselves.
These two guys did it. If they traversed from a Mississippi community college to the NFL, then making a season-opening roster does not seem quite that difficult.
More from Yahoo Sports:
