Nate Landman on life as an African NFL player: ‘People don’t believe me at first’

For Nate Landman, surprise has become routine. The Los Angeles Rams linebacker has lost count of the raised eyebrows, smirks, and awkward pauses when people learn where his story begins.

“They don’t believe me at first,” Landman said. “I’ll show them I’m covered in African tattoos, and some will say I’m still lying until they look it up or someone will vouch for me.”

Landman isn’t exaggerating – a white guy with a Californian accent isn’t most people’s picture of what one of the NFL’s few African players would look like. But born in Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital, in 1998, Landman’s roots are intertwined with the country’s sporting tradition. His South African father, Shaun, was in Zimbabwe at the time playing international rugby. When an engineering consulting firm offered Shaun a position in California, the family seized the opportunity. When Nate was three, the Landmans had moved to Danville, California, bringing with them not just their belongings, but also a rich cultural identity.

Landman is the only active NFL player with Zimbabwe roots. Stansly Maponga, also born in Zimbabwe, played from 2013 until 2015. The NFL doesn’t have the influx of international players like the NBA. Foreign-born players comprise only 3% to 4% of the league’s numbers – Canada, Germany and Nigeria that have produced the most. The NFL is trying to change that, and created the International Player Pathway program as a way to increase the number of players born outside of the United States

As for Landman, as the years passed Harare became more of a childhood blur than a lived memory. But his family kept Zimbabwe alive in their home, particularly when it came to food.

“We brought a lot of the Zimbabwean culture into our home,” Landman said. “Our home is still decorated as if we were still in Zimbabwe.”

As his three siblings and parents took pride in their South African and Zimbabwean ties, Landman grew up between worlds: California suburbia on the outside, African traditions on the inside.

Athleticism was never far from the conversation in the Landman household. Shaun had played at the University of Cape Town before representing Zimbabwe in rugby. Nate’s mother, too, was a competitive athlete.

Inspired by that legacy, Landman threw himself into sports. In high school, he excelled in rugby and baseball. But it was football that became his calling.

At the University of Colorado, Landman’s relentless energy quickly made him a defensive cornerstone. Across five seasons, he developed a reputation as one of the better linebackers in the Pac-12 Conference. He earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors in 2019 and 2020 and added a second-team selection in 2021. His style of play – fast, physical, fearless – mirrored the competitive fire passed down from his father.

But the NFL is rarely a straight line.

Despite his production at Colorado, Landman’s name wasn’t called during the 2022 NFL draft. Instead, he signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent. He worked his way onto the roster, appearing in seven games as a special-teamer before being cut and placed on the practice squad later that season.

“It’s tough being undrafted,” Landman said. “It’s not an easy road. It’s a road I’m proud of because it’s made me the player I am today. I took advantage of the opportunities … It’s a huge part of my story.”

Perseverance paid off the following season. Landman not only made the Falcons’ roster but started 14 of 16 games. He collected 110 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and owned the second-best run-stop rate in the NFL among qualified linebackers (12.6%).

For Landman, the achievement was about more than numbers. It was about validation.

“It was about setting a goal, reaching it, and then setting another goal,” he said. “Becoming a starter in this league is something I’m super proud of. It’s something everyone’s striving to do. It’s especially not easy for undrafted guys.”

It was easy for Landman to sign a one-year contract this offseason with the Rams. The team was in need of his leadership at inside linebacker, and it helped that Landman had a strong relationship with Rams assistant defensive coach Jimmy Lake, with whom he’d previously worked with in Atlanta under the same system.

“These guys around me have allowed me to take a step up in my game,” Landman said. “Everyone [on defense] elevates each other, and that’s the biggest thing that I’ve noticed here.”

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Rams inside linebacker’s coach Greg Williams has noticed a few different intangibles that Landman has brought to the team.

“He brings us something we haven’t had in a while, which is his communication and energy,” said Williams, following the Rams’ preseason victory over the Cleveland Browns last Saturday. “He understands the whole game from a run-game and a pass-game perspective. So, the fact that he communicates with the entire defense, he’s the glue that brings it all together, which gives guys the freedom to play, and everybody loves it.”

Whether it’s the culture woven into his home life, the continent of Africa tattooed on the right side of his chest, or the determination that has carried him from an overlooked rookie to a starter in the NFL, Landman, who last visited his home country two years ago, continues to carry Zimbabwe with him onto the field.

Hard work may have built his career, but identity grounds it.

“Having the support of my relatives who still live over there,” he said, “wearing tattoos, and having the Zimbabwe flag on the back of my helmet are all very important to me.”

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