From Saddleback to Big Time

The 2025 NFL season starts this week, and the Saddleback football program has two players from the past that will suit up for NFL squads.  Segun Olubi and Emari Demercado both received their start at Saddleback College.

Olubi played in 2018 and was a defensive back that transferred in from the College of Idaho.  He was a Second Team All-National Division Southern League selection for Saddleback after finishing with a team-high 54 tackles and 5.5 tackles-for-loss. 

Olubi then transferred to Harding University but later transferred to San Diego State after Harding discontinued the economics program.  He was originally a walk-on at San Diego State and eventually put on scholarship as the team voted him Team Captain prior to the 2021 season.  Olubi would go on to finish with 53 tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles as a senior. 

Olubi went unselected in the 2022 NFL Draft and was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an unrestricted free agent.  Later that year he was signed to the practice squad of the Indianapolis Colts and was elevated to the active roster in week 16 of the 2022 season.  Olubi has since played in 34 games for the Colts as a linebacker heading into the 2025 campaign.

Demercado enters his third season in the NFL as a running back for the Arizona Cardinals.  He played for Saddleback in 2017 and led Saddleback with 1,026 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns for the season, making the All-National Division Southern League First Team.  He then transferred to Texas Christian University where he played in 27 games for the Horned Frogs, appearing in the National Championship Game in 2022. 

Demercado is now in his third season with the Cardinals after going undrafted during the 2023 NFL Draft and later signing a rookie free agent contract.  He was part of a Cardinal offense that rushed for a franchise-record 5.29 yards-per-carry in 2024.  Demercado has played in 27 games, rushing for 507 yards and three scores.