By Daniel Nhakaniso
Andrew Mukuba’s story reads like a script from a Hollywood blockbuster movie.
He was born in Harare, where his parents were refugees parents from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
One of six children, Mukuba endured a tough upbringing in Zimbabwe before his parents got the opportunity to relocate to Austin, Texas in the USA when he was aged nine.
“There was time when we would go two or three nights, maybe a whole week without electricity,” Mukuba told DCTF in 2020 of his upbringing in Zimbabwe.
“That was kind of hard. We had to use candles, but those don’t last forever. That’s when I learned, at a really young age, that nothing is given to me — I have to go earn it.”
Hoping to earn a better life, the Mukubas moved to Austin, Texas in the USA when he was nine years old, where his mother worked as a housekeeper at a hotel across from the University of Texas campus, supporting the family as the head of the single-parent household.
“What I really pictured was that we had finally made it, that we weren’t going to struggle any more,” Mukuba said. “But then when we got here, I realized the hustle was still the same. You had to go and find ways to make money, ways to provide for your family.”
Now 14 years after leaving for the USA with his family, Mukuba looks set to become only the third Zimbabwe-born player to make the major leap to the NFL, which is the wealthiest professional sports league in the world by revenue.
The 22-year-old defensive back was an integral of the University of Texas Longhorns side which boasted of the best defenses in US college football this season.
Mukuba joined the Texas Longhorns ahead of the start of the season as he retraced his Texas roots after enjoying three succesful years at Clemson University.
This season Mukuba announced his arrival at the top level of collegiate football in the US, with his most notable play of the season coming against Arizona State, when his interception of Sam Leavitt in the second overtime sealed the win for Texas.
Mukuba’s signature play sealed the Longhorns’ road to last week’s Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic against Ohio State.
After a memorable season, Mukuba will take his talents to the next level after announcing his intention to declare for the 2025 NFL Draft to be held in April.
“I am officially declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft,” Mukuba said. “It’s a moment I have dreamed of since I picked up a football for the very first time.”
In the statement on his Instagram page, Mukuba also thanked all of his coaches from Clemson and Texas, along with Texas fans for supporting him.
Mukuba began his schooling at LBJ Early College High School, where his explosiveness made him a dynamic running back.
During his high school career, Mukuba earned the District Offensive Player of the Year honor. Moreover, he was also selected to be the fifth-best safety in the United States.
Mukuba initially started his college football career with the Clemson Tigers of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in 2021.
He earned the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year honor as well as the Freshman All-American honor in his first year.
He participated in the Gator Bowl game in 2023 After the end of the season, he made a transfer to the Texas Longhorns for his final season. Since then, he has earned the Jim Thorpe Award’s National Defensive Back of the Week honor in 2024.
Now Mukuba could become the third Zimbabwean to feature in the NFL joining the Stansly Maponga and Nate Landman.