Already the first Egyptian to play Division I football, Boise State's Ahmed Hassanein sets sights on NFL dreams

BOISE — Ahmed Hassanein was watching a Los Angeles Rams games with his older brother, Cory Besch, shortly after he had moved in with Besch in southern California from Egypt.
Hassanein had little knowledge of the NFL, or the game of football in general, but was drawn to the play of Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald.
“I was like ‘wow, that guy is really good,’” Hassanein remembers. “He was like ‘yeah that’s the NFL.’ And I was like ‘OK, how do you get there?’”
The first step, Besch told Hassanein, was to play at an NCAA Division I college. Hassanein has since checked off that step, becoming the first-ever Egyptian to play Division I football. Now he’s working his way to reaching his NFL dreams.
Hassanein is poised to break into the starting lineup at edge rusher for the Boise State football team this season. He got some experience last year, starting three games at defensive tackle. Hassanein put up 13 tackles, including a pair of sacks — the first two of his college career.
As he gets ready for his junior season, Hassanein is ready to have a breakout season and really make his mark for the Broncos after switching to edge.
“I didn’t know what Division I was or even really about football,” Hassanein said about when he started his competitive football career in 2019. “I was out there playing football, being physical, being explosive and just doing my thing. Now, I feel a lot more like I’m getting the hang of this. I know what I’m doing, I know what situation I’m in. I know the pressure that is on me and I’m able to handle it.”
It’s certainly been an unlikely rise for Hassanein, who was born in Orange County, California, but moved back to Egypt with his family when he was 6 years old. Besch stayed in the United States rather than move back with the family.
In Egypt, Hassanein participated in boxing, judo and CrossFit. It was CrossFit where he found the most success. At one point, he was ranked No. 1 in the sport in his age group in Egypt and No. 14 across Africa.
Football wasn’t even on his radar.
That is, not until 2018 when Besch traveled to Egypt for a visit. Since the rest of his family had left the United State, Besch had become a high school football coach and was coaching and teaching English at Loara High in Anaheim. Besch convinced Hassanein to move in with him.
“I was doing CrossFit all the time and he was like ‘come play football for me,’” Hassanein said. “At that time, I didn’t know any English, I didn’t play any football, so he just taught me a little bit and I’ve grown from that.”
In just a couple of years, he developed into a 3-star recruit by 247Sports and was on his way to Boise.
Immediately he left an impression on coaches as a team-first guy, an attitude that remains with him as he begins his third season with the Broncos.
“Ahmed is a guy that cares so deeply, first and foremost, for his teammates, for that brotherhood,” defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson said. “To encapsulate Ahmed, he’s that guy that talks about ‘I would do anything for you’ to the players, to the coaches. He’ll be like ‘coach, what do you need me to do right now?’ and I’m like ‘Nothing, Ahmed, we’re good, just go play hard.’ He just cares so much, it means so much to him and from where he’s come from, he’s thankful for everything he’s given.”
For Hassanein, remembering his roots remains important to him. Each May he takes a trip back to Egypt to visit family and reconnect with where he grew up. This summer, he brought his roommate, linebacker Marco Notarainni with him for the trip.
“There’s a lot of really cool things we saw, but my favorite part was seeing how Ahmed is the way he is because of where he’s from and experiencing that culture,” said Notarainni. “Ahmed is very prideful, and he always has a family aspect to him, like he’s always taken care of me in the rooms here. And it makes a lot of sense, because his dad did the same thing when I went over there and the family did the same thing, so it’s really cool to see how everything connected.”
He’s also become involved with Egypt’s small, but passionate American football crowd. For the players who do play over there, he’s become a bit of an inspiration, being a trailblazer in the sport.
“It’s not a huge thing over there, but they’re getting the hang of it,” Hassanein said about football in Egypt. “I’m really proud of that and happy that I have a lot of following from Egypt. People will text me ‘watch this play, how did I do here?’ and I’m really grateful for them and blessed to be the first one to play at the Division I level.”
Making this season even more special for Hassanein is that for the first time, his family will be coming from Egypt to Boise to watch him play. They will be at Albertsons Stadium for the Broncos’ home opener against UCF on Sept. 9.
“That just want to see me do good and want to see ‘Hassanein’ on my back,” Hassanein said. “They’re really proud of me, no matter what. My sisters are coming, and my dad is coming, too. My dad was like ‘I’m going to wait until you are a starter, and then I’ll be there.’ So, he’s coming this year and I’m really grateful that he’ll be there.”
Hassanein has two more years of eligibility at Boise State, and now that he could be a regular in the Broncos’ starting lineup, he figures that this year will be a big step towards reaching the goals he set that day he was watching Aaron Donald at his brother’s home in California.
“My goal is the NFL and this year for me is huge,” he said. “I want to prove it to anybody that I can do it and I can be that guy. I told my coaches that I want to be elite. I don’t want to settle for anything.”
And if he thinks his star status among the football community in Egypt is big right now, he can only imagine what it would be like if he does accomplish his NFL dreams.
“It would be huge,” Hassanein said. “Especially if I step into that role and I am actually elite in the NFL, and that’s what my plan is to do. The little kids will look up to me and my whole family will be proud of me. That’s what I want to do.”