Anything is possible-Stephane Nembot

Former Colorado OT, NFL prospect plans to inspire people in hometown of Douala, Cameroon.

The sweet taste of sugar cane never has left his memory. The bass-filled thump from the drum he played at church every Sunday morning and the blissful joy of dancing children fill his thoughts. The rigorous routine of waking up at 5 every morning to pray, do chores and walk to school, which lasted 11 hours, remains a template in his schedule as a 24-year-old college graduate.

Every day he misses home.

The culture, the people, the language and especially the food are vastly different. He still struggles with the idea of mashed potatoes, which is too disturbing a texture for him.

Home for former University of Colorado offensive tackle Stephane Nembot, an NFL prospect, is more than 7,000 miles away in Douala, Cameroon. The comforts and familiarity of his birthplace didn't prevent Nembot leaving for America in December 2008 to seek more for himself, his family and an entire country when he finally is done achieving his goals.

Learning English and the basics and intricate details of U.S. football, and switching to offensive tackle from defensive end in the middle of a game as a redshirt freshman, were just the beginning for Nembot.

He plans to be an inspiration for everyone in Douala.

"Anything is possible. That's my first thing to tell everybody," Nembot said. "How do you explain that? I'm not saying we are the poorest of the poor, but we are very poor. Somebody that came from where I came from is now here? God is really great. I hope people will be able to follow in my footsteps. One thing I always dream of is, now that I know a little bit about football, what if I organized a game to open up the world of football to my country so they can maybe know what it is really about, because they don't know? It doesn't exist.

How many more NFL players could come out of those villages?"

None of Nembot's family members or friends from Cameroon have seen him play. If they did, they wouldn't understand. What we call football is soccer there, and the other primary sports are rugby and basketball.

His parents aren't aware Nembot became eligible for the NFL draft after his CU career ended. They don't know he has a good chance of being drafted and could see a big-time payday within a month.

Nembot doesn't plan to tell them if he gets drafted. He wants to make a 53-man roster first.

"I told them I'm looking for a job, which is technically true," Nembot said, laughing. "I don't want to get their dreams up just to crush them."

Nembot, a 6-foot-6, 324-pound former basketball star, began playing and learning football his senior year of high school. He made up the ground in college by working with former Broncos lineman Matt McChesney at Six Zero Strength and Fitness gym, tuning his technique.

"He's overcome so much. That's why he works so hard, because he's working for something bigger than himself," said McChesney, his strength and combine coach. "If young guys can look at Stephane and what's one thing I can take, it's working for something bigger than yourself. Understanding that the game doesn't owe you (a thing) and you owe blood, sweat and tears to it every day. Who are you working for and what are you working for? Are you just doing it because you're good at it, or are you doing it because you want to make a difference? And that's why Stephane plays football — to make a difference."