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I hope his offer is coming soon...
Detroit News article
Detroit News article
Most of the nation's top football prospects have spent years cultivating their gridiron talents. They've played the sport since grade school, trained tirelessly, and built up their knowledge of the game, all in hopes of one day playing college ball. Then there are youngsters like Centerville, Ohio, standout Ifeadi Odenigbo (pronounced, If-oddy Oh-denny-bo). The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder's impressive combination of length and athleticism has made him one of the fastest rising linebacker/defensive end prospects in Ohio. However, his rise up multiple recruiting boards is a surprising development considering he just began playing the sport last year.
"I would have gone out (for football) earlier, but my mom and dad were born and raised in Nigeria," Odenigbo said. "I was the first one in my family to be born in America. They really never understood football. They always just saw people hitting each other and they thought it was dangerous. During my freshman year my parents said that if my grades looked really good they would let me play football (the next season). I worked hard freshman year and I had my GPA at 3.3, so my parents let me play my sophomore year. Not knowing anything about football, I thought I was going to be pretty sweet at it. I run track and I'm pretty fast, so when I was coming out for football I thought, 'I'm fast -- I'll just run around people and not get hit at all.' I got my (butt) kicked!"
It was a rude awakening to be sure. Odenigbo's 4.5 speed is a commodity that any coach would covet, but his inexperience and initial aversion to contact limited his value on the field. That much was obvious when Odenigbo began his junior campaign backing up a sophomore. He wouldn't be a reserve for long, though. He had wisely dedicated himself to the weight room during the offseason. In addition, he had made another change that seemed innocuous on the surface, but played a significant role in helping him turn his physicality switch to the "on" position.
"My sophomore year I played timid," Odenigbo said. "I really didn't know how to hit people. I didn't know how to put on big hits. It sounds really stupid, but my mom bought me football gloves. The problem I had was that people were hitting me in the hands every single game, and I have sensitive hands (laughter). Then I got gloves and just started hitting people because I didn't have to worry about my hands anymore. It just started clicking. People asked me, 'Why are you starting to hit people?' I was like, 'Because of these gloves (laughter).'"
Whatever it takes, right? That definitely was his coach's opinion after he witnessed Odenigbo's metamorphosis from a kid that just ran around the field really fast, to one that ran around the field fast wreaking havoc on the opposition.
"He has great physical tools," Centerville coach Ron Ullery told Scout.com. "He has a great frame. He's going to grow and have good weight on him. What he has is speed -- speed off the edge and change of direction -- and it's explosive speed. The last game of the year when (Hubert Heights, Ohio) Wayne beat us in double overtime, he was the only guy I saw on film all year chase down (five-star Ohio State quarterback signee) Braxton Miller, and he did it two, three, maybe four times."
"He's a kid with a very high ceiling," said Allen Trieu, Scout.com's Midwest regional manager. "He's a smart, coachable kid who can project into a lot of systems. In the Midwest he's one of the top prospects. I like the film more and more each time I go through it. His lack of size is holding him back some, but I think he's a high four-star type prospect."
That Odenigbo still has so much room to grow and get better has college coaches salivating. They've literally fallen over one another in recent days to offer him. His scholarship total has grown to 12, with both Michigan and Michigan State taking part in the scholarship frenzy.
"I met (Michigan assistant) Coach (Mark) Smith about two weeks ago, but he couldn't talk to me because of NCAA rules," Odenigbo told Scout.com. "I'm pretty pumped and excited. I've heard great things about them, their academics and their tradition."
He added: "(Michigan State assistant) Coach (Harlon) Barnett and Coach Dantonio told me (in late January) they wanted to get signing day done and then they would be back to offer me and they kept their word. I do not really know a lot (about MSU) to be honest. I know they tied Ohio State for the Big Ten (title). I am not really familiar with them and look forward to visiting them and learning more."
Lack of familiarity isn't as much of an issue for Ohio State. The Buckeyes extended a scholarship offer Wednesday -- a development that many pundits believe is an ominous sign for all of the other programs giving chase. That's because Odenigbo's good friend and teammate, Michael Bennett, will be a Buckeye freshman next year. Even so, assuming Bennett's presence in Columbus ensures Odenigbo's might be a mistake.
"I talked to Mike (Wednesday) afternoon about it and he said he'd love to see him go to Ohio State, but he's not the type to bug him about it," Ullery told Scout.com. "It's about going through the process and he wants to make sure (Odenigbo) looks at everything, takes visits to the schools he really likes, and makes a decision in his own best interest. That's just the type of person Mike is."
Added Odenigbo: "The Ohio State offer was very special to me, and my heart started pounding when I heard about it. (But) there are other schools I'm interested in and I will be taking unofficial visits with my parents to different schools."
The talented youngster maintains that all of his suitors are on equal footing. Notre Dame (no offer), Northwestern, Illinois, and all of the other contenders will be evaluated thoroughly, especially when it comes to their scholastic reputations.
From The Detroit News: U-M, MSU pursue rising Ohio defensive star Ifeadi Odenigbo | detnews.com | The Detroit News
