Northwestern '12 DE - Ifeadi Odenigbo (Northwestern Verbal)

OSUBasketballJunkie · Feb 17, 2011

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U-M, MSU pursue rising Ohio defensive star Ifeadi Odenigbo

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.

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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.
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OSUBasketballJunkie · Feb 17, 2011

Scout.com$

Let's Meet Ifeadi Odenigbo........................

OSUBasketballJunkie · Feb 17, 2011

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Odenigbo talks about his Ohio State offer...........................

OSUBasketballJunkie · Feb 17, 2011

DuaneLongReport

When I took the time to look at Odenigbo with no consideration of who was ranked where, just looked at his film on its own merit, I moved him ahead of a number of other players whose names you are well familiar with. I am a believer in edge speed. If you have to get smaller or by blitzing, whatever needs to be done do it. Odenigbo is 6-4 and 215. He is very long. He has the reach of a full blown weak side 4-3 defensive end. I don't know if he is going to get that big. He will at least be big enough to play the Leo in an odd man front, a scheme Buckeye defensive coordinator Jim Heacock has turned into a key part of the Buckeye defense and you could call it the base front. Odenigbo recently ran a 4.62 laser timed forty at the Massillon Nike Combine. That is blazing fast. The rule of thumb is shave .2 off a laser time to get a hand held time. That is plenty fast enough to play linebacker is he does not get any bigger. I think he does get bigger because of his frame and he can carry that speed with him. Ask Braxton Miller about Odenigbo's speed and non-stop motor. He ran Miller down from behind twice in the Centerville - Wayne game, and otherwise made Miller's evening a nightmare. Odenigbo left that Nike combine with a 109.02 SPARQ rating. Buckeye offer Adolphus Washington had a 76.83 SPARQ rating. That gives you an idea of how impressive Odenigbo was. He now has an offer from the Buckeyes. I like the Buckeyes chances with any kid from Centerville.
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OSUBasketballJunkie · Feb 17, 2011

Rivals.com$

Odenigbo is a raw talent.......................

OSUBasketballJunkie · Feb 18, 2011

Bucknuts.com$

Breaking News: Ohio State Offers Nike Combine Star....................

OSUBasketballJunkie · Feb 28, 2011

Scout.com$

Ifeadi Odenigbo Adds To His Offer List....................Notre Dame has offered.

OSUBasketballJunkie · Feb 28, 2011

Scout.com$

Odenigbo Talks ND Junior Day........................

OSUBasketballJunkie · Feb 28, 2011

Bucknuts.com$

Ohio Star Attends Ohio State And Notre Dame Junior Days..................

OSUBasketballJunkie · Mar 3, 2011

Rivals.com$

Odenigbo gets â€˜eye-opener' at ND....................

OSUBasketballJunkie · Mar 6, 2011

Rivals.com$

Taking a Chance on Football.........................

OSUBasketballJunkie · Mar 8, 2011

Scout.com$

Odenigbo Holds Offers From Coast To Coast...........................

OSUBasketballJunkie · Mar 11, 2011

@CraigHaubert DE/OLB Ifeadi Odenigbo (Centerville/OH) told me has over 20 offers. While still open Stanford, Ohio St, Northwestern, & ND are standing out

OSUBasketballJunkie · Mar 12, 2011

Rivals.com$

Bruins offer Ohio standout....................

OSUBasketballJunkie · Mar 16, 2011

Scout.com$

Outside looking in......................Odenigbo now has over 24 offers. Ohio State, Stanford, Notre Dame and Northwestern are at the top of his list. Academics is the main concern with selecting a school.

OSUBasketballJunkie · Mar 16, 2011

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Ohio LB Growing Comfortable With NU................................

OSUBasketballJunkie · Mar 21, 2011

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The Ifeadi Odenigbo Story (Part 1).............................

OSUBasketballJunkie · Mar 22, 2011

Scout.com$

The Ifeadi Odenigbo Story (Part 2).........................

OSUBasketballJunkie · Apr 1, 2011

Scout.com$

Odenigbo Looking Forward To Spartan Visit........................

OSUBasketballJunkie · Apr 1, 2011

Scout.com$

Ohio Road Trip: Ifeadi Odenigbo......................

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Northwestern '12 DE - Ifeadi Odenigbo (Northwestern Verbal)

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Northwestern '12 DE - Ifeadi Odenigbo (Northwestern Verbal)

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