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ONE! DAMN! WEEK!
Ifeadi Odenigbo is our person today, but let us more rejoice that there is only one week til football. Also, sorry this is so late -- I had work in the morning and then was told there was a Jay-Z concert that turned out to be just a bunch of people standing on a street in Brooklyn. Bummer. I can confirm there is a crapton of content coming for you in the next week. Also, "Crapton" sounds like a British last name if you pronounce it differently. Moving on!
Ifeadi is one of two elite recruits who wears the No. 7 for Northwestern. Sorry Matt!
Origin myth
Coming from a Nigerian family that didn't understand football, but he made the team at Centerville -- that's around Dayton -- as a sophomore after his parents told him he need to get a 3.5 GPA to play the sport. And was a damn beast. 6'4, 210 pounds, and a runner on a pretty damn good track team? Tough to stop. He had 10.5 sacks as a junior, 8.5 as a senior, when he was the all-region, all-area, and all-state player of the year. Let's watch him do things!
OH IFEADI. STOP HURTING THEM. It's crazy to see somebody capable of bowling over linemen and running faster than quarterbacks. I don't know how they exist, but I'm terrified they do and hope I never make anybody mad.
Anyway, Ifeadi was a damn fine recruit! He was a consensus four-star, the No. 51 player on the ESPN 150. ESPN had him as the top player in Ohio, and 247's composite ranked him as the No. 65 player in the country as well as the No. 4 outside linebacker. At just 210 pounds, many saw him as too light for a DE, but his athleticism was just too much to pass up. He had offers from the kit and kaboodle -- Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, Alabama, USC and half of the B1G. But for some reason, he chose Northwestern the January before signing day.
At Northwestern
Ifeadi said he was too light to play last year at 210, but Northwestern decided to burn his redshirt one game into the season. He'd hurt his shoulder in his only game, though, and he'd earn a medical redshirt. It turned out to be okay -- Dean Lowry was a pretty solid true freshman defensive end, and of course, uh, Tyler Scott.
Anagram of choice
Discovering the Wildcats' true inner selves through spelling
Ifeadi Odenigbo, anagrammed, is
A DIGNIFIED OBOE
Most oboes are dignified, I feel like. He joins Deonte Gibson as NU anagram oboes.
Relevant musical selection
"One Week," Barenaked Ladies
HELL YEAH.
Ifeadi Tweets
Ifeadi Odenigbo has either the worst or the best twitter of any Northwestern athlete. You'll see what I mean:
Are you not entertain!?
— Ifeadi Odenigbo (@IfeadiOdenigbo) August 24, 2013
Football practice is in a couple of day's. #CAN'TWAIT (Bart Scott voice)
— Ifeadi Odenigbo (@IfeadiOdenigbo) August 1, 2013
One of the worst decisions I have made was buying/eating plain Greek yogurt. I wouldn't wish that horror among my enemies. #yuck
— Ifeadi Odenigbo (@IfeadiOdenigbo) July 30, 2013
How he can help
Damn, you saw those passrushing skills. He came to college too skinny, but now he's 235, 26 pounds above his freshman weight. If he's added moves and strength to his natural athleticism, he should be one of the better pass-rushers in the B1G in a few years. For now, though, in 2012, he'll take a back seat. Tyler Scott is a monster, capable of bull-rushing damn near anybody, and Dean Lowry quickly showed his capability as an all-down defensive end. Odenigbo might not even fit as a third-down end, as Deonte Gibson seized that role for himself. But hopefully he can show his skills in some way this year, but it isn't an issue if he can't. And next year there will be an opening there, and he'll be in position to step up. Remember, he's still relatively new to the game. Potential is the word here. Depth chart projection We ain't got him starting, but like we just said, that's not a problem.
More from Sippin' On Purple:
- 'Only at Northwestern:' An Excerpt from John U. Bacon's 'Fourth and Long'
- Jimmy Hall, Northwestern Wildcats football, No. 9
- Northwestern debuts all-white uniforms, white helmets vs. Cal
- Thursday Sips, ft. Venric Mark (obviously) and Rashad Lawrence's dancing
- Northwestern position battles: Dean Lowry likely starting at defensive end, Cameron Dickerson likely starting at WR
- Traveon Henry, Northwestern Wildcats Football, No. 10