1. Timing can be everything in football recruiting.
Sometimes schools offer early and it helps. Sometimes schools offer late and it is too late. Ultimately, I have always believed that if a player really wants to go to a certain school, it doesn’t matter when the offer comes.
To that end, a trip to Garner, N.C., was in the works this week because two of the biggest and talented prospects in the state of North Carolina regardless of class now reside at South Garner High.
Junior nose tackle Nnamdi Ogboko has become one of the hottest recruits this spring. NC State jumped in with an offer May 10, but they have plenty of company.
Ogboko essentially has had three different phases since this past August, and there is a good reason why — the 6-foot-4, 338-pounder didn’t play high school football his first two years at Durham (N.C.) Riverside High.
Ogboko played this past fall in helping Riverside go 6-5, and he finished with 61 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks and 10 quarterback hurries in 10 games per MaxPreps.com.
At that time in his life, all he wanted was a Duke offer. He probably would have committed on the spot if he got one. He unofficially visited several times, but never got offered.
The first Division I offer came from the previous staff at Coastal Carolina on Oct. 15. He almost pondered a commitment to James Madison, where he was offered Dec. 15. East Carolina came along Jan. 24, and I’ll call that the first wave.
The older Ogboko broke through to the Power Five Conference level when Boston College offered Feb. 8. That opened up the floodgates a bit more as coaches learned there was a big nose tackle hiding in Durham. Charlotte, Dartmouth, Vanderbilt, Rutgers, Appalachian State and Western Kentucky were the next wave, and that could be called phase II.
Then Ogboko’s life changed when Georgia offered April 4. Some questioned “Is it a real offer?” UGA definitely has a type with Jordan Davis from Charlotte (N.C.) Mallard Creek and Jamaal Jarrett of Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley going there at nose tackle. Ogboko isn’t quite as large as Davis and Jarrett, but he’s actually lost 10 pounds over the last month.
Florida, South Carolina, Michigan, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Michigan State and NC State all jumped in. One source at South Garner said defensive line coach Charley Wiles came to one of his practices, and he learned quickly what the demand for Ogboko is due to other college coaches also in attendance. Wiles and defensive coordinator and linebacker coach Tony Gibson let it be known later, NC State definitely wants him.
This is where timing comes in. Because UNC, Duke and Wake Forest haven’t offered Ogboko (yet), the fact that NC State was the first in-state ACC school to believe in him does mean something. That doesn’t mean that NC State is going to be the leader, but they are now at the party. He also has some familiarity with the Wolfpack, having quietly attended a spring practice March 3.
Of the earlier schools, Rutgers has won over Ogboko’s loyalty and he’s unofficially visited the Scarlet Knights. The goal for him is simple — go somewhere that will get him in position to get better and have a quality strength and conditioning coach. He also played basketball at Riverside High, so he’s been pretty active since the football season ended.
2. As good as Nnamdi Ogboko is, the buzz about his freshman brother Ekene Ogboko has been building for months. The left tackle is about 6-6 and now up to 291 pounds, and he does not look 291. He also is a basketball player and is on the Team Loaded 15s B squad this spring, and knows Reidsville (N.C.) High freshman two-sport star Kendre’ Harrison well.
Ekene is more extroverted than his older brother and he’s getting a front row seat about the recruiting process. He’s been able to go to the various colleges on unofficial visits. He has a boyish face but that didn’t stop a college coach from wondering if he was a college transfer.
The 15-year-old could be a top 100 or top 50 player one day, it’s all in his control. His first offer came Jan. 24 by ECU, who had offered Nnamdi that day.
Coastal Carolina, Appalachian State, James Madison and Charlotte soon followed. Ekene was also offered by Rutgers, and then Florida and Virginia Tech offered him in April. Maryland and Bethune-Cookman offered in May and it seems inevitable that NC State will offer him at some point.
The school that hasn’t shown much interest in either brother — even after they unofficially visited — and where their sister attends as a student is North Carolina. So NC State should win the first battle of being the top in-state option and hope that is important to either of them. Precious Ogboko played basketball at Durham School of Arts, but COVID interfered with her recruitment.
Ekene averaged 4.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game on the varsity, and shot 51 percent from the field. Football is definitely his future and he’ll have four full years of playing it on the high school level, which will be another difference from Nnamdi.'
Sometimes schools offer early and it helps. Sometimes schools offer late and it is too late. Ultimately, I have always believed that if a player really wants to go to a certain school, it doesn’t matter when the offer comes.
To that end, a trip to Garner, N.C., was in the works this week because two of the biggest and talented prospects in the state of North Carolina regardless of class now reside at South Garner High.
Junior nose tackle Nnamdi Ogboko has become one of the hottest recruits this spring. NC State jumped in with an offer May 10, but they have plenty of company.
Ogboko essentially has had three different phases since this past August, and there is a good reason why — the 6-foot-4, 338-pounder didn’t play high school football his first two years at Durham (N.C.) Riverside High.
Ogboko played this past fall in helping Riverside go 6-5, and he finished with 61 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks and 10 quarterback hurries in 10 games per MaxPreps.com.
At that time in his life, all he wanted was a Duke offer. He probably would have committed on the spot if he got one. He unofficially visited several times, but never got offered.
The first Division I offer came from the previous staff at Coastal Carolina on Oct. 15. He almost pondered a commitment to James Madison, where he was offered Dec. 15. East Carolina came along Jan. 24, and I’ll call that the first wave.
The older Ogboko broke through to the Power Five Conference level when Boston College offered Feb. 8. That opened up the floodgates a bit more as coaches learned there was a big nose tackle hiding in Durham. Charlotte, Dartmouth, Vanderbilt, Rutgers, Appalachian State and Western Kentucky were the next wave, and that could be called phase II.
Then Ogboko’s life changed when Georgia offered April 4. Some questioned “Is it a real offer?” UGA definitely has a type with Jordan Davis from Charlotte (N.C.) Mallard Creek and Jamaal Jarrett of Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley going there at nose tackle. Ogboko isn’t quite as large as Davis and Jarrett, but he’s actually lost 10 pounds over the last month.
Florida, South Carolina, Michigan, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Michigan State and NC State all jumped in. One source at South Garner said defensive line coach Charley Wiles came to one of his practices, and he learned quickly what the demand for Ogboko is due to other college coaches also in attendance. Wiles and defensive coordinator and linebacker coach Tony Gibson let it be known later, NC State definitely wants him.
This is where timing comes in. Because UNC, Duke and Wake Forest haven’t offered Ogboko (yet), the fact that NC State was the first in-state ACC school to believe in him does mean something. That doesn’t mean that NC State is going to be the leader, but they are now at the party. He also has some familiarity with the Wolfpack, having quietly attended a spring practice March 3.
Of the earlier schools, Rutgers has won over Ogboko’s loyalty and he’s unofficially visited the Scarlet Knights. The goal for him is simple — go somewhere that will get him in position to get better and have a quality strength and conditioning coach. He also played basketball at Riverside High, so he’s been pretty active since the football season ended.
2. As good as Nnamdi Ogboko is, the buzz about his freshman brother Ekene Ogboko has been building for months. The left tackle is about 6-6 and now up to 291 pounds, and he does not look 291. He also is a basketball player and is on the Team Loaded 15s B squad this spring, and knows Reidsville (N.C.) High freshman two-sport star Kendre’ Harrison well.
Ekene is more extroverted than his older brother and he’s getting a front row seat about the recruiting process. He’s been able to go to the various colleges on unofficial visits. He has a boyish face but that didn’t stop a college coach from wondering if he was a college transfer.
The 15-year-old could be a top 100 or top 50 player one day, it’s all in his control. His first offer came Jan. 24 by ECU, who had offered Nnamdi that day.
Coastal Carolina, Appalachian State, James Madison and Charlotte soon followed. Ekene was also offered by Rutgers, and then Florida and Virginia Tech offered him in April. Maryland and Bethune-Cookman offered in May and it seems inevitable that NC State will offer him at some point.
The school that hasn’t shown much interest in either brother — even after they unofficially visited — and where their sister attends as a student is North Carolina. So NC State should win the first battle of being the top in-state option and hope that is important to either of them. Precious Ogboko played basketball at Durham School of Arts, but COVID interfered with her recruitment.
Ekene averaged 4.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game on the varsity, and shot 51 percent from the field. Football is definitely his future and he’ll have four full years of playing it on the high school level, which will be another difference from Nnamdi.'
