The incredible case of Obinna Eze
Many high school football players have played the game since Pop Warner and still never get close to sniffing a Division I offer. But, if you ask four-star offensive tackle Obinna Eze how long he’s been playing football, the answer may surprise you.
One year.
No experience playing varsity.
Despite having never taken a snap on the varsity level, he already has offers from Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Michigan, Tennessee, and now, Florida.
The 6-foot-8, 283-pound big man from Nashville (Tenn.) Davidson Academy came to America from Nigeria on a basketball scholarship last year. His host parents suggested that he give football a try because of his frame, long arms, mobility, and athleticism for a kid his size.
He played junior varsity during the 2015 season because of transfer eligibility rules.
“(My host parents) were like ‘6-foot-8 is average height in basketball but in football, you could be really special,’” said Eze.
Florida offensive line coach Mike Summers offered Eze on Monday. Summers visited Eze’s school this Spring and the two have kept in touch over Twitter. The whole recruiting process is still surreal for the Rivals250 lineman.
“Initially I took football as my second sport. I still played basketball, but over the summer, I made the full switch and made football my priority,” said Eze. “(At first) I didn’t like football a lot, but now I love the game. I just turn on the TV and go to one of my recorded games and just watch football. That’s how much I like it now.”
Eze hasn’t planned any visits yet but he said he would like to stop by Gainesville soon to see what the Gators are all about.
“I know about the (Florida-Tennessee) rivalry. I watched (the Gators) a lot, during the season. I know the Florida Gators on the field, but I’m (starting) to have a relationship with the coaching staff because I really don’t know anything about the coaching staff. I’m hoping to build a relationship and get to know them more.”
As you can imagine for a kid who didn’t grow up embedded in any college football culture, there’s a pretty big learning curve when it comes to learning about schools. So it’s no surprise that Eze has no list of top schools at the current time.
“This is the part where I become the Nigerian kid. I haven’t had anything like this happen to me in my life” Eze said.
“I’m really confused. Most times when I tell people, they’ll be like ‘Oh he’s trying to hide (his top schools)’ but I’m really not trying to hide it, man. I really don’t know, you know what I mean? I just kind of told myself to concentrate on school, concentrate on having the best football season and as time goes on, everything will straighten itself out. So right now, I’m just cool with everybody.”
Eze is currently the No. 26 offensive lineman and No. 210 overall prospect in the 2017 cycle.
