Boise State’s homegrown lineman keeps growing — with help from an Idaho staple
Boise State really should consider having redshirt freshman offensive tackle John Ojukwu keep the Milk Can trophy in his bedroom.
In his fourth start, he helped the Broncos earn the silver reward that goes to the winner of the Boise-Fresno State game. In the 24-17 win over the Bulldogs, against a stout defense, the Boise High graduate helped junior running back Alexander Mattison rack up 144 yards rushing, and the line allowed just one sack.
But there is another reason — no one on this team can dominate dairy like “Big John.”
“He’ll come in here and eat, like, three cookies and drink 10 milks,” sophomore STUD end Curtis Weaver said.
Added sophomore tight end John Bates: “I know at one point he was drinking close to a gallon a day, maybe more.”
If milk does a body good, Ojukwu has nothing to worry about, and he is happy to be very lactose tolerant.
At 6-foot-6, 299 pounds, he is still growing. He was about 30 pounds lighter when he enrolled in January 2017, which still pales in comparison to what he did in high school.
Ojukwu was about 185 pounds his junior year with the Braves, and he decided he really wanted to play offensive line in college. So he ate, and he ate, and he drank, adding nearly 100 pounds in about nine months, and working out multiple times a day.
He posted a photo on Twitter during his senior season that showed multiple gallons of milk and about a half-dozen yogurt tubs with the caption “how to gain 100 pounds in a year.”
“It really is a full-time job,” Ojukwu said. “You’ve got to have the good things like milk, but sometimes you go for the bad stuff, like a couple of pizzas.”
Pizzas, as in plural?
“I can usually do two pepperonis from Domino’s — mediums, though,” Ojukwu said.
So there is little question Ojukwu is committed. He also has skills to match his passion. With his size and smarts, he was one of those players coaches praised while he redshirted, eager to get him on the field.
“He made us mad plenty of days last year … he gave us fits,” Weaver said. “He did his job on that scout team.”
Ojukwu was going to get a chance to play this season at some point, starting the season as a backup to senior Andres Preciado at right tackle. As the right side of the line struggled, coaches made a change during Oct. 13’s game at Nevada, putting Ojukwu into the game in the second quarter. He hasn’t been out since.
“This experience for him to play this early and get some real good quality reps is going to be huge for him in the future, because he’s going to be a really good O-lineman,” offensive coordinator Zak Hill said. “He’s a big kid now … I can only imagine how big he’s going to get before he leaves.”
Noting that he was “inspired” by sophomore left tackle Ezra Cleveland starting as a redshirt freshman, Ojukwu said he set a goal for himself to try to earn a starting role this year.
“That was my expectation for him,” junior guard John Molchon said. “Right when he got on campus, I knew that he’s a big body, a very smart guy, he has a really good work ethic, so I’m not surprised at all how he’s doing. I’m just really proud of him.”
Ojukwu was born in Georgia and moved to Boise in fourth grade. He quickly became a Boise State fan, and he committed to the Broncos just before a Boise High game his senior year. He said it wound up being one of the best he’s played — and that inspiration continues daily.
“It’s a dream come true, always wanted to play on the Blue. It’s amazing,” Ojukwu said.
FIVE QUESTIONS WITH JOHN OJUKWU
What inspires you outside of football?
“My family. I want to be great for them. They’ve always pushed me to be great. I’ve got a younger brother and a sister here. My dad is a surgeon, and he works in Nigeria. When we moved from Atlanta, everyone was great here, but I obviously leaned on my family a lot. I liked the weather, the humidity. The cold took some getting used to.”
Who is your favorite pop culture character?
“I’d probably say The Hulk, because he’s giant, gets to smash everything. He has the human side, too.”
If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?
“South America. I think the rainforest looks really cool, all the different creatures there.”
Why do you wear No. 70?
“I picked it when I came here, and I picked it back in high school. A lot of guys pick numbers because of someone famous. I wanted something a little different, kind of wanted to make it my own.”
What’s your major?
“Kinesiology. I’ve been really interested for a long time in how the body works, and I think it’s helped me with football, for sure. I studied a lot about it in high school, kind of got myself ready for college, things I can do to be healthy and move well.”
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No. 23 BOISE STATE AT NEW MEXICO
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Dreamstyle Stadium (39,422; FieldTurf); Albuquerque, N.M.
TV: CBS Sports Network (Carter Blackburn, Aaron Taylor, John Schriffen); Cable One ch. 139/1139, DirecTV ch. 221, Dish Network ch. 158
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: BSU 8-2, 5-1 (won 24-17 vs. Fresno State on Friday); New Mexico 3-7, 1-5 (lost 42-24 at Air Force on Saturday)
Series: Boise State leads 8-1 (Broncos won 28-14 on Sept. 14, 2017, in Boise)
Vegas line: Boise State by 19 1/2
Weather: Mid-40s, partly cloudy