Boise State football snags another late 2020 commit from ‘bear cub’ with big upside
Andy Nwaoko has yet to meet his future coaches in person or set foot on the campus where he will play his next four seasons of football.
No matter, Boise State co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach Spencer Danielson must be magical on the telephone.
After speaking with Danielson and coach Bryan Harsin for the past four months, Nwaoko committed to the Boise State football team Thursday in a video posted on YouTube. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound 2020 graduate of Blue Ridge School in St. George, Virginia, played outside linebacker and wide receiver for the Barons.
“Four months ago today I received my first call from Coach Danielson at Boise State,” Nwaoko said in his video. “Ever since, we formed a really strong bond, and he stuck with me through ups and downs of injuries, rehab, canceled visits and the great coronavirus.”
Nwaoko came to the United States from Nigeria on Jan. 15, 2018, to attend school and play basketball, according to the summary included with his YouTube video. But three months after enrolling at Blue Ridge School, Nwaoko was introduced to football, and he has since played two seasons for the Barons.
This past season, Nwaoko was named the VISAA Division II Defensive Player of the Year. Nwaoko told the Idaho Statesman he was recruited at edge rusher/defensive end.
“You know immediately, this guy’s a player, this guy’s got some athleticism and you could just kind of see it,” Blue Ridge football coach Jimmy Wills told CBS 19 News in Charlottesville earlier this year. “My interest in him was immediate, the idea of getting him to play football took a little bit more time.
“… The ceiling for Andy is unlimited. The exciting thing for me as a coach is we don’t know yet how good he can be.”
Nwaoko listed Fordham, Duquesne, Howard, Monmouth and Boise State as his top five schools. CBS 19 News also reported Nwaoko had offers from Bucknell, Albany and Kent State.
“Boise State is a great program,” Nwaoko said. “They believe in me and see what I can’t see right now.”
Nwaoko was a three-sport athlete at Blue Ridge, playing football, basketball and running track. He ran the 100 and 200 meters and a leg on the 4x100 relay for the Barons, and he says his 40 time has been clocked at 4.38 seconds.
While Nwaoko originally thought he’d pursue college basketball in the United States, he found that he had a natural gift in football and enjoyed the more physical nature of the sport.
“The team was ahead of me, I just needed to catch up,” Nwaoko told CBS 19 News. “I was willing to understand the game, and my dad always told me if you’re going to do something, do it to the best, so I wanted to be the best in it.
“… Actually just played 18 games, and I feel like I’m just this bear cub. A diamond in the rough.”
Nwaoko, 19, told the Idaho Statesman he speaks some French and a Nigerian indigenous language called Igbo in addition to fluent English. He is scheduled to join the Broncos in July.
“In football you’re allowed to be physical, and I was cool with the energy and the fans and all that kind of stuff,” Nwaoko said. “It’s just something, I can’t really explain it, but I just feel like I excel naturally on the football field, and I just want to keep going.”
2020 recruiting class
DB Isaiah Bradford, 6-0, 170, Redlands (Calif.) East Valley High
OT Brandon Hernandez, 6-6, 275, Yucaipa (Calif.) High
TE Russell Corrigan, 6-4, 230, Hutchinson (Minn.) High
CB Donovan Clark, 6-3, 190, Lincoln High (Tacoma, Wash.)
CB Kaonohi Kaniho, 6-0, 180, Kahuku (Hawaii) High
OG Nathan Cardona, 6-3, 280, Yorba Linda (Calif.) High
DE Robert Cooper, 6-5, 255, Bethel High (Spanaway, Wash.)
WR Latrell Caples, 6-0, 185, Lancaster (Texas) High
OT Riden Leong, 6-5, 320, Orange Coast College (Waimanalo, Hawaii)
S Semaj Verner, 6-2, 185, Mayfair High (Lakewood, California)
DT Herbert Gums, 6-1, 284, Diboll (Texas) High
DE Shane Irwin, 6-4, 252, Long Beach City College (Palos Verdes Peninsula, California)
DT Divine Obichere, 6-4, 295, Long Beach City College (Long Beach, California)
DB Rodney Robinson, 5-10, 165, Cajon High (San Bernardino, California)
TE Austin Bolt, 6-4, 205, Borah High (Boise)
QB Cade Fennegan, 6-2, 175, Woodrow Wilson High (Dallas)
LB Brock Miller, 6-3, 238, N.C. State (Port St. Lucie, Florida)
OL Kyle Juergens, 6-6, 260, St. Margaret’s Episcopal (San Juan Capistrano, California)
CB Jonathan Earl, 6-3, 190, Golden West College (Concord, North Carolina)
ATH Cole Wright, 6-0, 175, Carlsbad (California)
K Jonny Messina, 5-8, 166, Stetson University (Orlando, Florida)
TE Mason Sikes, 6-4, 240, Lamar University (Lumberton, Texas)
OL Ozuma Osuji, 6-6, 292, Rice University (Coppell, Texas)
DB Jaylen Clark, 6-3, 190, Lincoln High (Tacoma, Wash.)
RB Taequan Tyler, 5-10, 200, Tyler Junior College (Waco, Texas)
QB Jack Sears, 6-3, 205, USC (San Clemente, California)
OLB/DE Andy Nwaoko, 6-4, 225, Blue Ridge School (St. George, Virginia)
This story was originally published June 4, 2020 at 8:24 PM.
