EXCLUSIVE: Owamagbe Odighizuwa Opens Up

This late in the recruiting process, I’m frankly stunned when any major recruit answers a phone call, much less gives me 15 minutes. But Owamagbe Odighizuwa – profile here – is not your typical prospect. While he is weary of the process and eagerly awaits making his decision, he has been remarkably candid and is quite honest when he says he does not know where he’ll sign.

Here’s my interview after the jump…


Inside UCLA: Is the process getting any easier as it winds down? Do you expect it to?OWA: “I hope it gets easier, but I don’t see it getting easier. It will have to come down to where I really want to go.”

JG: How difficult is it choosing between three vastly different situations – UCLA, Nebraska and Oregon State?
OWA: “It feels weird – I feel like I fit in three situations perfectly fine. I’m not a person who’s just stuck in one situation. I feel like I can mold to different situations and different people. Thats what those three schools offer.”

JG: What are the main differences between the three for you?OWA: “Oregon State, I’m kind of used to the people and everything. The area, everything. UCLA is a different setting, more of a city, sunshine. Nebraska is kind of more like OSU in the sense that it’s not big, more of a college atmosphere, a college town. They’re big on football there with that tradition. It’s just different.”

JG: How overwhelming is this whole process?OWA: “It’s pretty overwhelming, knowing that the three schools I’m choosing from is a dead tie. You want to find something that differentiates one from the next. I’ve made categories, and I’ve looked at every category, and they all came out to a dead tie.”

JG: How does it feel knowing that signing day is less than a week away?OWA: “I hope I have my decision made. I think I will. At this point, it will be weird knowing that I won’t be getting recruited any more in six days.”

JG: College recruits flip-flop on their decisions all the time. For you, will it be final?OWA: “When I make my choice, it’s going to be final. Throughout this whole recruiting process, I haven’t committed anywhere. When I make it official, it’s going to be that way. I haven’t jumped on the bandwagon or got all hyped up and second-guessed myself. Once it’s all said and done, whereever I choose is going to be final.”