Owamagbe Odighizuwa (born April 1, 1992) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

player who was a

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He was drafted by the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

in the third round of the

2015 NFL Draft The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previous ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

Early years

Odighizuwa was born in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

. At the age of 3, he moved to his parents' native country of

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

to live with family in the heart of

Benin City Benin City is the capital and largest city of Edo State, Edo State, Nigeria. It is the fourth-largest city in Nigeria according to the 2006 census, after Lagos, Kano (city), Kano, and Ibadan, with a population estimate of about 3,500,000 as of ...

. He returned to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

five years later, moving to

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

in 2001. He grew up playing

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

in Nigeria, and by the time he reached junior high in the

David Douglas School District David Douglas School District No. 40 is a school district in eastern Portland, Oregon, United States. Its administrative offices are at 11300 NE Halsey St. Portland, OR 97220. The district was formed in 1959 as a consolidation of the Gilbert, Powel ...

, he was more into

track & field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

. It wasn't until eighth grade that he decided to play football. He attended

David Douglas High School David Douglas High School (DDHS) is a public high school in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is a part of the David Douglas School District. In 1998 Lynn Olson, author of ''The School-to-work Revolution: How Employers And Educators Are Joinin ...

, playing all four seasons for the school. As a senior, he made 90 tackles, including 10 sacks, and recorded 96 tackles, 22 for loss, as a junior. He was selected to play in the 2010

U.S. Army All-American Bowl The All-American Bowl is a high school football all-star game, held annually at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Typically played in January, the All-American Bowl is played between all-star teams representing the eastern and western United S ...

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. And was one of a handful of national players named an All-American by ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

''. In

, Odighizuwa competed as a sprinter (7.44 in the 60m and 11.8 in the 100m) and as a

shot putter The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

(top-throw of 48-7 or 14.86m). Considered a five-star recruit by

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

, Odighizuwa was rated as the second best weakside defensive end prospect of his class, and drew comparisons to

Osi Umenyiora Ositadimma "Osi" Umenyiora (born November 16, 1981) is a former American football defensive end. He played college football for Troy University and was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft. Umenyiora was a ...

. He accepted a scholarship offer to play

from

on 2010

National Signing Day National Signing Day has traditionally been the first day that a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent for a collegiate sport with a school that is a member of the United States National Collegiate Athletic Association ( ...

College career

In 2010, he made six starts as a true freshman for the Bruins, recording 10 tackles and three sacks for the season. In 2011, he appeared in all 14 games, recording 21 tackles including three for loss. In 2012, he saw action in all 14 games, recording 44 tackles, including six for loss and 3.5 sacks. He missed the entire

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

season recovering from right hip surgery, garnering himself a

medical redshirt Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

. He returned in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, completely recovered from his injury. He recorded 61 tackles, including 11.5 for loss, six sacks, and five pass breakups, earning himself second-team All-Pac-12 honors.

Professional career

New York Giants

Odighizuwa was drafted by the

in the third round with the 74th overall pick of the

. Comparisons were immediately made between Odighizuwa and former Giants defensive end

Justin Tuck Justin Lee Tuck (born March 29, 1983) is a former American football defensive end. He played college football at Notre Dame, and was drafted by the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL) in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft ...

, as they were both drafted in the third round as the 74th overall pick in the draft after falling due to injury concerns, and because it was believed that Odighizuwa, like Tuck, could shift inside on passing downs as part of a 4 DE pass rush. Unfortunately, due to injuries, his rookie season became essentially a redshirt season for Odighizuwa, as he ended the season on IR. On August 28, 2017, Odighizuwa was suspended the first four games of the 2017 season for violating the league's performance enhancing drugs policy. The next day, he was released by the Giants.

Buffalo Bills

On March 8, 2018, Odighizuwa signed with the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

. He was released on July 29, 2018.

Personal life

Odighizuwa Has been open about his struggles with depression, and his younger brother Osa believes Owa’s

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...

issues are the reason his career ended prematurely. Odighizuwa's father, Peter, was the perpetrator of the 2002

Appalachian School of Law shooting On January 16, 2002, a school shooting occurred at the Appalachian School of Law, an American Bar Association accredited private law school in Grundy, Virginia, United States. Three people were killed and three others were wounded when a former ...

, in which three were killed and three were wounded.Family matters: Why Osa Odighizuwa wants to advocate for mental health
/ref>

References

External links

UCLA profile

New York Giants bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Odighizuwa, Owamagbe Living people 1992 births American football defensive ends UCLA Bruins football players David Douglas High School alumni Players of American football from Columbus, Ohio Players of American football from Portland, Oregon American sportspeople of Nigerian descent New York Giants players Buffalo Bills players