ARLINGTON, Texas — Highly recruited defensive end Levi Onwuzurike has three schools in mind for official visits and Arkansas is trying to get one of his remaining two visits.
“Later in the season, I’m going to try and head down and see the school,” Onwuzurike said of possible unofficial or official visit.
Onwuzurike, 6-3, 250, 4.8 seconds in the 40 yard dash, of Allen, Texas has plans to officially visit Georgia, Washington and Michigan. He has approximately 27 scholarship offers from schools like Arkansas, Washington, Georgia, Arizona State, Michigan, Oklahoma State and others.
In addition to talking to lead recruiter and running backs coach Jemal Singleton, Onwuzurike said he’s talked to Coach Bret Bielema, defensive coordinator Robb Smith and defensive line coach Rory Segrest.
Several Allen graduates attend Arkansas and one is a good friend of Onwuzurike.
“He goes there and he said it’s crazy, it’s fun,” Onwuzurike said.
Onwuzurike said hearing good things about Arkansas is a good thing. But he also notes several other friends attend most of the schools in Texas.
“It does. but it’s not a big thing,” he said. “Everyone is going to rep their college. Everyone is going to say it’s fun.”
Onwuzurike has a 3.7 grade point average and is undecided on a college major.
“I just don’t like having bad grades,” he said. “I don’t like to see a B or a C’s or anything like that.”
He was selected as one of the four team captains by his teammates. Practice, homework and recruiting takes up much of his time.
“You kind of have to set two hours of your day to a certain thing or one hour,” Onwuzurike said. “Like I’ll set one hour of the day, usually at the end of the day to communicate with the coaches. Get all of my Twitter DMs done, call the coaches, do all that and plan recruiting visits and all that The rest of the time I’m locked in I’m watching Hudl, doing homework.”
Allen Coach Tom Westerberg said college coaches think highly of Onwuzurike’s ability and potential.
“His athletic ability and his motor goes no-stop,” Westerberg said. “Then on top of that I think people see even more potential down the road on big he can be. I think that’s what’s got everybody going after him.”
Westerberg said Onwuzurike has made numerous outstanding plays and one is last year’s playoffs comes to mind.
“He had a nice blocked PAT and ran it back for two points and pulled away from some people,” Westerberg said. “That was a pretty athletic play.”
Onwuzurike, whose parents are from Nigeria, said he focuses on his faith along with several other things while sorting out schools.
‘I pray, I ask God to lead me to a school,” Onwuzurike said. “I feel how the coaches feel towards me. I try to get that feel if I’m going to play early. If not, as long as I go and see the school and if I like it. It’s really about a fit, which one feels good to me and feels right.”