A player who has both Miami Hurricanes fans and NFL scouts excited about this upcoming season is redshirt sophomore tight end David Njoku, whose freakish athletic ability has given him a chance to be one of the biggest weapons in college football next season.
Just like his brother David was, Evidence Njoku is a 3-star recruit out of Cedar Grove High School in New Jersey. Unlike his brother though, Evidence is more of a lanky wide receiver.
“I would say that I’m a long, athletic receiver with a big catch radius. I wouldn’t compare myself to any NFL players, but my body type is similar to A.J. Green because we have the same type of long arms and long strides,” said Evidence.
Although the personality similarities between David and Evidence are evident, the younger Njoku broke down the differences between him and his brother on the field.
“I don’t really get annoyed when people compare me to my brother because we are two different players. When he was my age, he was stocky. He was weighing 215 as a junior. I’m around 189-190, but I’m quicker than him. He developed into a tight end and he’s 245-250 so I don’t think I could get up there. I’ve always been faster than him,” said Evidence.
One of nine siblings, Evidence explained that in his family, success is based off the principle of hard work.
“Hard work has always been something big in my family. My sister just graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology up in New Jersey, my oldest brother graduated from Cornell as a brain surgeon, my other sisters are working, and obviously David is working hard too at Miami,” he said.”
Njoku spoke about his relationship with the coaches at Miami, as he is taking notice that the staff has made him a priority in this recruiting class.
“I talk to Coach Dugans almost every day. I talk to Coach Richt and Coach Hartley a lot. Coach Kool too. They are really cool guys and they are recruiting me really hard,” said Njoku. “Coach Dugans tells me every day why he wants me and what I can be for them as an end-zone threat. Some people would say ‘oh they only want him because his brother is there’, but the coaches have made it really clear that they want me as well.”
Other than Miami, the remainder of Njoku’s top 10 is Rutgers, Penn State, Georgia, Boston College, Tennessee, Missouri, Virginia Tech, Iowa State, and Pittsburgh. As far what will separate any of those schools from the pack, Njoku described what he is looking for in a school.
“There’s a lot of aspects in what I’m looking for in a school like how many receivers are graduating and pretty much how I will be used, whether it’s as an X-receiver or Y-receiver. Obviously education is important too,” he said.
The 6-4, 190-pound receiver said he will visit Miami for a camp in late July. He also said that he plans to have a much clearer picture of his recruitment after the summer.
Njoku explained that even though the fact that his brother being at Miami would not be an ultimate deciding factor, it is something that he has thought about.
“David is doing great for himself. He said they are going to use him a lot more in the offense now. At this point, I have relationships of my own with most coaches across the country and I feel comfortable at any school, but that would be really cool to play with him,” Evidence said.
[HUDL]athlete/2641271/highlights/315483417[/HUDL]
