Article I found looking for a vdeo. aint no sunshine
CHATHAM, Va. -- At first glance, Sonny Odogwu appears to be the perfect prospect for an offensive tackle.
Listed at 6-foot-8 and 307 pounds, the Chatham (Va.) Hargrave Military Academy post-graduate athlete has paws for hands, both of which come close to wrapping around the football as he shows off his penchant for deep snapping during his school's annual media day on Monday.
A converted basketball player from Nigeria, Odogwu just started playing football a year ago. He smiles at every demand of the military lifestyle at Hargrave, including its 8 p.m. curfew, a subject that normally elicits groans from his teammates.
To Odogwu, it's a blessing.
"I've been in the wars," said Odogwu. "I've been in the barracks. I've been in the worst life. This is the good life. You have hope, so I have no reason to be mad."
Odogwu moved alone to the United States as a sophomore to pursue his dream of playing basketball. He ended up at Conyers (Ga.) Victory Christian School, but transferred after one year to Huntington (W. Va.) Prep School, which has one of the top basketball programs in the country. But Odogwu couldn't stay on the court long enough to make an impact.
"I got into foul trouble a lot," said Odogwu, with a smile as large as the 4XL helmet slung across his shoulders. "So everyone told me, 'You should play football. You are faster and stronger, and you are big. You should play defensive end.'"
Odogwu was 6-foot-7 and 245 pounds at that point, and he knew nothing about football outside of what he saw on television.
"All I knew was I say touchdown and I get happy," Odogwu recalled.
After Huntington, Odogwu left for Baltimore St. Frances Academy, where he attended his first football practice. It was then that St. Frances head coach Messay Hailemariam moved Odogwu to offensive tackle.
"I was watching videos on YouTube, so when they showed me how to kick and punch and do all that, everything they showed me I started doing on my own time," said Odogwu.
Odogwu picked up the game fast and received offers from Miami and West Virginia. But three high school transfers, combined with starting the U.S. school system one year late, contributed to Odogwu falling 1.5 credits short of qualifying for the NCAA minimum eligibility requirements.
Hailemariam, who is now Odogwu's guardian, got in touch with Hargrave to help him advance his academics, understand football and add to his growing list of college scholarships, which the Hargrave coaches believe will balloon before the end of the season.
"I'm doing everything to make my mom happy just because she is not living a good life," said Odogwu, pausing to look away before starting back in a much softer tone. "She is still living back home, so I want to make her proud. I want to bring her out of the life I was living when I was there."
Odogwu is able to speak with his mother once a week through Skype, though many of those calls end quickly with a prayer and tears.
Last week, Odogwu received a scholarship offer from Texas A&M, a school he doesn't know much about. But it's his first offer since arriving at Hargrave. And to Odogwu, it's the continuation of a dream he hopes is just beginning.
The definition of commitment
The post-graduate football team at Hargrave Military Academy has sent 38 players to the NFL, including recent first-round pick Quinton Coples. Meanwhile, 13 former players participated in BCS bowl games last season.
But the number Hargrave head coach Troy Davis wants to take even higher is 90, which is the percentage of players from Hargrave who end up re-signing with the school they originally signed with before entering Hargrave.
"The college coaches have to feel comfortable knowing that if they place a kid here they are going get that kid coming back to them," said Davis, acknowledging that a large part of their success is built on that relationship. "I am a high-loyal guy, and it is really here to strengthen their academics, but at the same time if you give your commitment to somebody, then you need to be sure you carry it on out."
All of the 12 players signing with a BCS-level program in February of 2012 who are currently at Hargrave reaffirmed their pledge at the Hargrave Media Day on Monday, including former Under Armour All-American wide receiver Avery Johnson, who signed with LSU in February.
"Yep, I am still going to LSU in January," said Johnson. "They really didn't want me to have to take this route, but I had to. I learned about two weeks before I was about to head out to LSU when coach called and let me know that I needed to go to Hargrave to get ready to come up there in January."
Current and future teammates
Clemson, Georgia, Mississippi State and North Carolina each have a pair of commitments on this year's Hargrave team.
"It's a great experience to be here with a teammate that I'm going to be playing next to for a while," said defensive tackle and Georgia pledge John Atkins of fellow Georgia defensive end verbal Leonard Floyd.
North Carolina quarterback commitment James Summers said that having fellow Tar Heel commit Monte Taylor at Hargrave helps to push him through the tough combination of military life and preseason football camp.
"We've been on our feet non-stop from about 6:30 in the morning until about 8 at night, so it's nice to have somebody you know up here," said Summers.
"Plus, he knows to throw me the ball a lot in practice," quipped Taylor.
Mississippi State has commitments from safety Kivon Coman and athlete Artimas Samuel, who is playing wide receiver for Hargrave, while Clemson has a pair of future defensive players in Cordrea Tankersley and Shaq Lawson.
Other Hargrave players committed to college programs include linebacker Brian Nance (Baylor), Johnson (LSU), offensive guard Brandon Hill (Alabama), and defensive end Desmond Owino (NC State).
Others to watch
Every year, nearly all of the Hargrave PG team signs a college scholarship, and Davis believes that this year is no different. There are several players who've stood out in the first week of practice, including high school senior transfer Mike Tyson, who has offers from Clemson and East Carolina.
"He is a big safety that is athletic and can do a lot for any team," said Davis.
Tyson said that his current favorites are Clemson, Virginia, and East Carolina, in that order.
Of the players currently without offers, Davis said college coaches should keep an eye on linebackers Tarell Basham and Quincy Vasser, wide receivers Shelby Wilkerson, Willie Stubblefield and Antoine Barnes, defensive back Dominique Green, and offensive linemen Dion Dawkins, Josh Wilcher and Brendan Vechery.
