Transfer Nwankwo eager to help Buffs
CU hoping to be better in rush defense
Throughout the fall, Chidozie Nwankwo was focused and busy with his season at the University of Houston.
Like many around the country, however, he couldn’t help but notice what was going on in Boulder as Deion Sanders went through his first season as the head coach at Colorado.
“I was trying to keep up with it as much as I could,” Nwankwo said. “I’m always a fan of Colorado. My former teammate, (running back) Alton Mccaskill, he’s at Colorado, so I keep up with them.
“I feel like they actually, they had a lot of talent, a lot of potential. They were just missing a few pieces. This year, they got the few pieces.”
Nwankwo is one of them. Since the end of the season, the Buffaloes (4-8, 1-8 Pac-12) have added commitments from 18 transfers, including Nwankwo, who spent four seasons at Houston.
“They treat me like family, man; like my own,” Nwankwo said. “What more can you ask for, you know? That’s my main reason why I want to play for Colorado. And, then the connections outside of that, the connections that I can gain. That’s really what I’m most excited about. And, playing with the players on the team that has the same aspirations as me.”
It helps, too, that Sanders, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, has talked about adding Hall of Fame defensive tackle Warren Sapp to the staff.
“It played a big role,” Nwankwo said of being coached by Sapp. “Once I had seen on social media and stuff like that, that he might be a coach … I was more than excited, man. I was hyped about it.”
Sanders took over a program that went 1-11 in 2022 and he got the Buffs to 4-8 in his first year, and they were much more competitive in their losses. They had their struggles, however, and Sanders said one of his main priorities for the offseason was to fix the run defense.
Nwankwo, listed at 5-foot-11, 295 pounds, is a significant addition in that regard. In four seasons at Houston, he competed in 41 games with 32 starts. He posted 95 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and five sacks in his career. This past season, Nwankwo played 10 games as the Cougars’ starting nose guard, posting 25 tackles, five tackles for loss and a sack.
Nwankwo’s run defense grade of 78.2 on Pro
Football Focus this year ranked 14th in the Big 12 among all defensive linemen and edge defenders.
“I would say my work ethic, man,” he said of what helps him stand out. “Day in and day out, every day I wake up and I make sure I give my body what it needs and wants, as far as nutrition and stuff like that. Just working out, keeping my body right, keeping my body healthy, recovery. The whole nine.”
As a nose guard, Nwankwo doesn’t always rack up the stats, but he takes pride in his ability to free up space for others to make tackles.
“You just gotta cut on that film,” he said. “That’s when it shows. Most people, it’s all about politics nowadays but once you cut on the film, it’s clear as day for me.
“I take a tremendous amount of pride in just playing unselfishly for my teammates; my teammates that would do the same for me.”
Nwankwo, in fact, wears a chain with his nickname, “Block Bully,” around his neck.
“My pops actually came up with that name with me,” Nwankwo said. “He helped me come up with that name and honestly,
just taking on all those double teams and not being able to be stayblocked or get blocked when it comes to game time. That’s where it came from.”
It’s a role he looks forward to filling with the Buffs. He loved his time at Houston, but he’s eager for a new challenge with a CU team that looks to take a bigger leap forward in 2024.
“We’re coming for a national championship for sure, no doubt,” he said. “We have the players now, and we’re getting even more players. So it’s gonna be exciting to watch.”