Tag: David Ugwoegbu

Sooners linebacker David Ugwoegbu, brings “different mentality” to OU’s defense

Coach Brian Odom dishes on middle linebacker David Ugwoegbu.

Last August, David Ugwoegbu moved from outside linebacker to inside for the Oklahoma Sooners. The 6-foot-4, 251-pounder shifted from his rush standing up end role to the middleman.  He made three starts commanding the second level of OU’s defense last season. The move was based on the intuition of inside linebackers’ coach Brian Odom and defensive coordinator Alex Grinch based on Ugwoegbu’s length and effectiveness to flow in space.

“When I saw his film out of high school, really didn’t think much about inside. In my mind it was going to be more of the outside linebacker position that we kind of thought. Which he played in his freshman year. I really didn’t anticipate being able to gain a guy like that until I saw him in drills. I saw him in drills, I saw him move in space. I saw the length and how he can handle his body and the competitiveness, the toughness, and the speed that he brings to the game. I saw that pretty early on when he got here. That got some wheels turning in my head as far as trying to steal him from another room. We are always recruiting.” (Brian Odom on David Ugwoegbu via zoom)

In 2020, Ugwoegbu notched 34 total tackles, one interception, 3.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, six quarterback hurries and a blocked punt. He became a disruptive presence on the field and served as a reliable backup to DaShaun White. Going through a full offseason at the MIKE position will elevate his game. Ugwoegbu possesses the skills to impact games with his playmaking, and as his reads and reactions become more natural, the sky is the limit. So much so that ESPN ranked Ugwoegbu as the No. 3 breakout player in America in 2021. 

“The thing with David is he brings such a different mentality as far as he is mature, he’s so physical, and he’s a tough guy, ” Odom described to media via zoom. “The other thing that I really really like about him is he loves football. Obviously, you cannot get over the length. The thing about David, his length- you don’t see him miss many tackles in space. A lot of that is due to how long he is. He gets more surface area on you when he goes to wrap you up. I really like coaching that guy. His impact should continue to grow. We moved him in there at the start of camp, right around the start of camp last August. This will be his first real true offseason as an inside backer. Like all those guys, we should see a jump in efficient play from David.”

Ugwoegbu will have a chance to earn the starting MIKE role over White during the offseason. No. 2 is a player to watch in Crimson and Cream. He took advantage of opportunities in 2020 stopping runs between the tackles and assessing the field as plays developed. Ugwoegbu is poised to have a breakout campaign this upcoming season.

David Ugwoegbu: “We just got to wake up the rest of the college football world”

During spring camp, MLB David Ugwoegbu dishes on position switch, individual growth, and Alex Grinch’s impact.

Oklahoma’s defensive line made significant strides in 2020 under Alex Grinch’s tutelage. The unit became one of the most formidable fronts in college football disrupting the pocket and harassing quarterbacks. The front four brought consistent pressure in Grinch’s ‘get up and attack’ style of defense.

Now, the linebacker group is looking to make the same impact in 2021. Middle linebacker David Ugwoegbu discussed with media via zoom how the defensive line set the standard last year and elevated the expectations for the second and third levels of OU’s defense.

“Gives us all the confidence. We have already known that about our defensive lineman and it just took the rest of the world … to catch up and finally realize it. That is exactly how we feel about this linebacker group. We have real vets in there: we got [Brian] Asamoah, D-White [DaShaun White], like you said Caleb Kelly. We got a whole bunch of guys that go under the radar but are real dogs. Everybody in that room can play. So, we already feel as if that is us, we just got to wake up the rest of the college football world.”

Ugwoegbu along with the linebacker corps. will be out for blood this upcoming season and it begins with the preparation and commitment during spring camp. Confidence breeds success and translates onto the gridiron. The main priority of growth for Ugwoegbu during the offseason is pass coverage.

“The main area that I see I need to improve in is my pass coverage. Whether it’s dropping into a zone or whether it’s just man [coverage] on a tight end or running back- that’s one area in my game that I’ve taken the time out for me and the whole linebacker position group- we’ve been putting in a whole lot more work. Working and focusing on our man protection, man coverages, and our zone drops and everything.”

Continuity and reps will benefit Oklahoma’s Mike. Ugwoegbu underwent a transition from edge rusher to middle linebacker in Grinch’s system. Instead of penetrating and bursting off the edge in a one-gap scheme, he has the responsibility of reading the offense and calling out formation strengths and signals to the rest of the defense. Ugwoegbu was no longer able to just react and collapse the pocket, but had to wait until the play developed. He is now the anchor in an increased leadership role.

“When the move happened and I got into linebacker, the coaches let me know from coach [Lincoln] Riley to coach [Alex] Grinch to coach [Brian] Odom … that this is what they wanted and that they have full faith in me playing linebacker here. So, I’ve just been focusing on that middle spot … I needed a confidence booster when I first got into the room because I went from playing rush end and not having to know much, to being the inside backer and you are pretty much the quarterback of the defense. So, I had to learn the whole defense through different eyes and I had to learn to be more vocal out there because I’m making calls to the D-Line and to the back end; communicating with both of them pre-snap.”

Oklahoma’s linebacker room is filled with veterans heading into 2021 and Ugwoegbu leads the charge.

Spring Football: A look at the linebacker position

A breakdown of Oklahoma’s MIKE and WILL linebacker positions as spring football nears.

Spring football begins in less than a week for the Oklahoma Sooners. With the return of football on the way, Sooners Wire takes a look at each position group ahead of camp. Continue reading “Spring Football: A look at the linebacker position”

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

What Alex Grinch, defensive players said after Oklahoma’s 41-13 win over Oklahoma State

Oklahoma DC Alex Grinch along with Ronnie Perkins and David Ugwoegbu met with the media following Oklahoma’s dominant Bedlam win.

Oklahoma notched their fifth win in a row in big fashion as they cruised to a 41-13 win over rival Oklahoma State in Bedlam tonight.

Defensively, the Sooners performed at a very high level and Alex Grinch has to be quite pleased with how things transpired.

The Cowboys simply couldn’t run the ball effectively averaging just under three yards per carry. The pass game had some mild success at times but it was few and far between with an Oklahoma pass rush that created lots of incomplete passes.

Woodi Washington and Brian Asamoah led the way for the Sooners with eight tackles each on the night. Ronnie Perkins was huge again as well with three tackles for loss.

After the game, Grinch, Perkins and David Ugwoegbu met with the media to discuss the win. Here is what they had to say.

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Oklahoma LB David Ugwoegbu earns Big 12 weekly award after Texas game

Oklahoma linebacker David Ugwoegbu has taken home Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week after his big punt block against Texas.

Fresh off of Oklahoma’s wild four-overtime thriller win over Texas on Saturday, a Sooner has been awarded with some Big 12 hardware.

David Ugwoegbu has been named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week.
This award really comes on the heels of one major play Ugwoegbu made during the game, which was a massive punt block in the second quarter that set the Sooners up on a short field for an easy touchdown.
The sophomore linebacker also registered a career-high six tackles and a sack in the Oklahoma win.
This is the first time Ugwoegbu has won a Big 12 player of the week honor.
The Sooners have the week off this week before traveling to TCU next Saturday, October 24th.

Oklahoma 2020 player card: No. 2 David Ugwoegbu

Sooners Wire will be creating player cards for readers to be introduced to the 2020 roster. Here is the second No. 2: David Ugwoegbu.

There is a ton of momentum to having a 2020 college football season these days. No definite signs, yet, but the season would start three and a half months from now.

Sooners Wire will be creating player cards for readers to be introduced to the 2020 roster.

Here is the second No. 2 on Oklahoma’s roster.

Name: David Ugwoegbu

Number: No. 2

Year: Sophomore

Position: RUSH linebacker

Hometown: Katy, Texas

Height/Weight: 6-foot-4, 245 pounds

David Ugwoegbu came to Oklahoma as a long, wire-y edge rusher that needed to add weight. Added weight he did, and added more weight he has.

The Katy, Texas, native was a four-star recruit per rivals, listed as the No. 25 weak-side defensive end and the No. 58 player in Texas. Ugwoegbu picked Oklahoma over Texas, Texas A&M and offers from the likes of Alabama and Michigan.

After a season-ending injury to starter Jon-Michael Terry, Ugwoegbu and fellow RUSH linebacker Nik Bonitto took a stranglehold of the position. Ugwoegbu played in all 14 games as a freshman, making 19 tackles, recording four tackles for loss and one sack.

He and Bonitto should continue to see meaningful snaps at the RUSH linebacker position.

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