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.
