Five of an 11-part series. Coming tomorrow: edge rushers
Moving from Nigeria to England to Michigan by the time he was 9 — with basketball as his first love — only to turn to football late in high school doesn’t exactly yield outstanding odds for becoming a big name at a Power Five program, let alone be a top name in the 2024 NFL Draft.
That is the unlikely path of Ruke Orhorhoro, who, by joining football late, was forced to be a student of the game and develop his do-whatever-it takes” attitude.
“This is so crazy,” Orhorhoro said in a phone interview with The Post. “I’ve been having so much time to just reflect on how I got my feet where they are today and it’s so crazy to me that just me making the decision to maybe just give this sport a try, it could get me here.”
The former Clemson defensive tackle fell in love with football after he was exposed to it in Michigan, but his mom kept him playing basketball — and away from football — in fear of his safety because of his “lanky” frame.
He was a sharpshooter and averaged a double-double on the court during his sophomore year of high school, but as Orhorhoro grew, the more he was drawn to football. Eventually, he made the decision to switch.
“I think [my mom] just had to see me get bigger because I was so tiny,” said Orhoro, who was 6-foot-4, 230 pounds by the time he left high school and 6-4, 290 during his senior season at Clemson. “As I got older and bigger, she stopped being scared, so she’s one of the biggest football fanatics now.”
Orhorhoro started playing football during his junior year and got his first college offer just after his third career game.
That “insanity,” as he described it, opened his eyes wide to what his future could look like.
Upon arriving at Clemson, “[Orhorhoro’s] dedication and curiosity to learn the position, learn defensive football” was there, according to Clemson defensive coordinator Wes Goodman, but there were levels of the game he still had to work through, such as studying scheme combinations.
That didn’t discourage Orhorhoro, who said he never felt behind, as he soaked up every opportunity to grow. In his ear, he had teammate Tyler Davis, and he was constantly texting defensive tackles coach Nick Eason.
He was a frequent visitor to the film room after practice. And he studied boxing, watching fighters’ hands and feet to apply it to his game.
“[Orhorhoro] was a guy that always texts me after every game. ‘Hey coach, what do you think? How did I grade? What do I need to do in order to get better? Tell me what you saw.’ And that was every week,” Eason said. “It was a constant, so he was just competitive by nature.”
Things finally clicked for Orhorhoro in the 2022 season, who had the opportunity to be in the rotation full-time due to the absence of Bryan Bresee, a 2023 first-round draft pick who was dealing with injuries and taking time to be with his 14-year-old sister while she was battling brain cancer.
“He really stepped up to the plate and we saw it,” Eason said. “He had a lot of opportunities and multiple games that he showed up and played and just got better.”
Following that year, Orhorhoro could have declared for the draft, but instead he returned to Clemson for another year.
Across 12 games, he tallied 25 combined tackles, 13 solo, along with eight tackles for loss and five sacks.
“The game just slowed down for me tremendously just because of the way I studied and broke down film and different things like that. Just putting in more work in every aspect,” Orhorhoro said.
Eason, who spent 17 seasons in the NFL as a player and coach, believes Orhorhoro, a projected second-round pick, has the study tools and work ethic to be in the league long term.
He just has to continue to believe that he belongs here.
“We talked about when you do the little things in an uncommon way, you command the attention of the world. He’s done the little things in an uncommon way…” Eason said. “I’m truly proud of him.”
