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South Carolina among the offers for Nigerian native Chris Akporoghene

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South Carolina among the offers for Nigerian native Chris Akporoghene

May 27, 2017


Chris Akporoghene came to America to play basketball. There was just one holdup for the Nigerian native: 6-feet-4 inches and 273 pounds aren’t really built for basketball.

For football — this country’s version — it’s about ideal for a lineman.

Now, as he approaches his junior year at The King’s Academy in Seymour, Tenn., Akporoghene is gearing up for his second year on the gridiron. Before picking up the game, he didn’t know much about it, beyond the clips of J.J. Watt he watched on YouTube.

Apparently, Akporoghene is a quick learner.

South Carolina, Memphis, West Virginia and Yale have offered. This spring, during Nike’s “The Opening” in Charlotte and V7 Playmakers Camp in Nashville, he worked primarily as an offensive lineman. And that’s probably where Akporoghene’s future is brightest.

According to 247Sports, he’s ranked as the No. 37 tackle in the Class of 2019, though he might be better suited to play along the interior.

“For me, what I really enjoy about the game is hitting. I like hitting people. I like stopping people. That’s something I couldn’t do when I was playing basketball,” Akporoghene said. “Even when I was playing basketball, whatever move I made, they were always going to call the foul on me, because of my size.

“In football, I have free leverage. I can hit someone. I can block someone and all of that. That’s something I really enjoy about the game.”

Louisville, Tennessee, North Carolina State, Memphis and Ole Miss have had him on campus for visits. Though he lists an offer from the Gamecocks, there hasn’t been much contact with the coaching staff.

Though Akporoghene’s football future is promising, he is still learning the nuances of the game. That was apparent to him last fall.

“For me, last year, at first, the first three or four games, the hardest part was understanding the plays,” Akporoghene said. “But with the help of my teammates, that helped a lot. They told me where I need to be and when I need to be there. I just listened to them. As time went on, I started getting it.”

He added, “Last year, it was all new to me. I was doing as I was told and just going straight on without a technique and all that.”

Akporoghene isn’t the only 2019 prospect from Nigeria who picked up football after recently moving to Tennessee. Ani Izuchukwu, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound defensive end at Davidson Academy in Nashville, is ranked as the No. 9 weakside defensive end in the country.

Along with South Carolina, Izuchukwu’s offer sheet includes Alabama, Clemson, LSU, Michigan and Tennessee.

Several native Nigerians have enjoyed successful careers in American football. With two more years left in their high school careers, Akporoghene and Izuchukwu are certainly among the next wave of talent from Nigeria.

 
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