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WEST LAFAYETTE – By his early teens, Purdue football rush end Jireh Ojata’s gridiron experience came from playing Madden on his video game console in Nigeria.
The Seattle Seahawks became his team of preference. Must have been a big fan of Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch, or maybe even former Boilermaker Cliff Avril, right?
“I just liked the jerseys,” Ojata said. “I didn’t really know anything about football. I didn’t know the rules. I was just pushing buttons, and I liked the jerseys they had on.”
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You’ll find few paths to the top of the Purdue depth chart more unique than Ojata’s. Born in the States but raised in Nigeria, he did not return until middle school. First played football the summer before his freshman year at Carmel. Played all of 21 snaps as a senior for the Greyhounds’ state championship team, then almost immediately blossomed into a Division III star at Franklin College.
Purdue Boilermakers defensive lineman Jireh Ojata (99) chases down the rusher during the spring football game, Saturday, April 13, 2024, at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind.
This week, Purdue listed Ojata as a starting rush end opposite his former Carmel teammate, Will Heldt. In an effort to summon more pass rush, the Boilers turned to a player who had never been in a Big Ten stadium prior to the season opener against Indiana State.
“Obviously there was a lot of potential there,” Purdue coach Ryan Walters said. “It was just a matter of how quickly he could reach that potential to be able to help us on game days.
“We’re starting to see where his potential is starting to be realized.”
Ojata looks like a Big Ten defensive end these days — a defined 6-4, 267 pounds.
Carmel coach John Hebert never coached that version of…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/purdue-football-pass-rushers-rise-095106429.html
Author : IndyStar | The Indianapolis Star
Publish date : 2024-11-08 09:51:06
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