How Oklahoma State football DE Obi Ezeigbo's 'very quick first step' makes him a weapon
Scott WrightThe Oklahoman
STILLWATER — Based on a quick poll among his Oklahoma State teammates, one quality was the first thing mentioned when asked what stands out about new Cowboy Obi Ezeigbo.
“That guy, he can pass rush,” defensive end Xavier Ross said. “He has a very quick first step. He picked up the defense very quickly, very smoothly.”
Others echoed the same thought about Ezeigbo’s explosion off the line of scrimmage.
The 6-foot-2, 245-pound super-senior has seamlessly stepped into the Cowboy defense as an edge rusher after transferring from Division II Gannon University in January.
Having played the 2022 season under OSU defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo at Gannon, Ezeigbo had an edge when it came to learning the defense, though Nardo has made a few tweaks to the 3-3-5 scheme since joining the Cowboys.
“There were a lot of things I knew, but at the same time, I needed to show that I could learn everything about this defense to show these coaches, show my guys that they could trust me out on the field,” Ezeigbo said. “I wanted to show them what I could do as the new kid on the block. I wanted to show them that I could ball and that we could build that trust.”
Nardo has made some adjustments in his defense to improve the Cowboys’ pass rush from a year ago, which will include more use of a four-man line. And Ezeigbo’s edge rusher position is the fourth man in the group, so he has had to learn those differences in the defense he knew at Gannon.
“This defense is more multiple now,” Ezeigbo said. “At Gannon, I was a hand-down defensive end, but now I’m in that standup edge position. So that’s a little different for me, but this is a position I’ve always wanted to play. This position fits me the best.
“My pass rush ability, I feel like, is the main reason they brought me here to Oklahoma State, because they wanted a pass rusher. I want to be able to give that to them to the best of my ability. I want that to be my specialty.”
The Cowboys had 27 sacks last year, an average of 1.93 per game — their lowest mark since 2013. So boosting the rush has been a prime objective since January, which is why Ezeigbo was a valuable target from the transfer portal.
Ezeigbo has stepped in as Collin Oliver’s backup at the outside linebacker/edge rusher position, but because of his pass rush abilities, Ezeigbo could find himself on the field in other situations, too.
In fact, Oliver says he has learned a few tricks from the DII transfer.
“He has this one pass-rush move that he’s mastered. I call it the Obi,” Oliver said. “He calls it the stab-slap. It’s a pretty cool move that he’s got. He’s taught me about it, because we give each other little tidbits on pass rushing.
“Everybody says he looks like me, too. He’s a bit bigger than me, a bit bulkier than me, but he knows how to hold an edge. He’s aggressive and strong.”
Of course, Ezeigbo’s first taste of the Division I football experience came with OSU strength coach Rob Glass over the winter, which was quite a change from the offseason workouts at Gannon.
“I tell you what, Coach Glass got his workouts and they get you right,” Ezeigbo said. “It was definitely different. The workouts are way more intense. It’s way more to do that work out your fundamental muscles, just your main core muscles. And it works.
“I’ve gained weight and I’m more explosive, so it definitely changed me.”
