Selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2017 NFL Draft in the second round and 60th overall pick, Chidobe Awuzie began turning heads in his sophomore season in 2018 when he was seen as having a high chance of becoming the Dallas Cowboys’ most dominant cornerback in years.
Injuries marred his rookie season seeing him play, however, on the second occasion, Chidobe’s career couldn’t have been more promising. Let us now take a look at his journey in his life and career.
Biography – Who is Chidobe Awuzie?
As his name already announced, Chidobe Awuzie has Nigerian roots. He was born on May 24, 1995 to Nigerian parents who immigrated to the US states to pursue the American dream and luckily they now live it in San Jose, California where Chidobe was born. Chidobe is the youngest of three children. His first name, Chidobe, means “God will guide me”, while his last name, Awuzie, could be described as someone who went through a lot of hardships and eventually succeeded.
Chidobe’s parents were born in Lagos, Nigeria, but immigrated to the United States to get a better education. His mother, Victoria Awuzie, graduated from Philander Smith College in Arkansas, while his father, Goerge Awuzie, graduated from Southeastern Oklahoma State in Durant. After graduating, they each found jobs with the Department of Motor Vehicles in San Jose, California and soon began raising children in the Bay Area.
Awuzie’s parents raised him with Nigerian principles that had helped them succeed. Chidobe had taught his parents the essence of taking his studies seriously. So, despite falling in love with football in school, Chidobe knew better than to joke around with his academics. As a result, he had graduated with a business degree six months early.
Chidobe Awuzie began his football career at Oak Grove High School in San Jose, California, playing at cornerback and sometimes wide receiver. He impressed a lot in high school and was rated by ESPN and Rivals.com as a three-star recruit. Awuzie won numerous honors in high school, where he also dabbled in basketball and track sports, including running and the long jump.
Awuzie did indeed make his parents proud in high school, receiving scholarship offers from “Power 5 schools” including Utah and Washington State, however, he committed to the University of Colorado at Boulder. . He began impressing as early as his freshman season, starting in 7 games and appearing in a total of 12. His 645 defensive attempts became the third-highest record by a freshman in the school.
Chidobe Awuzie recorded even more impressive stats in his junior year when he made a total of 90 tackles over 13 games. His 78 solo tackles and 4 sacks set the record for most tackles among defensemen in CU history. At the end of the year, he was named to the second team of the All-Pac-12 football team.
With all these statistics, Chidobe received a handful of honors as he prepared for his senior year of college. He was named to both the Thorpe Award and Nagurski Award watch lists, awarded to the nation’s best defensive player and college football’s best defensive player, respectively. He was named to the All-Pac-12 Second Team for a second time in 2016.
Awuzie wowed in the NFL Combine hitting a SPARQscore of 137. SPARQ is used to test a player’s athleticism. He worked privately for a handful of NFL teams, including the Tennessee Titans, Philadelphia Eagles, Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys, who would pick him in the second round as the 28th pick and 60th overall pick. . Prior to the draft, NFL pundits predicted Awuzie would be selected in the first or second round. ESPN ranked him 7th best cornerback while Sports Illustrated ranked him 15th.
On May 11, 2017, Chidobe Awuzie signed his first professional football contract, a four-year, $4.28 million deal that came with a signing bonus of $1.25 million. With this money, Awuzie was able to afford a life of luxury. On her mother’s birthday in January 2017, Awuzie bought her a white Range Rover, a car she had wanted to live in since childhood. The car sells for over $50,000. Awuzie himself rides a sleek Mercedes Benz.
This dude only played 10 games during his rookie season, but he recorded 25 tackles, 7 deflections and 1 forced fumble.
His height, weight and measurements
Chido, as he is affectionately called by teammates, is exactly 6 feet tall, or 1.83m. It weighs 202 pounds (92 kg). His pre-draft measurables according to the NFL overall showed an arm length of 0.78 m (30 5⁄8 in) and a hand size of 0.22 m (8 1⁄2 in).