Former Eden Prairie standout emerging as
defensive star at Texas Christian University
by Malik Mitchell, LPF Writer
In the 2023 season, Namdi Obiazor not only took the Texas Christian University program by storm, leading the Frogs defense with 84 tackles and four sacks, but also in the Big 12 conference, achieving 2023 Honorable-Mention All-Big 12 and 2023 Honorable-Mention Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.
“I was confident going into the season that I could play in the Big 12,” said Obiazor. “I got my first couple of starts the year before at safety. So, coming into the season, it was going in and being a starter. I was confident in myself, knowing I could do the job. I was ready for the opportunity.”
The Eden Prairie native graduated with the class of 2020, which was a shortened season due to the Pandemic. He started most of his junior year and all of his senior year for the Eagles. He was an underlooked prospect receiving no scholarship offers with a couple of Division II looks out of high school. He eventually attended Iowa Western Community College where he began turning heads and acquiring offers from TCU, Southeast Missouri State, Florida International University, Ohio University, Akron, Western Illinois, and Youngstown State.
He played cornerback and safety and became a First-Team 2021 NJCAA All-American after recording 20 tackles, an interception, four pass breakups, and a blocked kick over his two seasons at Iowa Western. Obiazor is very agile for his 6’3, 220-pound frame, which can be a nightmare for offensive schemes. He’s great at reacting to the ball and able to sniff out plays quickly.
At TCU in 2023, after switching from safety to linebacker, Obiazor started all 12 games, achieving a career-best of 13 tackles. He stood out, posting a then-personal best of 11 tackles with a sack in the 34-17 win over SMU, nine stops against Nicholls, and seven the following week in the 36-13 win at Houston. Adjusting to new positions doesn’t faze the rising star, switching from corner to safety and now linebacker, contributing to his versatility on the field.
“The biggest difference is I feel like you’re just a true complete football player just playing linebacker because you’re blitzing, taking on blocks, dropping into coverage, and playing man,” he said. “You’re in the secondary when playing safety, so you get some plays off. You don’t have to show up for every play, you’re just guarding receivers. I feel like when you’re a linebacker, you can be involved in every single play.”
Frogs Upcoming Schedule
On February 9, 2023, the Big 12 announced that the University of Oklahoma and The University of Texas at Austin were to leave the conference following the 2023-24 athletic year. The conference will see four new teams, Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah, for this upcoming season. TCU was selected tenth in the Big 12 Football Media Preseason Poll, with teams like Utah, Kansas State, and Oklahoma State leading the list. Weeks four through seven will be a test for the Frogs as they’ll face state rival SMU and then go on to play No. 4 Kansas and No. 1 Utah.
“For this year mainly it’s a new Big 12. We had some teams leave and some teams joined. I feel like this year is going to be important just figuring out who’s going to be the top runner and who’s going to run this league,” Obiazor added. “We play a lot of good teams, but I feel like we have a good opportunity to do that.”
Senior Night
Senior night will be a huge event for Namdi, as his family will be in attendance. Laurie, his mother, has made it a point to mark that day on the calendar and attempts to attend all of his games.
“We’re all looking forward to senior night. I’m hoping they get a victory,” said Laurie. “I know that Namdi is looking to have a stellar season because he knows this is his last year at TCU, and he wants to make sure that he puts the cherry on top of what’s been a wonderful experience. I’m proud of him getting his degree from TCU and having the opportunity to play football there as well.”
New Defensive Scheme
On January 15, 2024, Ken Wilson joined as the new linebackers coach to the coaching staff. Wilson served the previous two years as head coach at Nevada. The Frogs plan to use a new defensive scheme, switching from a three-down linemen set to a four-down front. Head coach Sonny Dykes seems to have his attention on the defense and is looking to make some noise this year. They intend to use specific game plans and a lot of different looks week after week. Obiazor has been a big part of the Frog’s linebacker core and will have some flexibility to make a bigger impact this season.
“I get to do a lot more things. Playing defensive back helped me with my coverage drops or man-to-man against tight ends and running backs,” he added. “When I’m blitzing, I’m using speed and finesse rather than the bigger bodies on our team who would give them a power rush.”
Brotherly Love
While Namdi has gained significant recognition, he isn’t the only Obiazor making his mark in the Big 12. His younger brother Chiddi was a true freshman last season for Kansas State who saw time in three games as he retained his redshirt.He had a tackle in the season opener against SEMO and a half tackle for loss in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against NC State. Chiddi is K-State’s first signee from Minnesota since linebacker Brandon Archer in 2002. On October 21, 2023, K-State beat TCU 41-3. However, Namdi put on a stellar performance with 13 tackles, a sack, and a tackle for a loss.
“They’ve created a true brotherhood between the two of them as far as the love and passion for the game, and they’re both kind of competitive because they have to play against each other,” Laurie added. “They do a lot of smack talking between each other, and now it’s been fun to see them both have characters on NCAA 25. It’s so surreal because when they were little kids, they would play all the time, and here they are now in college playing a video game that they’re one of the actual characters.”
Draft Desires
In the past month, Namdi has received some interest at the next level but isn’t overly concerned about it yet. He rather has his sights on winning the Big 12 and the national championship.
“Yeah, I’ve been having a few people reaching out just telling me how things are looking and different things like that,” said Obiazor. “I’m just focused on just handling my last year of college football, and I feel like if I just do what I’m supposed to do each week, every day, every game, I feel like it will all work out when it’s time for the draft.”
