Ify don't lose that number: lockdown defensive back gets steely for Dan Lanning

At the Spring Game, Ify Obidegwu went low. Taking on a 220-pound running back he put his lid right on the ball and popped it loose. Defensive lineman Blake Purchase scooped it up and turned it into a 57-yard touchdown for the Fighting Ducks.

Obidegwu has that brand of playmaking ability. As a senior at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Maryland in 2023, he racked up 61 tackles, 14 pass breakups, three interceptions and two forced fumbles to earn a spot in the Under Armour All-American Game, the No. 52 prospect and No. 7 cornerback in the country.

On Tuesday, secondary coach Chris Hampton said after practice, “He's having a great camp. There are a lot of guys having a great camp right now. But he's definitely having one of the better outputs in the secondary.”

Scott Reed of Duck Sports Central noted redshirt freshman is making a strong bid for a spot in the two-deep, even the starting lineup after spending last year working and learning behind veterans like Jabbar Muhammad, Nikko Reed and Dante Manning last season.

“It was a good growing, learning, growth, improvement for me,” Obidegwu said. “Just sitting behind those guys… just soaking up all the knowledge, seeing how they was going about their business.”

Obidegwu's applied himself in the film room and the weight room. At 6-1, 203 he has the size and physicality to match up with elite receivers, and a heavy load of offseason work has given him new confidence in going out on an island against the Big Ten's best.

“The biggest growth, I would say just definitely the playbook,” he said. “Learn all the plays, the checks, the formations, the different motions… getting to know the teams, like route concepts and route recognition.”

At fall camp reporters asked Dan Lanning to assess his progress. "More than anything, understanding. Knowing what he's going to do, how he needs to execute on the field, what his job is. But yeah, he has really special traits. He could be a special player for us,” Lanning said.

Odidegwu is physical and a playmaker, the kind of defender who doesn't wait for things to happen but makes a play on the ball. He's not giving a seven-yard cushion on third and five. He's strong enough to come up and force the run or deliver a blow in space.

His aggressive, attacking style creates havoc, giving the secondary an edge that fits beautifully with Dillon Thieneman and Jahlil Florence. This group has the potential to get nasty and take the ball away, becoming the kind of No-Fly Zone Duck fans enjoyed in the days of Jevon Holland, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Walter Thurmond and Jairus Byrd.

The redshirt freshman from Baltimore, Maryland brings a linebacker's mentality to playing corner, with the speed and agility to hang with top receivers. The beauty of it is, the Oregon corners get tested every day.

After matching up with these guys, you can cover anyone. Elite talent throughout a roster creates a new level of intensity in practice, a new level of competition rep after rep.

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