Burlington Central’s Oduwa develops into force on Rockets’ defensive line

Burlington Central’s Tobi Oduwa entered high school as a raw prospect with tantalizing physical abilities. It took some time, but early last season in football, something clicked for him.

And now, the senior defensive tackle is ready to take advantage,

“I started getting tackles for loss and I was like, ‘Yes, I’ve got it now,’” Oduwa said. “I understand how to play now. My eyes were wide open then.”

Colleges began to take notice as well. In the offseason, the 6-foot-2, 275-pound Oduwa picked up offers from Butler and St. Thomas. His presence will be big this fall for the Rockets.

It’s also gratifying for Burlington Central coach Brian Iossi, who built a plan for Oduwa when he arrived as a freshman. Oduwa eventually got called up to varsity as a sophomore, whether his skills had caught up to his physical traits or not.

Part of the plan was having Oduwa work with defensive line coach Eric Hultgren for three years.

“We wanted him to hear from the same guy on repeat,” Iossi said. “Sophomore year was rough. He struggled. He played JV. We were just relaying the same consistent message to him.

“That was really important. It was early last summer where we were like, ‘Oh, OK, he’s got it.;”

The ringing endorsement in his development came from Zach Hultgren, an offensive lineman who graduated last year and is now at Miami of Ohio.

Iossi asked him who was the hardest defensive lineman on the team to block, figuring he would say future all-state selection Aidan Nuno.

“He goes, ‘Tobi,’” Iossi said. “He’s a handful. That’s when we all knew it started to click for him.”

The skills matched the other traits college coaches emphasized while recruiting Oduwa.

“Pursuit, speed, intensity on the line, how to get off the line and get off the ball,” Oduwa said. “I have to keep going. It’s been like that ever since I was a kid, too.

“All the hard work I’ve done, it’s been stressful, but I try to learn how to manage it.”

Senior linebacker Liam Schultz gets to watch Oduwa do his work right in front of him.

Now that Oduwa has turned the corner into becoming a dominant lineman for the Rockets, Schultz and the rest of the linebackers and secondary can be even more explosive.

“He’s progressed a lot with the mental game of football,” Schultz said. “As linebackers, we don’t have to worry about what he’s doing. We can focus on doing our own job, which allows us to do our job better. With him being able to block up the run game up the middle, it’s huge for us.

“We have full trust in our defense this year once again.”

Another thing Iossi worked with Oduwa on behind the scenes was technique in the weight room. That allowed his work ethic, which already was in place, to take his physicality to a new level.

“That dude works,” Iossi said. “If you walk into our weight room, Tobi is dripping sweat every time we’re in there. He doesn’t leave any stone unturned. He’s worked his tail off and we hope he could turn into the lineman of the year in the conference, one of the best players. He’s a dude.”

With that comes increased attention from college coaches. Oduwa is doing his best to block that out, though, as the Rockets are trying to get back to the state quarterfinals and beyond this fall.

“I’m letting it all play out — that’s the goal,” Oduwa said. “I just have to stop thinking about it. I just play my game, not worry about the offers, just keep it going.”

Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.