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DRAPER — Head football coach John Colosimo still remembers when then-sophomore Chinonso Opara walked into his office at Juan Diego Catholic High School in the spring upon his arrival.
Less than a year after moving in with a host family in Riverton, the 6-foot-8, 250-pound Opara had one request; he wanted to play football.
The only problem? He had never played — or even seen — the game before in his native Nigeria.
“He was very enthusiastic about it, but he didn’t know anything about the game in the spring of his sophomore year,” Colosimo said. “I told him to come out, and we’ll see what we could do. It took him a couple of years, but he’s learning the game.”
Barely two years later, Opara is thriving on the football field. After a brief flirtation at tight end, the senior has found his place on the defensive line — and has a scholarship offer from BYU to prove it after a visit with Cougar defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki in Provo this past summer.
“They saw me and saw what I could do,” said Opara, who also received interest from Utah, Utah State and Weber State. “It was a good place. Every day, I’m still learning though.”
Opara is one of 20 recruits committed to BYU in the Class of 2018, according to Scout.com. The list includes nine prospects from the state of Utah, including Opara, who will graduate from Juan Diego this spring.
The educational component is just as important for Opara as the football component, according to his coach.
"I hope he can play college ball," Colosimo said. "But he gets his college education paid for, and if he can play some football and become a doctor or a lawyer, that’s what I hope for.”
“He’s got a lot to learn. His learning curve is pretty steep. But he’s willing to do that kind of work, and he’ll embrace it."
Growing up, Opara and his three younger siblings played soccer and basketball — thanks to several genetic gifts from their parents, mostly a tall father. But when Opara moved to Utah, he found himself wanting to play football.
He called his mother, but she wasn’t so sure about the move.
“Football isn’t really a thing (in Nigeria),” the teenager said Thursday after practice. “When I told my mom I wanted to play football, she wasn’t sure about it.
“I told her about the game, and she just didn’t know. But everything is going well right now, and she found out I got an offer (to BYU) and it gave her a big relief.”
Thanks to a supportive coaching staff and teammates, his parents are on board. Opara sends them video clips of all of his games, and even though he hasn't been back to Nigeria since arriving in Utah, the family is hoping to come to the United States to see him play in college.
Opara never struggled to learn English, but he didn’t immediately take to “the language of football,” Colosimo admits. The oversized teen was unfamiliar with the funny, egg-shaped ball played on the gridiron, but he took to learning the game with abandon and a fierce work ethic.
Some help from a few of his best friends — Juan Diego quarterback Zach Hoffman and defensive standout Max Butkovich among them — have helped, too.
It’s a story that may sound familiar to BYU fans — anyone remember current Detroit Lions defensive end Ziggy Ansah? Opara hasn’t met the native of Ghana, but he knows his story — and he would love to follow in his footsteps.
“He’s doing all he can to become a football player,” Colosimo said. “He’s a kid that God gave a Division I body, but he also has the attitude to become a Division I football player.
“He’s unique; I’ll probably never have another one like that again.”
