Journey to the Pros: Buchi Chidozie

1. Buchi was born just outside of Atlanta, GA. He was naturally athletic, despite being "undersized" compared to the titans that exist in the US southeast. Always smiling, always hard-working, never backing down from any challenge, Buchi made a name for himself growing up. In high school he immediately made an impact on the varsity football team, his speed was too much for the opposing high school offensive lines. Chidozie continued his dominance through his high school career, netting quite a few scholarship offers from some big names in the sport. USC, Florida State, Notre Dame, South Carolina, just to name a few. But he still wasn't getting attention from the tip-top of the iceberg. No one was interested in a 5'11'' defensive end. Discussions with the schools that offered him scholarships revealed that he'd likely be a back-up role for a good bit of his collegiate career or that they'd transition him over to outside linebacker. So Buchi started looking at the other offers he had got, and man, there were a lot of them. UCF, USF, GASO, GAST, ECU, MTSU, USA, UAB, WKU, USM.... And on and on and on, the entire southeast took note of Chidozie. Sending offers, they didn't care that he was under 6 foot tall, man had talent. After all, he was given a 3 star rating out of high school. There was one team on the list that jumped out to Buchi, and more importantly his father. That team was Houston. Buchi's father, Deji, was a Cougar alumni. The both of them were beyond ecstatic to see the offer. The decision was made and they packed up their bags and headed to Houston.
2. [6:13 PM]

   Now take note that there was no mention of a mother. Unfortunately, Buchi's mother passed away when he was 7 after a freak car accident involving a semi truck. Buchi was also in the car, but miraculously he survived, no doubt due to the quick thinking of his mother. But despite all the pain of losing a parent and being there as she died, he always smiled and continued to work as hard as humanly possible. When it came time to start college, Buchi hit a growth spurt, growing 3 inches in what seemed like a night. He was an easy going guy, liked by mostly everyone on campus. Everyone knew the guy, the kid was just the talk of the town. During his freshman season he started the first 4 games, tallying 12 tackles and 1.5 sacks through the first 3. Sadly in his 4th start it was Houston @ Oklahoma, and OU took note of Chidozie, double-teaming him all game and early in the second quarter one of the offensive linemen would land awkwardly on Buchi's left leg. It was enough to keep him out of the rest of the game, but no one was ready to hear the full report following the game. Team doctors would advise Chidozie to stay off that leg for 3 months, putting his collegiate career on hold. The rest of the season flew by as Buchi could only go to class and watch the remaining games from the sidelines. The following spring after Buchi was cleared, he got back to work. Gaining a few pounds of fat from his injury meant he'd have to put in some extra work getting back down to ideal weight for his speed rushing play style. Of course, this was no problem for Buchi, he liked the thought of the challenge he was given.
3. [6:13 PM]

   That summer he and his father were headed back home to Georgia for a weekend, family gatherings are crazy in the south. On their way home, tragedy struck, Deji was driving and had a seizure at the wheel. Buchi, asleep in the passenger seat felt the road get rough and was jolted awake. He tried grabbing the steering wheel, but it was too late. For a moment, there was a sense of weightlessness, like he was flying. Like time had stopped and he was just a bystander in a world he had no control over. Before anything else could happen, the car hit the ground and began rolling uncontrollably downhill. Buchi was knocked unconscious and came to for just a brief moment to see his father impaled by a tree branch and then passing back out, not sure if what he saw was real or some sick nightmare. Deji was still alive for just a few minutes, able to make an emergency call to the authorities and able to scribble a message to his son; "Son, I'm so proud of you, and I'm sorry I never got to see you grow up, but I'm going to go see your mom now, we love you so much and we're so sorry to leave you alone in this world. If anyone can do it, it could only be you" July 7th, a day Buchi would likely want erased from history, his once enlightening smile was now gone. Who could blame him though, somehow this only made his work ethic skyrocket. His father's last message to him through his dying note, "It could only be you" After all the pain this 19 year old kid has been through, he could be the only one that could thrive in this world given his circumstances. Buchi understandably would sit out the next season, but not to sit around and sulk, he put in work. Since he had only started 4 games the previous year, the team would use the redshirt on him for that season meaning he will sit out as a redshirt freshman.
4. [6:13 PM]

   Following the season Chidozie would be given the number 7 by the coaching staff, honoring both of his lost parents. This little act meant so much to Buchi practically breaking down in the locker room. For the first game of the season, the entire team would have "Deji" inscribed onto their helmets and Buchi got his jersey to read "Deji" instead of "Chidozie". The smile was coming back, the fire was in the eyes. In that home opener against rival Rice, Buchi had himself a career game. 11 tackles, 4 sacks, 6 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries, 2 defensive TDs. After the game both teams gathered at midfield and shared a prayer, Buchi was being cheered by both teams. It was at this moment in time Buchi felt genuine happiness, and had it not been for this display of sportsmanship we wouldn't be taking about him today. This past year Buchi Chidozie has put up monster numbers and had Houston playing in their first bowl game in 3 years. Following the season, the 20 year old was drafted in the 3rd round by the Minnesota Vikings before being traded to the Seattle Seahawks, who were amazed with the ability to climb their depth chart due to his unreal development.