2 Former Bruins Primed for Big Role with Cowboys

These former UCLA Bruins are looking at some major playing time in 2025.

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Former UCLA Bruins and current Dallas Cowboys Osa Odighizuwa and Jay Toia will be representing their alma mater well in the NFL this season. In their first unofficial depth chart, the Cowboys listed Odighizuwa as one of their starting defensive tackles, as he'll be next to former first-round pick Mazi Smith.

Odighizuwa spent four seasons with the Bruins from 2017-2020, starting 43 games during that span. He'd total 120 tackles, 28 tackles for a loss and 11.5 sacks. Odighizuwa would be given a chance by the Cowboys during the 2021 draft, after they selected him with the No. 75 overall pick in the third round.

Bruins In the NFL

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Since then, Odighizuwa has been part of a strong Dallas front that includes Micah Parsons, his draftmate. In four years with the Cowboys, Odighizuwa's played in 67 of a possible 68 games, totaling 172 tackles, 13.5 sacks, 28 tackles for a loss and 58 quarterback hits. His defensive snap counts have gone up each year as well, going from 616 (57%) as a rookie to 860 (78%) in 2024.

Odighizuwa's play over the last four seasons would earn him a four year, $80 million deal including $52 million guaranteed to stay in Dallas.

The interesting part of this story is Toia, who was listed as the second-team nose tackle behind Smith. Toia spent four years at UCLA, totaling 91 tackles with nine tackles for a loss and three sacks in 50 games. The Cowboys selected him with the No.217 overall pick in this year's draft, hoping to add more depth to their defensive line.

Patrik Walker of the Cowboys had this to say regarding Toia's size: "His mass is a load to move or to get around if you're an offensive lineman or running back, respectively, as he devours space, eats double teams like their Rolos and, despite his size, can shed blocks and get into the backfield at times. His vision is above average, seeing the play unfold and reacting versus simply "being in the way", routinely anticipating the running back's moves and reacting."

Seeing as how nose tackles in the NFL don't ever play 100% of snaps, Toia will be seeing the field a good amount as a rookie. This is extremely impressive given that he's a seventh-round pick, but talent trumps draft spots.

With Odighizuwa established as a mainstay and Toia paving his path towards playing time, the Bruins will be represented well in Dallas for years to come.

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