Former Husky Emeka Megwa Finally Gets Chance to Run

The running back came to the UW five years ago after suffering a high school knee injury.

Emeka Megwa, Texas running back, was injured and never played for the UW. | Dan Raley

Emeka Megwa, the former University of Washington running back whose career was decimated by multiple knee injuries, has resurfaced at Eastern New Mexico, where he's finally getting the opportunity to run the football on a regular basis again.

Once a 4-star recruit from Fort Worth, Texas, with unlimited offers, the 6-foot-2, 235-pound Megwa has rushed 63 times for 289 yards and 3 touchdowns for his Division II team.

The catch is the Greyhounds are 0-6 so far this season and the running back plays for Art Briles, who likewise is trying to restore his coaching career after he was fired at Baylor amid a scandal.

Megwa has gone from the UW to Oklahoma to UNLV to Eastern New Mexico.

As a senior at Timber Creek High School, he tore an ACL in the preseason, had surgery and was immediately brought to the UW to receive rehabilitative medical care and enroll in school, reclassifying his scholastic standing.

Before the injury, he chose the Huskies over Alabama, Auburn, Arkansas and Arizona State. CBS Sports streamed his decision live to a national audience. He accumulated nearly 40 offers overall, including from Notre Dame, Oklahoma, LSU, Georgia, Ohio State, Texas, Texas A&M and Florida.

Former Husky Emeka Megwa committed to UNLV. | UNLV

Megwa played three seasons for Nolan Catholic High School in Fort Worth and rushed for more than 3,000 yards and 45 touchdowns. He shared in a private-school state championship in 2020 and was a first-team all-state and all-district selection. He rushed for 1,786 yards and 27 touchdowns alone as a sophomore in 2019.

He spent one season with Jimmy Lake's Huskies and another with Kalen DeBoer's team and suffered another ACL tear during winter workouts.

He later filed a civil lawsuit against the UW coaching and medical staffs alleging negligence in his care.

Megwa spent two seasons at Oklahoma, where he appeared in two games and ran the ball once for 6 yards.

Last season, he transferred to UNLV, where the Rebels tried to turn him into a linebacker.

Emeka Megwa (23) runs drills during an Oklahoma football practice in 2024. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

At Eastern New Mexico, he's played steadily for the first time since high school. Two weeks ago, he carried the ball 14 times for a college-best 93 yards in a 56-43 loss to Sul Ross State.

This past weekend in a 61-55 loss to Western New Mexico, Megwa picked up 41 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.

He averages 4.6 yards per carry and 48.1 yards per game.

Megwa is a long way from the UW, where he mostly rehabbed his knee over two years following his surgeries and never practiced. He has shown great perseverance to play again, regardless of what level.