Levi Won't Be Left Out: Onwuzurike Named First-Team All-American
On this University of Washington football team, he doesn't have any magazine covers in his portfolio.
All of them belong to cornerback Elijah Molden, who jumps out at you these days in various poses from grocery store racks throughout the Northwest.
Nor does he appear in the first round of the more than six-dozen NFL mock drafts being churned out like currency.
Edge rusher Joe Tryon is the Husky player of choice for the various draft analysts working feverishly and watching tape nonstop in basements across America.
Ah, but Levi Onwuzurike has not been forgotten or overlooked or purposely ignored as the college football preseason hype continues to unfurl. He's just now getting his share of national recognition.
The 6-foot-3, 288-pound Husky senior from Allen, Texas, rates a first-team All-American selection at defensive lineman by Athlon Sports magazine.
Onwuzurike gives the Huskies a pair of first-team All-America selections in these summertime projections, joining Molden, who earlier was chosen to Walter Camp's All-America listing.
With three of the 11 UW defensive starters receiving so much high-altitude attention, it's no wonder the Husky stop unit is being hailed as potentially something special and dominant.
Onwuzurike shares Athlon D-line recognition with the following players nationwide: Oregon's 6-5, 250-pound sophomore Kayvon Thibodeaux, Florida State's 6-5, 310-pound senior Marvin Wilson and Miami's 6-7, 253-pound sophomore Gregory Rousseau.
Some are taller. Some are heavier. Some are younger. None are necessarily better than him.
Onwuzurike, who became a full-time starter in 2019, put his expanded playing time to good use by being named first-team All-Pac-12 by the conference. He's just beginning to put his game together, which could lead to a lengthy NFL career.
While his Huskies underachieved at 8-5 last season, it wasn't Onwuzurike's fault, though he remains extremely humble to a fault about everything. He collected 45 tackles, including 6 tackles for loss, 2 of which were sacks. He proved difficult to block all season.
With the talented Tryon playing outside of him and Molden behind him, Onwuzurike should have a highly productive season, pandemic-permitting. The UW defense could be one of its better ones. At least according to the magazine hype.
The Huskies return seven defensive starters, with three of them now highly decorated and well thought of across the college football landscape. Two of them are first-team All-America choices now.
One of them is a guy named Levi.
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