'It Won't Be Long' Before Tomiwa Durojaiye is a Key 'Factor' for WVU's Defense

You win some, you lose some. That's the name of the recruiting game.

But in this era of college athletics, you just might have a second chance at the ones you lose out on. After losing a recruiting battle to Kentucky for defensive lineman Tomiwa Durojaiye, the West Virginia coaching staff wished him well and didn't burn any bridges by doing so.

"When he made the decision, it wasn't like we had any negative [things to say]," said head coach Neal Brown. "When he came in the portal, he and Raleigh Collins III are really close. He had a personal connection with Raleigh, who is from Delaware as well. We recruited him, so we knew him. We felt really good that people at Kentucky had positive things to say about him. They didn't want him to go. Anytime you take a player in the portal that doesn't have proven experience or proven production, there needs to be some background there and there was. There was two years worth of recruiting."

Durojaiye saw limited action in four games last season at Kentucky. But as Neal mentioned, he's been in a college program somewhere for a year and a half, so it's reasonable to think that at some point this season, maybe even Week 1, that he plays a big role.

"The expectation is that he plays. As far as how big a role, he'll determine that," Brown said. But he's going to be given every opportunity to play. He's a body type that is hard to find. He's still developing. He's still a young player, he's going to be a redshirt freshman. But he's been through two spring practices. Played against, practiced against quality people and so I do feel like he's got a chance to earn his way into the rotation and be a factor for us this fall."

Defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley is also pretty excited about what Durojaiye offers and believes that his work ethic is what will allow him to steadily increase his role.

"He's a guy who's obviously learning. He's a guy who was more of an outside backer in high school and then transitioned into the defensive front, playing in a number of different techniques and positions. Tomi is really, really smart. He's quick on the uptake, and he's a high-effort guy and that's in everything he does. That's in the weight room, that's in film study, that's on the practice field. So a guy like that, has that body type, it won't be long. He'll be depended upon this year."

Coming out of high school, Durojaiye held offers from Arkansas, Duke, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Northwestern, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, West Virginia, and several others.

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