Commitment Profile and Film Analysis – DT Moro Ojomo

Every year in recruiting, without fail, we see late bloomers burst onto the recruiting scene after being relatively quiet leading up to their senior season. Sometimes schools just completely overlook a kid, while other times kids have solid, but not spectacular junior campaigns before absolutely crushing it in their final year. In the case of Katy defensive tackle Moro Ojomo, he is much more of the latter.

Ojomo had some solid FBS offers to his name prior to his senior year, but the big dogs didn’t really come calling until December when his senior film hit the internet at the conclusion of Katy’s playoff run. Miami, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Texas A&M all came calling right before Christmas and the secret was officially out about the Katy nose tackle.

Ojomo’s stock blowing up this late in the process insured that the competition for his signature would be competitive and he would no doubt take all five of his officials leading up to National Signing Day. Like we’ve seen several times this cycle, Tom Herman and his staff were not deterred by the competition and they were ready to put their hand on the line and compete.

Early on it looked like A&M would have the leg up in this recruitment, but with the transition happening in College Station they didn’t even get a chance to step into the batter’s box to take a swing on an official visit. This recruitment shaped into a battle between bitter rivals Oklahoma and Texas and when it came down to it the Longhorns were able to keep him from heading north to Norman and secure his commitment.

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Pros:

• Ojomo is listed at 6’3, 280 pounds and already possesses an impressive physique.
• Has big, strong arms and he knows how to use them. If he gets those meat cleavers on he is able to do what he wants.
• Leaves no doubt that he possesses the functional strength necessary to play in the trenches.
• Has a good first step and up field burst off the LOS.
• Displays good lateral agility and quickness on stunts.
• Show the ability to win with his hands or by shear brute force.
• Eats double teams for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Shows consistent ability to split them and be disruptive.
• Flashes the ability to be a disruptive presence against the run and the pass.
• On top of being blessed physically, this kid gives great effort and plays to the whistle.
• Will only be 16 when he signs. Film looks fantastic and still has plenty of room to grow physically and technically.

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Cons:

• Fair or not, any player that comes out of Katy leaves with a “system player” stigma attached to them. Can he be more than just another good player to wear the red and white tiger logo?
• Is he scheme versatile? Spends majority of his snaps shading the center. May possess the ability, but I want to see it.
• If this kid pans out like I think he will, then he won’t be around very long. That’s both good and bad.

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Summary

After Texas secured Keondre Coburn’s commitment last year, I figured they would close up shop on interior players they projected to nose and focus on guys who projected to 4i. That was until I laid these eyes on Moro Ojomo’s senior tape. To say I was impressed with what I saw would be putting it mildly.

The senior tape was so good that I had to go back for a refresher on his junior tape to see if there were any signs of this breakout coming because I couldn’t believe that I had overlooked a guy playing this well and that more schools weren’t beating down his door.

Ojomo is listed at 6’3, 280 pounds and if those measurables are close to being accurate I am absolutely giddy because he is built like a brick house (look up the picture of him on his Oklahoma visit if you haven’t seen it). Not only does Ojomo look the part, he also backs it up with his play. As a nose, he is required to take on countless double teams throughout the game and he absolutely dominates them on film. I lost count of how many times I saw him getting blatantly held by one or two offensive linemen, yet he still shed the block and made the play anyway.

He possesses a good first step combined with good up field burst that when you combine with his natural strength is absolute hell to slow down as an interior offensive linemen. Ojomo not only moves well in a straight line, he also possesses good lateral agility and doesn’t waste a lot of motion when he is on the attack. This kid gets on you in a hurry, he sheds you with good technique or brute force, and then he proceeds to the ball carrier with a motor that consistently burns hot.

If Texas wasn’t getting Coburn or somehow lost him late this cycle, I would be very content with Ojomo being the lone take because I think like him just as much if not more.

Final Verdict

If you couldn’t tell from the previous section, I’ m very bullish on this pickup by Texas. Aside from there being so much to like about his game on tape at this point in his development, it is also huge that he is only 16 and doesn’t turn 17 until later on this year when he will already be on campus. Ojomo is just now coming into his own as a football player and he still hasn’t even come close to hitting his ceiling yet.

Personally, I might be as excited about Ojomo as any other player on the defensive side of the ball in this class, because I think he has the ability and potential to turn into a difference maker down the line at Texas. Getting Coburn in the boat was one thing, but getting a guy like Ojomo to pair with him is a grand slam and gives Texas two very disruptive interior linemen.

Being able to identify and reel in players like Ojomo late in the cycle shows that the Texas staff is keeping their fingers on the pulse of players around the state and they showed once again that they are able to go toe to toe with big time programs when it comes to landing a recruit.