Once an overlooked recruit, this K-State defender is now getting national attention
There was a time not so long ago when Felix Anudike-Uzomah didn’t think he was going to play college football.
He was a senior defensive end at Lee’s Summit High School, and he wasn’t blessed with many scholarship offers. Bowling Green wanted him, but that school was too far away for his liking. He thought about going to North Dakota State, but the timing didn’t work out. A few bigger schools liked him as a walk-on, but he wasn’t interested. As December arrived in 2019, his preferred option was to attend Missouri “as a regular student.”
At least that was the plan until Kansas State surprisingly offered a scholarship two days before early signing day.
“This was the only Power 5 offer I got,” Anudike-Uzomah said. “Being under recruited put a big chip on my shoulder. That put a burden on my back to be the best player I can be at K-State.”
That source of motivation has pushed him to unexpected heights now that he is a sophomore pass-rusher for the Wildcats. Not only does he rank second in the Big 12 with six sacks through seven games, he just pulled off the defensive play of his career — a four-yard tackle for loss that resulted in a game-changing safety during a 25-24 victory at Texas Tech.
Anudike-Uzomah made the play by perfectly timing the snap, bursting past a Texas Tech offensive lineman and blowing up a handoff before the Red Raiders could get the ball out of their own end zone after quarterback Henry Colombi caught the ball via a shotgun snap.
Seemingly everyone who witnessed the play was blown away.
“It’s one of the best plays I’ve seen and he did a great job,” K-State coach Chris Klieman said. “We called a movement where he slid inside at the last second and shot a gap. The guy kind of saw him and grabbed him and held on to him, but Felix kept powering through. To not only hit the kid but not have the guy go forward. I thought was a phenomenal play.”
“That is one of the greatest plays I have seen,” K-State linebacker Cody Fletcher said. “That was phenomenal. I didn’t really see the play until after the game, but it was cool to watch. He is a special player and one of the few guys who could make that play.”
“If anyone is going to put somebody on their back and carry them five yards it’s going to be Felix,” K-State running back Deuce Vaughn said. “You see him squat 600 pounds. That’s just another day for Felix. He’s ridiculous.”
If you missed the play, don’t worry.
It’s easy to find on social media. ESPN analyst Marcus Spears featured him on his latest “Big Man Ballin’” segment, which highlights excellent plays made by linemen in both college football and the NFL.
Spears ended the clip by noting that Texas Tech held Anudike-Uzomah throughout the entire play and suggesting that he had a professional future.
Anudike-Uzomah was stunned by that and all the other responses he received following Saturday’s game against Texas Tech. It’s the first time he’s been in the spotlight.
Even though he has arguably been K-State’s defensive MVP this season, the 6-foot-3 and 252-pound playmaker hasn’t generated much buzz outside of Manhattan.
But he’s not playing in Wyatt Hubert’s shadow anymore. He’s making a name for himself and playing at an all-conference level. He has made 29 tackles and forced two punts on top of his sacks this season.
In some ways, it all feels surreal. He almost gave up on the idea of college football two years ago.
Then again, this is also what he has been working toward since the day K-State gave him a chance.
“I felt like I should have had more Power 5 offers,” Anudike-Uzomah said. “There were schools that came to me and said we want you but only offered me as a walk on. There were other schools that said they wanted me but then stopped looking at me after I made a game day visit. That made me mad. My whole recruiting process that year was very hard for me. I’m just glad that I’m here and I’m getting a chance.”
This story was originally published October 26, 2021 at 2:53 PM with the headline "Once an overlooked recruit, this K-State defender is now getting national attention."