Former Michigan linebacker Obi Ezeh dead at 36, his mother announced

Former Michigan linebacker Obi Ezeh has died. He was 36 years old. Michigan football mourned the loss with a post on social media.

“We are saddened to hear about the passing of former Wolverine linebacker Obi Ezeh,” the program wrote on X. “Our prayers go out to his family, friends and former teammates. May he rest in peace.”

Further details of Ezeh’s death have not been made public, but his mother, Nketchy Ekere Ezeh, paid tribute to her son on Facebook on Sunday Morning.

“My very own! My Obi. My #2. My heart. My father’s heart. My quiet giant! Grand child of an elephant. Journey well to your maker,” she wrote. “My Obinna Ezeh, you will always be in my heart my beloved son.”

Obi Ezeh’s illustrious career with the Wolverines

Obi Ezeh spent five seasons with the Wolverines. He did not play during his true freshman season in 2006 and opted to redshirt. In the following season, Ezeh played in all 13 games for the Wolverines and made 10 starts.

Ezeh finished fifth on the team with 68 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception, three pass breakups and one forced fumble. For his efforts, he was named a CollegeFootballNews.com Freshman All-America First Team member.

Perhaps Ezeh’s best season came the following year when he tallied a team-high 98 tackles while starting all 12 games at middle linebacker. After the season, Ezeh was named the Roger Zatkoff Award winner and an All-Big Ten honorable mention from both the coaches and media.

In his redshirt junior season with the program, Ezeh started nine of 12 games, notching 69 stops, five TFLs, two pass breakups and one fumble recovery. For the only time in his career, Ezeh was a Butkus Award semifinalist.

In his final campaign with the Wolverines, Ezeh recorded 58 tackles, 3.5 TFLs and one fumble recovery while making seven starts and 13 appearances. Ezeh finished his career with 49 appearances, 293 tackles, 19.5 TFLs, three sacks and two interceptions.

Ezeh played two seasons under head coach Lloyd Carr and three under Rich Rodriguez. He finished his five-year collegiate career with a 35-28 record.

Ezeh did not hear his name called in the 2011 NFL Draft and was ultimately signed by the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent shortly after. He was waived just 19 days after being signed. Ezeh was unable to ever make another full-time roster in the NFL.