David Ojabo explains what clicked for him going into junior year at Michigan

When David Ojabo arrived at Michigan in 2019, he was still learning the game of football. He played basketball and soccer after coming to the U.S. from Nigeria, but decided to try football in high school.

That proved to be a pretty good move.

Ojabo started his last two years at Blair Academy in New Jersey and became the No. 5 recruit in the state by the time he graduated in 2019, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He sat out his first year at Michigan, but played his last two — including a breakout junior season in 2021 that included 11 sacks.

Now, he’s heading to the NFL to play for the Baltimore Ravens, who drafted him No. 45 overall in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He’s also reuniting with former Michigan defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, who Ojabo said helped him take a leap prior to his massive junior campaign. That doesn’t mean he’s done learning, though.

“Every day, even up until now, I’m still learning the game,” Ojabo said. “Just, I guess, the way it was explained to me, with the addition of Coach Mac with his staff with Coach [Ryan Osborn]. They just broke down the game differently to me. It made a whole lot of sense.”

Ojabo only played in one game in 2020, but became part of the NFL Draft conversation in 2021. He had 35 total tackles, including 12.0 tackles for loss, to go with those 11.0 sacks. He formed quite a two-headed monster with Aidan Hutchinson, who became the No. 2 overall pick in the draft and heads to his hometown Detroit Lions.

Ojabo likely would’ve been a first-round draft pick if not for a torn Achilles he suffered during Michigan’s Pro Day. Still, the Ravens are optimistic he’ll play this season.