Video: Penn State OL commit Chimdy Onoh opens up about his commitment
Penn State put a bow on its Class of 2023 Wednesday with the addition of Dundalk, Md. offensive tackle Chimdy Onoh. The four-star prospect became the lone player to sign with the program in the late signing period.
The 6-foot-5, 270-pound Onoh chose the Nittany Lions over a list of finalists that included Michigan State, Ole Miss and Rutgers. Onoh visited Penn State in January and came away with a great feeling about the Nittany Lions.
“When I went there, it pretty much felt like home,” Onoh told BWI. “I just saw a lot of genuineness from all the coaches and the players, so I really felt like I would fit in there. From all the stuff that the coaches were saying and we talked about, I really believe that they can make me into a great player. I’m excited to be with them.”
Film Review: What can Penn State fans expect from Chimdy Onoh?
Penn State offensive line coach Phil Trautwein was a regular at Dundalk during the January evaluation period and head coach James Franklin went down to visit Onoh at his school on January 23.
“As a head coach, I would say that [Franklin] had a big impact because he contacts me a lot compared to all the other head coaches,” said Onoh. “That was a big factor because I could really tell how much the school valued me just from the head coach being that excited about you. He just shows his excitement all the time. He was always talking to me, calling me, making sure I’m good.
“[Trautwein] also contacted me a lot. He was coming to my games and coming to my school and visited a lot. He was always making sure I’m comfortable, answering my questions and stuff like that. We talked a lot about all the stuff we could be doing if I ended up coming up with him.”
Following his Penn State commitment Wednesday, BWI’s Ryan Snyder caught up with Onoh for a one-on-one interview. Fans can watch that interview below.
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Dundalk head coach Tom Abel on Penn State commit Chimdy Onoh
Ryan Snyder: What can you share about Chimdy on the field? Where does he excel?
Tom Abel: He’s very methodical and intelligent, first and foremost. He’s an analyzer, so he’s gonna always know where to be and be in the right spot. He’s great at understanding concepts, he’s really good with that. Chimdy has always been a fast learner, too. I think that’s a big bonus on the mental side of it.
Physically, Chimdy’s gifted. We’ve all seen it. You guys can watch the highlight tapes and all that good stuff on the film. Chimdy’s so athletic. He can bend really well. He’s strong, he’s physical and he has a true mean streak that a lot of people do not possess. That helps make Chimdy successful as well.
I think he really shows his true athleticism in other sports, too. He throws the shot put 61 feet and plays basketball at a very, very high level, competitively running the floor. Chimdy is the total package. I think he’s a great fit for a tempo offense. He brings a lot of positive things.
Ryan Snyder: What did Penn State do to win over Chimdy? Anything that separated them from how other schools went about it?
Tom Abel: I think Coach Traut and Coach Franklin did an excellent job with just being themselves, being genuine. They were never trying to sell Chimdy on a dream. More importantly, they recruited Chimdy as a young man and as an individual. I think that really paid dividends in their recruitment for him. I think they did a great job.
