After three years on the sidelines, Ike Iwunnah’s journey to playing his first snap for Michigan

In January of his senior year, Ike Iwunnah sat down in his high school coach’s office and got on a video call with the Michigan football staff. It was late in the recruitment cycle, but the Wolverines were looking for another defensive lineman and heard high praise about Iwunnah from his Lakeview Centennial head coach, Kendall Miller.

With COVID-19 impacts still lingering, Michigan coaches called Iwunnah to discuss his offer and virtually show him around the facilities. Toward the end of the call, they opened a door to reveal then-Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh standing on the other side. Miller described it as Michigan trying to make a bit of a “splash” by bringing in the face of the program.

But Iwunnah was completely unfazed. He respectfully said hello and asked Harbaugh how he was doing, the same way he interacted with every other coach.

“I could tell Coach Harbaugh was expecting a little more, as he should, right?” Miller told The Michigan Daily. “And I’m behind (Iwunnah), just laughing, because later I got off and said, ‘Coach, I want to make sure you understand — Ike probably had no idea who you were. … That wasn’t any slap against you, Coach … He just thought you were somebody else in the facility that was standing there in the hallway.’ ”

Iwunnah recalled the moment similarly, admitting that he wasn’t quite sure who he was looking at when Harbaugh appeared on the screen.

“To be honest, I didn’t even know who Jim Harbaugh was before that,” Iwunnah said. “So my coach had to nudge me to pay attention to him. I’m like, ‘Oh, who’s that?’ ”

After the call, Iwunnah wasted no time in familiarizing himself with Harbaugh and the rest of the Wolverines’ staff. He committed to Michigan in early February, just about a week after his initial offer. Harbaugh, of course, didn’t hold anything against Iwunnah for thinking he was just another staffer.

Because while Iwunnah knew he should recognize his future head coach by the time he stepped on campus, the mishap didn’t emanate disrespect or carelessness. Instead, it radiated Iwunnah’s character and attitude.

He didn’t start playing football with his sights set on a Division I offer or a professional contract. He started playing because he simply enjoyed the game. He had fun, worked hard and listened to his coaches — and in doing so, good things came his way. 

“He did it in the correct order,” Miller said. “He just came out and enjoyed playing. Played really hard, and then once he played well, the product of it was some opportunities opened up for him. And that’s the original order of how this used to go.”

***

Through his first three seasons as a Wolverine, the now-senior defensive tackle didn’t play a single snap.

Iwunnah earned a few Scout Team Defensive Player of the Week recognitions, but that was the extent of his on-field impact. For three years, he wasn’t able to prove himself as a reliable option on the defensive line. Iwunnah attributed his growing pains to a lack of focus and consistency, both of which he turned around this offseason.

For some players, especially in this era of college football, three years on the sidelines might warrant exploring the transfer portal waters. Iwunnah said he had “little thoughts” about searching for greener pastures, but he never seriously considered leaving Michigan. He refused to give up on his goals as a Wolverine, another testament to what Miller described as doing things “the right way.” 

So Iwunnah just kept on working. He lost some weight and fixed up his diet, leaning on coaches and support staff to guide him.

At Lakeview, that same mindset led to college offers. At Michigan, it finally got him on the field.

This season, Iwunnah has appeared in all three of the Wolverines’ games thus far. He made his collegiate debut in Michigan’s season-opener against Fresno State, before recording his first three tackles against Texas and his first tackle for loss against Arkansas State.

“Ike’s my guy,” Wolverines coach Sherrone Moore said with a smile and pump of his fist. “All these kids are my kids, but this kid has been on scout team for the past three years, and to watch a guy progress and just get better and get better and get better. … In training camp you started to see him make plays, and I’m just double-taking. I’m like, ‘Is that Ike making these plays?’ And continually doing it.”

Iwunnah was a bit too heavy for Moore to lift up in celebration after his impressive Week 2 performance, so Moore settled for a big hug and celebratory words. Either way, Iwunnah had earned it. He stayed the course, finally getting the chance to contribute on Saturdays and prove he could make a positive impact.

But don’t expect Iwunnah’s mentality to change now that he’s getting real minutes. Those who know him know that he’s not the type to boast or brag. 

During his high school years, Iwunnah grew especially close to two Lakeview staffers — assistant athletic director Terenee Knight and school resource officer Greg Hunter. Knight and Hunter adopted Iwunnah through Lakeview’s adopt-a-football-player program, becoming two of his biggest supporters on and off the field. Both emphasized Iwunnah’s modesty as a football player and a person.

“To see a kid who doesn’t really have any idea of how great they are, and to see that realization come about but to maintain it with such humility — there was never ego,” Knight told The Daily. “He never thought that he was as great as he is.”

***

That January call with Harbaugh wasn’t the first time Iwunnah talked with college coaches in Miller’s office, and it also wasn’t the first time Iwunnah underestimated the gravity of what he was walking into.

During the spring between his junior and senior seasons, Iwunnah received his first offer to play college football at the University of New Mexico. A Lobos coach visited Lakeview to talk with Iwunnah in person, so Miller went to pull him from class and facilitate the introduction.

On their way across the school’s grounds, Iwunnah had lots of questions. After learning they were walking to Miller’s office to sit down with a New Mexico coach, he asked Miller why the coach wanted to meet him.

“​​It was just at that moment that I realized he has no idea that he’s pretty good,” Miller said.

A few seconds later, when Iwunnah discovered that the Lobos coach wanted to recruit him for a football scholarship, he was absolutely blown away.

“He puts his hands on his head and he goes, ‘Oh my god, are you serious?’ ” Miller continued. “Like he had no clue, and the whole time I’m thinking, ‘There’s no way you’re going to the University of New Mexico. You’re better than that.’ And he is blown away by the fact that New Mexico would even be interested in him. 

“And so I said, ‘I’m gonna let you in on a secret. There are quite a few people out there that think you’re pretty good, and I happen to be one of them.’ ”

Every year, when Miller speaks to high school parents about football and recruiting, he retells Iwunnah’s story. He uses it as an example for how listening, working hard and staying true to oneself lead to once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. 

Iwunnah left a lasting legacy at Lakeview. Now, he’s trying to do the same at Michigan.

“(I want people to see) just the true me,” Iwunnah said. “Just know that I’m a beast, trying to get better, trying to show people my name. I’m trying to show the world that I’m not just a benchwarmer. I’m a guy who wants to be depended on to help this team get up to new heights.”

After waiting his turn for three years, putting in the work and leaning on his coaches, Iwunnah finally has the chance to start building his legacy as a Wolverine — all because he did things the right way.

Ellie Vice/Daily. Buy this photo.

The post After three years on the sidelines, Ike Iwunnah’s journey to playing his first snap for Michigan appeared first on The Michigan Daily.


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