EWU roverback J.J. Njoku makes the most of his senior year
Eight weeks ago, when Eastern Washington roverback Cole Karstetter crumpled to the turf, his backup felt the hurt too.
It was the pain of a torn Achilles tendon, followed by the despair of missing the game you love – for an entire season.
“The way he went down, it was very similar to what I went through,” said J.J. Njoku, who didn’t have time to dwell on the past and the year he lost in 2014 to the same injury.
Instead, Njoku did his job; he rushed onto the turf at the FargoDome and took Karstetter’s place.
“It’s one of those things – you have to be ready to roll,” said Njoku, who as a senior has finally reaped the rewards after years of missed chances, injuries and other setbacks.
Now he’s in the middle of the action – although at 5 feet, 9 inches, he’s easy to miss.
“Every time I see my dad, I have to give him grief, all my uncles are 6 feet or above,” Njoku said. “I say, ‘Hey, you couldn’t hook me up with couple more inches?’ ”
Short on height, the 200-pound Njoku is fast gaining stature with the third-ranked Eagles. As roverback, he’s the linchpin of Eastern’s 4-2-5 defense, dropping back in coverage on one play and “playing with the big boys” on third-and-short.
“I think that because of my height, my football IQ is higher,” Njoku said. “If I can learn my opponents’ weaknesses, then I have an edge.”
That kind of confidence propelled Njoku to big dreams after a stellar high school career in Tacoma. Disdaining scholarship offers from several Division II schools, he walked on at Washington State thanks to the financial support from his parents, Jonas and Jodie.
Njoku impressed the coaches enough to make the travel squad on special teams. Coach Mike Leach’s first home game at WSU in 2012 was also Njoku’s – against none other than Eastern Washington.
“I was blessed to be a part of that, playing D-I as a true freshman,” said Njoku.
It didn’t last. Njoku didn’t see eye to eye with his position coach, and he fell into a funk – a strange emotion for an outgoing personality whose life ambition is to be a talk-show host.
“No hard feelings, but when the season was over, I didn’t think Pullman was my place,” said Njoku, who took spring term off and returned home.
He spent that summer of 2013 loading trucks with men twice his age – a sure way to reconsider going back to college. Dave Miller, his coach at Lakes High, recommended Eastern.
Njoku visited that winter, felt at home and enrolled as a walk-on. The good feeling lasted until the eve of spring ball.
“I planted and stepped wrong – thought I just twisted my ankle at first,” said Njoku, who soon got the bad news: a torn Achilles.
Njoku came back better than ever in 2015, playing on special teams and seeing action at roverback and strongside linebacker; he also earned a partial scholarship.
“He’s one of those guys you love rooting for,” coach Beau Baldwin said. “He’s also meant a lot to the culture in the locker room.”
“He’s also a grinder and a smart football player; mentally he’s always dialed in, and that allows him to play at such a high level.”
The biggest high came in the season opener at WSU, where the visitor’s locker room once served the home team before Martin Stadium was remodeled.
“It was just a surreal feeling … now I’m a senior about to play against the same guys I came in with at Wazzu,” Njoku said.
The goosebumps struck again two weeks later, when Njoku got his first start – at Roos Field against Northern Iowa.
Njoku has 24 tackles, including two for loss, and a pair of pass breakups, but the highlight was a fumble that helped turn the tide in a 41-17 win at Montana State.
“A lot of things have happened for me, and things couldn’t be better for me,” Njoku said.