How a Vanderbilt quarterback helped TCU football’s Namdi Obiazor play one more season
Like many of the junior college football players from the Class of 2022, TCU linebacker Namdi Obiazor thought 2024 would be his final season.
Obiazor had a solid season with 81 tackles, 2.5 sacks and an interception and he was about to turn his attention to the NFL until Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia took on the NCAA.
In December Pavia sued the NCAA over eligibility rules for former junior college players — namely, how many years those athletes are eligible to play in Division I.
Pavia was granted a preliminary injunction on Dec. 18 and while the NCAA appealed the injunction, the governing body also granted a blanket waiver for all junior college players with expiring eligibility in the 2024-25 season including Obiazor. Even before the waiver was granted, Obiazor had an idea he may have another year to come back due to his history with Pavia.
“I first saw Pavia get his granted first and that kind of put the thought into my head,” Obiazor said. “I played him my last JuCo game in the national championship so I kind of knew we had the same timeline. So if he got an extra year, I knew it would be possible that I could end up getting a year.
“Once it got granted for everybody I figured another year here would be a great opportunity for me for many different reasons.”
After joining TCU from Iowa Western Community College, Obiazor has had a solid career for the Horned Frogs. He’s one of the few remaining players from the 2022 team that reached the national championship game and he started two of the 15 games he played in as a safety.
The last two seasons Obiazor made the transition to linebacker, being named honorable mention All-Big 12 in 2023. Obiazor’s experience playing multiple positions gives him plenty of versatility, but one reason he wanted to come back to Fort Worth is to show scouts that he can be an every down linebacker.
“I felt like another year would benefit me for next year in the NFL,” Obiazor said. “I had a position change, I only played two years as a linebacker. All the stuff I heard from the NFL was that I’m a bit of a tweener, some people still have me as a STAR, what I was playing in the old defense, and some people view me as a WILL (weakside) linebacker.
“I think another year of playing WILL and showing people what I can do as a real inside backer instead of being more an outside backer.”
The various position changes have continually forced Obiazor to continue to improve his game. Since working under defensive coordinator Andy Avalos, Obiazor has seen growth in how he processes the game.
“I feel like I’ve grown the most with our new DC is some of the pre-snap stuff,” Obiazor said. “Being able to get cheats on plays and know what the offense is doing. When I was playing DB or when I was playing STAR, I studied the game, but I had more of a see ball, get ball mentality.
“Now with the new DC, the stuff they’re trying to teach us is to get the pre-snap cheats so you know what they’re about to do before they do it and you get a jump on the play.”
Obiazor’s decision is mutually beneficial for the Horned Frogs. Not only does he get a chance to continue to improve his draft stock, TCU also gets back one of its most talented and experienced players.
Obiazor returning along with star safety Bud Clark gives TCU a wealth of production and leadership. It’s also increased expectations for a defense that took its game to another level in the final seven games of the season.
“I feel like the defense has great potential next year,” Obiazor said. “In pretty much every room, we’re set, we’re deep. We got guys that can replace the stars that get tired, so I feel like that’s very important. There’s also the experience, I played with Bud every year here so it feels good to come back and play with him.”
This story was originally published February 20, 2025 at 9:24 AM.
