Three-star OL Oyetade talks horses, visits, and the Hoos
It’s fair to say that in his experience as a coach, UVa’s Bronco Mendenhall has asked countless numbers of recruits and players what kinds of things they are interested in outside of just the game itself.
And while 6-foot-3, 290-pound three-star offensive lineman Ezra Oyetade is probably not the only player to answer the way he did, it had to have made the rancher within Mendenhall pretty happy.
“They asked me early on what kinds of things I like to do,” Oyetade recalled, “and what kinds of things I spend most of my time on. I told them about my horses. I have animals, I’m the president of our FFA, I also have my horses, and I’m also a part-time farrier. So I do horseshoeing and trimming. And so, when I told them that come to find out he has his own ranch and he ropes with his horses and stuff. So that was pretty cool.”
The Garland (TX) Lakeview Centennial standout isn’t being recruited because of his love of horses and roping, of course. As of now, he’s sitting on more than two dozen offers. His connection to Mendenhall and UVa, though, is multifaceted, including the relationships he’s made with the coaches, led by Garett Tujague.
“Coach Tujague is awesome,” Oyetade told CavsCorner this past weekend. “And I love Coach Mendenhall too. Me and Coach Mendenhall are into a lot of the same things. We both have horses, we both rope a little bit. So, it’s awesome to have a coach that I would be able to go out there and do that kind of stuff with. And Coach Tujague, he’s just awesome all around. He’s a very great guy, always checking up on me and making sure I’m doing good. We’ve gone over film and everything, and he’s given me pointers on different techniques and schemes that might help me to maximize my potential.”
At this point in the recruiting process, Oyetade had expected to be in the final stages. But, thanks to COVID-19, he’s still waiting for the visits he knows he needs to take.
“Of course, my recruitment is still open,” he explained. “But I’m starting to narrow down the list, taking my time of course because I’m not able to get on campus. That’s what really is making it hard to make a decision right now. I’m waiting on the opportunity to actually get on campus and physically see and know what each program has to offer me that I’m interested in.
“Yessir,” Oyetade added, when asked about having his plans altered by the pandemic. “It was a couple of visits that I had scheduled that of course are null and void now because of the virus. But, I mean, going forward I’ll have some of those that I’ll reschedule later, to October and such. So, I’m taking it slowly and exploring all of my options.”
Has that been frustrating at all?
“It is what it is,” he said simply. “It’s something that I can’t control. But I’m just trying to make the best of the situation and gain all of the information that I can, through coaches and through my own research. Eventually, I’ll take them.”
Like so many prospects this spring, he’s been able to take part invirtual visits but, while those have been extremely beneficial to some they haven’t given him enough information.
“Yes sir, I’ve been doing quite a few of those,” Oyetade said. “It’s good to actually have an idea of what the campus is like and what they have to offer, things like that. So it’s always good to get to see that and talk to all of the coaches and the nutritionists and the strength coaches and all of that stuff. I think that’s been pretty beneficial.
“They’re just not the same as being able to go and meet somebody in real life,” he added.
Once the NCAA lifts the dead period and it’s safe for him and his family to hit the road, he’s got a good idea of where he’ll be headed.
“I think once they say I can go,” Oyetade explained, “I’m most definitely going to be in Orlando, in Arizona, in Nashville, and of course Virginia. I’m going to make sure I get those out of the way and whatever else I can, whatever else I have time for.”
As far as favorites, he admits that even without visits there are those who stand out, even if he’s not in a position just yet to name them.
“I think if I really honestly had to, I could get it down,” he said. “Today, I could probably come up with a top eight. I was really planning on committing in August but obviously I can’t do that now with everything going on. So that will probably be when I cut down my list, maybe down to eight, five, or three. Then I’l focus on those schools and commit later.”
So what’s Oyetade going to be looking for as he moves forward in his recruitment?
“A family oriented team and coaching staff,” he explained, “where the coaches not only care about the success of their players on the field but also off the field as well, in the classroom and helping us to become better as people and as men. I want to find somewhere that I will enjoy myself as far as the energy or culture of the people around me. That’s what I’m really look for: Somewhere where I know, even though there are going to be good days and bad days, somewhere I know that at the end of the day I made the right decision.”
JOIN CAVSCORNER TODAY!
If you are not already a member of CavsCorner, come join us and see what all of the buzz is about.
Click HERE to subscribe and get all of the latest news and join hundreds of other UVa fans in talking about Cavalier football, basketball, and recruiting. You won't be disappointed!
