Stephen Oromgbe has been searching for a culture to help cultivate his athletic prowess. He has been looking for an environment where focused veterans can show him the way.
The defensive end spent the last year at the Air Force Academy prep school found both when he visited Montana State last weekend. During his time in Bozeman, he met Montana State’s coaches, toured campus, met with academic advisers and went out to dinner.
But the experience that resonated most with Omorogbe was the time he spent with a group of Bobcats that will soon be his future teammates. After spending the weekend hosted by MSU junior defensive tackle Brandon Hayashi and meeting the majority of Montana State’s returning defensive linemen, the defensive end gave his verbal commitment to head coach Jeff Choate before leaving Bozeman on Sunday. He will enroll at Montana State, join the Bobcats in January and participate in spring drills.
“What really stuck out the most was the players on the team and what they think of the coaches speak volumes,” Omorogbe said. “They have been there and they have been in my future position. Hearing what they have to say, along with what the coaches had to say was huge.
“It’s a good group of guys, the right group of guys to do what we need to do at Montana State, get the job done to win a national championship. That was the most important part: getting a feel for the teammates and what we can accomplish together.”
The 6-foot-4 defensive end who spent the recently completed season at Air Force prep was rated as a 3-star recruit as a high school senior at River Ridge High in Woodstock, Georgia following the 2015 season. Despite only starting to play as a junior, he held offers from Air Force, Army, Colorado State, Florida International, Southern Miss, Middle Tennessee, Kent State and six of the eight schools in the Ivy League. Omorogbe, who had a 3.9 grade-point average in high school, held offers from schools like Central Arkansas, Chattanooga and James Madison, all three qualifiers for this year’s FCS playoffs.
The long, lanky edge rusher chose the Air Force. He arrived in Colorado Springs and was placed in the Academy’s prep school. The Air Force website states: “Every year, more candidates seek admission to the United States Air Force Academy than there are available appointments. Many applicants with promising potential will not be offered appointment to the Academy. From this pool, Academy admissions will select some applicants who will be offered appointment to the Prep School.”
“I figured I’d give it a shot, have a year, play some games, develop more, get a feel for the whole military thing,” Omorogbe said. “At the end of the day, it wasn’t the right fit so I started exploring my options. I went to a military school before so I knew what I was getting myself in to. The more I learned about it, the more I didn’t want to do it. It’s a great program if that’s what you want to do with your life. I just wanted to do something else.”
During his two years of high school football, Omorogbe was an upper-classmen and a standout. During his one year in prep school, his teammates were of similar age. When he decided he wanted to transfer, he went in search of a place he could find leaders to learn under in pursuit of a common goal.
“It’s humbling, especially when you go to a place where they have good leadership, good juniors and seniors,” Omorogbe said. “They’ve been in the program, they’ve seen the program change and they are willing to take you under their wing. That spoke volumes.
“This prep school year, everyone was straight out of high school so I never had anyone over me. When I started playing in high school, I was an upper classmen and I wasn’t under anybody. Having great leaders on the team, that’s what I was striving for because that’s what builds championships.”
That something else has now led Omorogbe to Montana State. The edge rusher said he is up to 265 pounds. He plans on playing defensive end at MSU, a position decimated by injury. Grant Collins started all 11 games as a sophomore at MSU’s Buck end position during a 4-7 campaign, consistently being spelled by senior Jessie Clark. The end spot opposite the Buck saw juniors Tyrone Fa’anono, Devin Jeffries and Shiloh Laboy all suffer season-ending injuries. Redshirt freshman Marcus Ferriter and true freshman Derek Marks took the bulk of the snaps at the position in 2016. Omorogbe said he has watched film of Montana State’s defensive scheme and things he will fit in well.
“I’m like 265 right now so I’m going to get my hand in the dirt and sack some quarterbacks,” Omorogbe said.
Omorogbe was one of three potential mid-year transfers who visited Montana State last weekend, each recruit brought in to address a specific need. Previously committed running back Edward Vander from Saddleback CC visited. He will be expected to compete for carries with the graduation of Chad Newell and Gunnar Brekke.
Former Washington cornerback Darren Gardenhire also visited MSU. The junior gave his verbal commitment on Twitter on Tuesday.
Omorogbe was in contact with MSU defensive line coach Byron Hout when Hout was a graduate assistant at Boise State. When Omorogbe began thinking he wanted to transfer, he looked up Hout and found out he had moved to Montana State. He reached out to Hout and it ended up leading to the official visit to Bozeman.
“The coaches have always been honest, great people, great coaching staff,” Omorogbe said. “They are doing big things and the future is looking very bright. I have complete faith in the program. I’m already 100 percent bought in. I’m ready to get there, grind hard, win some games and win a national championship.”
Omorogbe said academics is “the most important thing at the end of the day.” His tour of MSU’s campus, specifically the Jake Jabs Business School impressed him and further solidified his decision.
“The Jabs business school is just phenomenal,” Omorogbe said. “Brand new facility, excellent support staff. I’m 100 percent toward business right now. They have a great program, great focus. The facility is brand new and the best I’ve seen in the country.”
Omorogbe is a raw prospect with exceptional explosion and tremendous upside. After feeling like he wanted something different in his college football experience, Omorogbe searched, both literally and in his mind, for the right fit. He found it with the Montana State Bobcats.
“It means the world because nothing in life is guaranteed and no one owes you anything,” Omorogbe said. “Seeing hard work and sacrifice come to fruition is unbelievable.
“I’m just excited. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time, working for it, praying for it. It’s one big blessing. I can’t be thankful enough. A lot of people would die for this, a lot of people would love to have the opportunities I’ve had and that I have now. Knowing that gives me even more of a reason to chase after it and capture the vision we have here at Montana State. We are going to win a national championship. We are going to beat the Sky and own the state. It’s the biggest blessing because it’s the right time to be there. Everything has worked out perfectly. I couldn’t be more thankful.”
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Photos by courtesy of Stephen Omorogbe. All Right Reserved.
