Huskies offer Minnesota DT a worthy nickname
As far as one can tell, Jide Abasiri doesn’t yet have a catchy nickname.
“Nigerian King” is taken.
That belongs to University of Washington senior linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio, who has fully recovered from arm and knee surgery and looks set to reclaim a prominent role in Husky defense.
His teammates like to call him that out of respect and with a certain joy of playing.
“Nigerian Nightmare” also belongs to someone else.
Chinedu Onyeagoro, a prolific edge rusher for the King/Drew Magnet School for Medicine and Science in Los Angeles, wears this hold gifted to him by his trainer.
Onyeagoro from class 2025 received a UW offer in November.
Here comes Abasiri, also of Nigerian descent with his family, but someone who is still rising in prominence as an American football player.
He’s only been playing the game for a season, but he’s getting the hang of it pretty quickly and college recruiters are taking notice.
On Friday, the Huskies expanded a scholarship offer for the 6-foot-6, 270-pound defensive tackle from Prior Lake, Minnesota without requiring him to be baptized for his heritage.
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However, should it come to that, how about Nigerian Nastiness? Or the neighboring Nigerian?”
Shingled or bare, the 3-star recruit from the Class of 2024 now has offers from his home state of Minnesota, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Central Michigan and the Huskies. He has visited Notre Dame but is still awaiting an offer from the Irish.
He’s coming off that lone football season with 34 tackles, including a pair of tackles for loss, for a Prior Lake High team that went 6-4, all 20 miles southwest of Minneapolis.
Recruiting analysts are wowed by Abasiri for his stature and elite speed.
The Huskies are also fond of defensive tackles from Minnesota, having recently signed 6-foot-3, 295-pound freshman Elinneus Davis of Moorhead, a suburb of Fargo, North Dakota, but only across the state line.
As for that missing moniker, he may be the “newest Nigerian” should he choose UW.
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