Arizona Wildcats commit KC Ossai is determined to make a name for himself

Editor’s note: The Star is profiling members of the Wildcats’ 2021 recruiting class throughout the fall.

When he arrives at Arizona next year, KC Ossai will become the third Ossai brother to play college football. It’s natural to compare one to the other. Analysts and fans do it all the time.

The five Ossai siblings — Peace, Joseph, Philip, KC and Emmanuel — are incredibly close. They have “this crazy bond,” said Peace, the eldest and the only girl.

But just because they have shared experiences and three of them are linebackers doesn’t mean they’re all the same.

“My mom says to look at your fingers,” Peace Ossai said. “Each finger is a different length. That’s how life is. That’s how people are. Everybody reaches their potential at different points. They all do different things.”

So KC’s response when asked if he’d like to play with big brother Joseph, a star defensive player at Texas, probably shouldn’t come as a surprise.

“I don’t think so, no,” KC Ossai said. “I feel like … every time my name is said, his name is said. I love my brother, but I want to do my own thing.”

A senior at Oak Ridge High School in Conroe, Texas, KC Ossai might blow up this fall. To date, Arizona represents his only offer from a Power Five school. He committed to the Wildcats on Aug. 2.

If Texas offered him, he’d have to think about it. Who wouldn’t? But, as Oak Ridge coach Mark Schmid put it, KC doesn’t want to be given anything just because of who his brother is.

“That’s KC. He doesn’t want to ride anybody’s coattails,” Schmid said. “He wants to do it himself. … He wants to be his own guy.”

KC tied the Oak Ridge record with a 335-pound power clean in early March. Joseph had set the mark. KC hasn’t been tested since, but he’s confident he could beat it.

The Ossai brothers might not enjoy comparisons, but they love to compete with one another.

“Of course,” KC Ossai said. “I feel like I’m the best Ossai to come through.”

Coming to America

KC Ossai’s full name is Favour Kelechi Ossai. His mother, Emmanuela, used to call him “KC, my man” when he was young. All of the Ossai siblings have English and Nigerian names.

The four eldest siblings — all but Emmanuel — were born in Nigeria. They spent their early childhood in Ketu, Lagos. KC barely knew his father, Vitus, who had to travel abroad to find work to provide money for his family. Vitus spent about five years in the United Kingdom.

Emmanuela worked as a contractor. She often was away. Peace had to take care of her brothers, and they had to take care of themselves. She recalled walking to church with KC on her back. Joseph held one of her hands, Philip the other.

“We never saw it necessarily as a struggle,” said Peace Ossai, a junior at the University of Houston. “It was our normal.”

“I’m very grateful that we were able to grow up like that,” KC Ossai said. “I see the world in a whole different way. I know the opportunity I have right now is nothing small.”

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That opportunity came about through good fortune.

As detailed in a profile on Joseph Ossai in the Austin American-Statesmen, Emmanuela applied for the U.S. Diversity Visa Program about 13 years ago. To her surprise, she was selected. She had about a 1-in-400 chance. In 2017, the most recent year for which the data is available, almost 20 million people applied for U.S. visas. About 50,000 were granted.

Peace Ossai couldn’t believe it. The reality set in when her father returned from the U.K. to join the family for its journey to America.

“OK,” said Peace, who was 11 at the time, “we are actually doing this.”

The Ossais arrived in Houston in late 2009. At first, they lived in a hotel. Vitus worked at a gas station. He then got a job at the correctional facility in Huntsville. The family rented an apartment. The Ossais now have a house. Vitus started his own business. They are the embodiment of what the American dream is supposed to be.

The boys didn’t take to American football at first. It reminded KC of rugby, and he didn’t like rugby. Soccer was the preferred sport in the Ossai household.

But KC started playing football with his new classmates at recess. He didn’t know the rules – at first, when guarding a receiver, he would just hold him – but the game grew on him. His older brothers were playing too. It was fun. And you got to hit people.

“Just being able to physically dominate the person in front of you,” KC Ossai said, “and then let them know about it after you do it.”

Joseph eventually would earn a scholarship at Texas. Philip would land at Houston Baptist. KC, unsurprisingly, chose a different path.

Man in the middle

Recruiting is about relationships, and the relationship between the Ossai family and Kevin Sumlin helped Arizona land a commitment from KC. Sumlin had recruited Joseph Ossai while at Texas A&M. He chose Texas, in part because A&M had fired Sumlin.

Sumlin and the staffers he brought from A&M “knew my mom, my dad, my whole family,” KC Ossai said. “So it just clicked for me. They know me; I know them. I know what they’re doing.”

Like every recruit across the country, Ossai hasn’t had a chance to make any visits since the coronavirus pandemic struck. But he has been in regular contact with UA defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads and special-teams coach Jeremy Springer and appreciates how they have kept up with him. The NCAA this week extended its “dead period” through the end of the year, precluding all in-person recruiting.

Oak Ridge is scheduled to open its season Friday. Ossai is set to debut at a new position, middle linebacker. He played outside linebacker last season.

Schmid believes Ossai is perfectly suited for the job. Ossai, who is 6-2 and 240 pounds, has been timed in 4.7 seconds in the 40-yard dash, Schmid said. He trusts Ossai to carry out the middle linebacker’s responsibilities, which include deciphering offensive formations and adjusting defensive fronts.

“He does things the right way,” Schmid said. “He’s not a shortcut guy. He does a great job in the classroom and an exceptional job in the weight room to prepare himself to be the best student-athlete he can be. He’s a natural leader.”

The Ossai siblings are unique individuals – each a finger of a different length – but they all know about hard work. They watched their parents build their home in Nigeria from the ground up. They took care of one another when Vitus and Emmanuela were gone. They’re thriving in a faraway land.

“We learned to fight for what we want, to put in the sweat and tears,” Peace Ossai said. “I’ve seen that in my brothers. Nothing has been handed to them.

“People say we have crazy genes. It’s not just that. You can be blessed with talent, but if you don’t put in the work, someone can beat you. We have that mindset. Our family’s been through a lot.”