Learning to Lead: The Brian Ugwu Story

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When Rutgers defensive lineman Brian Ugwu entered the transfer portal in the spring of 2022, he wasn't sure what he was going to find. After only appearing in three total games —all in a special teams role— during three seasons with the Big Ten's Scarlet Knights, and coming off an ACL injury, Ugwu didn't have a lot of highlights to share with prospective suitors.

"I entered the portal with only some practice film, and I was still recovering from that injury, so I went in there with blind faith," Ugwu said. "I didn't know what was going to come out of it… Brian Ugwu

"For Miami to just believe in me and take a chance on me was an amazing feeling."

Ugwu's faith was rewarded, as it didn't take long for him to find a new home in Oxford, Ohio with the RedHawks. After not playing a defensive snap in a game for four years, since his time at Hillside High in New Jersey, Ugwu promptly recorded a sack in his Miami debut (at Kentucky against future NFL quarterback Will Levis) and hasn't looked back since.

Ugwu has appeared in all 40 games for the Red and White over the past three seasons, including two MAC Championship Game appearances and a 2023 title, and has helped Miami to a 25-15 record (.625 win %) in that span. A two-time All-Conference selection, Ugwu earned First-Team honors this fall after producing 14 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks, and now ranks fifth in program history in career sacks (20.5). He will wrap up his RedHawk career with a third bowl game in three seasons as Miami takes on Colorado State in the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl (Dec. 28 in Tucson, Ariz.).

"A pretty amazing get," said head coach Chuck Martin of adding Ugwu to his defensive line in 2022. "We were really the only ones that recruited him [out of the portal]…I knew he was twitchy and athletic: I saw that in those seven practice clips!

Brian Ugwu at Bowling Green

"I guess I hoped he could be this good, but I didn't know…he found his right fit here, and has obviously thrived on and off the field. He's been one of the best players in the league since."

The son of Nigerian immigrants in New Jersey, Ugwu grew up playing soccer and only had one season of youth football experience before reaching high school and picking up the sport once again. He originally started high school ball as a quarterback, but has transitioned instead to hunting down quarterbacks – something he's quite good at.

"For my position, sacks and tackles for loss are obviously the best part of our job," Ugwu smiled. "It's a great feeling when you get the quarterback down to the ground…especially if you can [force] a fumble and get the ball out.

"For me, that's like my touchdown."

Miami defensive line coach Corey Brown was on staff at Rutgers during Ugwu's freshman season in 2019 and has seen his pupil's growth and development firsthand over several years. "The first thing that makes him a prospect is he plays with power," Brown said. "He loves to play the game. As a freshman, he still had the same tenacity playing the game, but he has just added to his skill set.

"You talk about his love of the game and how hard he plays it, but then he kept adding technique to it and getting better and better each year."

Ugwu, who earned a degree in Liberal Studies from Miami last year, has also grown as a leader during his time with Miami Football.

"When I first came to college, I was young and just wanting to play," he said. "But since I came here, I've seen myself evolve into a natural leader. I feel like the team naturally follows me, and it's a great responsibility that I'm happy to have."

Brian Ugwu

That particular skill of Ugwu's was never more apparent than in a fiery, impromptu postgame speech to his teammates after an October 2023 home loss to Toledo, where the RedHawks not only suffered their first defeat in seven weeks but also lost veteran quarterback Brett Gabbert to a season-ending broken leg.

"I remember walking into the locker room and seeing all of the sad, down and depressed faces. It sounded like a ghost town; you could hear a pin drop. I just had a feeling inside me that I had to rally my team together and talk to them. That moment was special," Ugwu recalled.

"I reminded everybody who we are, what we'd done so far, and that we can't let this single loss define our whole season…yes, we would love to have Brett here, but there's a reason why we have so many good players on this team. No matter who goes down, the next person is ready to step up and lead the way.

"We still have a chance to do something great here. We still have a chance to win a championship. We still have a chance to play Toledo again…and as soon as I started talking, the energy and the morale and the faces of everybody on the team was getting better, and I just felt a huge spark…

Brian Ugwu at Toledo

"From that speech, to go on and win every single game after, and then the championship, was a great feeling."

"In our darkest moment, he's the one talking to the whole team," Martin said. "He was just yelling: 'We are NOT going to lose another game!'…

"I came in [postgame] with no idea what to say to my team…and I turn into the locker room and hear some kid screaming, and I'm like, 'Ugwu's talking?'

"Then when he got done, I'm like, 'Well, that's way better than I could have done.'…That was it. I didn't say anything. I was like, 'We're gonna do what Brian said. We're gonna stick together and we're gonna find a way; that's who we are.'"

From that pivotal day, Miami reeled off five straight wins, culminating with a 23-14 victory over Toledo in the title game rematch at Ford Field last December.

"You can't teach leadership," Martin added. "Brian was always a guy that people gravitated to…but that was a huge moment. It's easy to lead when things are going good. But that wasn't a great moment for Miami Football. For him to step up and be an incredible leader, he set the tone for the rest of the season."

Now, with a degree in one hand and a championship ring on the other, Ugwu will turn his attention after next weekend's bowl game to pursuing his professional football dreams as he begins training for the 2025 NFL Draft. He hopes to get invited to all-star games or the scouting combine, where he can continue to display the trademark effort, speed and strength that he's shown during his time with the Red and White.

"For my position, I might not be the biggest. I might not be 280 [pounds]. I might not be the tallest. I might not be 6-foot-6. But I feel like every offensive lineman that goes against me realizes how good of a player I am at the end of the game," said Ugwu. "Because I'm always coming at you…for me, it's my relentlessness and my determination on every play." Brian Ugwu

No matter what the next chapter of his life and career has in store, Ugwu will always be thankful for the formative years he spent in southwest Ohio. "Miami changed my life," he said simply. "Since being here, an upward trend of my abilities has been shown, and Miami gave me the platform to do that…

"I'm so grateful for Miami and the opportunity that I have here. It's amazing to see how much I've grown from when I first got here to now.

"And I'm just excited for what the future holds."

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Miami Football will battle Colorado State in the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl Presented by Gin & Juice By Dre and Snoop on Saturday, Dec. 28 in Tucson, Ariz. The game will kick off at 4:30 p.m. ET at Arizona Stadium and be broadcast on The CW Network. Tickets are available here. For more information and the latest updates, check out MiamiRedHawks.com's Bowl Central page.

Players Mentioned

Brett Gabbert

Brian Ugwu

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