2027 LB Ohuabunwa recaps GT visit, UA Camp, recruitment

2027 linebacker CJ Ohuabunwa is one of those players that never backs down from competition. In fact, he seeks it out.

That’s why the Greater Atlanta Christian (Ga.) standout said last Sunday’s Under Armour Next All-American Camp stop at Carrollton High was a day he had been looking forward to, and afterwards he said he felt like he performed quite well against some of the top players in the Southeast.

“I think I did good. There’s always room for improvement,” Ohuabunwa told JOL in an interview after the camp. “So some reps that I lost, I was like, ‘dang, I knew what I should have done.’ But overall, I had a winning record on the day. So I mean that’s something to be proud about. These guys…this is real competition. So I knew what I was doing coming out here. I was like, ‘I’ve got to test myself. If I want to play at the next level, at the high level that I have the opportunities to play at, I’ve got to see where I’m at against them. So it was a super cool opportunity, and I’m blessed.”

Ohuabunwa added that the reps he won or lost will only serve to round him into form for what he hopes to be a great senior season at GAC.

“I think (it helps) a great amount. Not only just actually improving my skills, but also it makes me feel like I got a chip on my shoulder, almost like something to prove,” said Ohuabunwa. “I feel like I can hang with any of the guys out here. So the reps I love. I mean I’m a competitor so that’s something that’s going to drive you a little bit. I’m like, ‘all right, cool, let’s do it. This year, this senior year, we’re gonna see.'”

Ohuabunwa recaps Georgia Tech visit…

Ohuabunwa has steadily built a strong offer list in the past several months, including receiving an offer from the school right down the road, Georgia Tech, back in January. On Saturday, March 13, he got the chance to see what the Jackets had working up close during a visit for spring practice.

“I just loved being in the room, the meeting room. The inside linebackers, especially, I got to be up close. Coach Boogie (defensive coordinator Jason Semore), they call him up there…He uses a lot of lingo that I didn’t even know. So I was a little lost, if I’m being honest, but it was super cool because I’m learning. Like I’m picking up stuff that I see us do at my school. I’m picking up stuff that we can bring to my school to make us better. So the whole time I was just trying to learn. I really liked Coach Boogie. Coach (Jack) Tyler, I really liked the man he is. I liked meeting his family. I even got to meet Coach (Brent) Key. So that was cool. It was just a really cool experience overall.”

Ohuabunwa said he’s been getting to know Tyler better since getting on the phone with him several weeks ago after the new Georgia Tech defensive analyst took the job. He said he’s got the experience to be able to coach and recruit linebackers at a high level.

“The first thing the first time I talked to him on the phone he told me about all that he had done,” said Ohuabunwa. “Like he was an amazing player…All-ACC, I think. And then coached at Virginia Tech. If you just watch him, you can just tell he was a football player, the way he coaches, the way he does it. So it felt like he could connect with me and wasn’t, and he wasn’t a type of coach that’s just saying stuff. But he’s the type of coach that you’re actually going to learn from. He’s a coach that I can see myself having a personal relationship with. So you kind of believe what he says when he says it because he has done it before.”

Ohuabunwa said his quick interaction with Key is something that he remembers too.

“You see somebody like that, the way he carries himself was like, ‘yeah, I’m the head coach of Georgia Tech. This is what I do,'” said Ohuabunwa. “And then you meet him up close and he was just like, ‘how are you?’ It was quick, and he said it’s great to have you here. It’s just honestly cool to see a guy like that, that’s so known, so respected, to get to meet him, and to know that he knows who I am, wants me to.”

Ohuabunwa had one other takeaway from seeing practice at Georgia Tech, and it’s one that should make Key happy based on the observation.

“I love the intensity. They look like they get after it,” said Ohuabunwa. “Yeah, I mean, they’re supposed to be teammates. They were ready to fight each other. I was like ‘okay, that’s the type of competition they’re on. They want to win. They’re competitive. When they’re on the opposite side of the ball, they’re not teammates no more, and I can get behind that.”

Ohuabunwa breaks down visit plans, which schools are in the mix…

Following the Georgia Tech visit, Ohuabunwa said he still has a few other stops to make before the end of the spring, including Georgia, Virginia Tech, Duke and South Carolina.

As of now, he doesn’t have any official visits scheduled yet but did say that Tyler really is on him hard to schedule one at Georgia Tech soon. Ohuabunwa said the other two schools that are really pushing for OVs at the moment are Virginia Tech and Florida State, but more could emerge in the next month.