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Out of nowhere, 2018 DE Eyabi Anoma becomes top-10 prospect
Out of nowhere, 2018 DE Eyabi Anoma becomes top-10 prospect
After collecting 24 sacks and more than 60 tackles in 2016, Eyabi Anoma (No. 9) has burst upon the national recruiting scene. St. Frances Academy athletics
It’s pretty hard these days for an elite prospect to go unnoticed. That is, of course, unless this is his first year playing football.
Meet 6-foot-5, 230-pound junior defensive end Eyabi Anoma.
After amassing 24 sacks and more than 60 tackles in 2016, the St. Frances Academy (Baltimore), Anoma has gone from a complete unknown to a top national recruit in just 12 games.
“This is my first year playing a real season of football,” said Anoma. “I had always had passion for it, but the school I was at (Randallstown, Maryland), I wasn’t going to get anything out of it. … Last year I only played basketball, but then I had the chance to come to St. Frances Academy, and [the coaches] said it would be a different opportunity and program.”
St. Frances head coach Henry Russell was not surprised by the season Anoma had.
“The question I had was would Eyabi be physical,” said Russell. “Well, he is absolutely a physical player. He is very focused. He wants to be good and do it the right way. He was raw in the beginning but willing to work and learn. He’s a guy you dream about having at defensive end.”
And now Anoma finds himself No. 9 in the ESPN Junior 300.
“I’m always looking to improve,” Anoma said. “I try to maximize everything I do. Even when people say someone is great, you can always improve. I want to get quicker, and I need to get stronger.”
There’s also a lingering competition in the Anoma family.
“I have six sisters. One of my sisters, Amiya, won state in the triple jump last year and has a lot of colleges recruiting her. She put pressure on me. She made a bet about who would get more offers this year.”
With coaches diving into the 2018 and 2019 recruiting classes, Eyabi Anoma is piling up offers and well on his way to winning the bet.
“I don’t even know how many offers I have. I know I have South Carolina, Maryland, Penn State, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Syracuse, and I think Ohio State,” he said. “… [The recruiting process] is so interesting. You don’t want to let people down. I feel like I’m in a movie. I didn’t know it would be like this already.”
According to Russell, who formerly coached at Gilman where a number of national recruits came through the program, college coaches have been blown away by St. Frances’ junior star.
“The college coaches are in shock, to be honest. South Carolina, Maryland, Penn State and some others have come by recently recruiting some of our seniors and they are like, 'Where did this kid come from?'" Russell said. “We put on the tape of Eyabi and the college coaches can’t believe it. Eyabi also takes pride in school. I think he has close to a 3.5 grade point-average this semester. He’s very bright and he’s working hard.”
Having grown up a basketball player and fan, Anoma is just beginning to look at recruiting from a football standpoint. Having grown up a Toronto Raptors and UCLA basketball fan, the electric pass-rusher has his eyes on the Pac-12.
“I do want to go see the Pac-12 schools,” Anoma said. “They are more diverse, but I really am open to everyone that offers me.”
Already a top-10 prospect and on the fast track to being offered by every top program in the country, the next question will be just how good Anoma can be.
“He’s right there with any I’ve seen in the last eight years around here,” Russell said. “We had Cyrus Jones at Gilman and Cyrus may have been farther ahead as a player right now, but Eyabi has the ability to be a dominant player.”
Out of nowhere, 2018 DE Eyabi Anoma becomes top-10 prospect
Out of nowhere, 2018 DE Eyabi Anoma becomes top-10 prospect
After collecting 24 sacks and more than 60 tackles in 2016, Eyabi Anoma (No. 9) has burst upon the national recruiting scene. St. Frances Academy athletics
It’s pretty hard these days for an elite prospect to go unnoticed. That is, of course, unless this is his first year playing football.
Meet 6-foot-5, 230-pound junior defensive end Eyabi Anoma.
After amassing 24 sacks and more than 60 tackles in 2016, the St. Frances Academy (Baltimore), Anoma has gone from a complete unknown to a top national recruit in just 12 games.
“This is my first year playing a real season of football,” said Anoma. “I had always had passion for it, but the school I was at (Randallstown, Maryland), I wasn’t going to get anything out of it. … Last year I only played basketball, but then I had the chance to come to St. Frances Academy, and [the coaches] said it would be a different opportunity and program.”
St. Frances head coach Henry Russell was not surprised by the season Anoma had.
“The question I had was would Eyabi be physical,” said Russell. “Well, he is absolutely a physical player. He is very focused. He wants to be good and do it the right way. He was raw in the beginning but willing to work and learn. He’s a guy you dream about having at defensive end.”
And now Anoma finds himself No. 9 in the ESPN Junior 300.
“I’m always looking to improve,” Anoma said. “I try to maximize everything I do. Even when people say someone is great, you can always improve. I want to get quicker, and I need to get stronger.”
There’s also a lingering competition in the Anoma family.
“I have six sisters. One of my sisters, Amiya, won state in the triple jump last year and has a lot of colleges recruiting her. She put pressure on me. She made a bet about who would get more offers this year.”
With coaches diving into the 2018 and 2019 recruiting classes, Eyabi Anoma is piling up offers and well on his way to winning the bet.
“I don’t even know how many offers I have. I know I have South Carolina, Maryland, Penn State, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Syracuse, and I think Ohio State,” he said. “… [The recruiting process] is so interesting. You don’t want to let people down. I feel like I’m in a movie. I didn’t know it would be like this already.”
According to Russell, who formerly coached at Gilman where a number of national recruits came through the program, college coaches have been blown away by St. Frances’ junior star.
“The college coaches are in shock, to be honest. South Carolina, Maryland, Penn State and some others have come by recently recruiting some of our seniors and they are like, 'Where did this kid come from?'" Russell said. “We put on the tape of Eyabi and the college coaches can’t believe it. Eyabi also takes pride in school. I think he has close to a 3.5 grade point-average this semester. He’s very bright and he’s working hard.”
Having grown up a basketball player and fan, Anoma is just beginning to look at recruiting from a football standpoint. Having grown up a Toronto Raptors and UCLA basketball fan, the electric pass-rusher has his eyes on the Pac-12.
“I do want to go see the Pac-12 schools,” Anoma said. “They are more diverse, but I really am open to everyone that offers me.”
Already a top-10 prospect and on the fast track to being offered by every top program in the country, the next question will be just how good Anoma can be.
“He’s right there with any I’ve seen in the last eight years around here,” Russell said. “We had Cyrus Jones at Gilman and Cyrus may have been farther ahead as a player right now, but Eyabi has the ability to be a dominant player.”
