He walked in with a smile; and a swagger that belies his age. On his 17th birthday, and America’s 249th Anniversary, Felix Akoladebobola Ojo stepped up to the stage to formally announce the University he will commit to for his tertiary education and football representation.
A student of Lake Ridge High School in the Dallas Metroplex, Texas, Felix is blessed by nature. Standing 6ft 7in tall, he weighs a decent 84kg (185lb). Natural gifts for any aspiring athlete in America’s major sports of American Football, Basketball and Baseball.
To these gifts, he added the essentials for success. Hardwork, commitment, enthusiasm and teachability. In a world where kids can easily be led astray by all the glitz and glamour of social media, young Felix Ojo kept his feet firmly on the ground, aided by the values that his loving family have firmly entrenched.
Ojo’s planned commitment had gripped University Football enthusiasts for several months. Highly recruited across the country, he received 50 sports scholarship offers. Yes, you read that right – 50 Universities queued up to get him to commit to attending their school. All did so with varying levels of financial incentives, in addition to the all-expense paid scholarship on offer.
Where will he end up? Which University will have the honour of his commitment? America watched. America waited. Yet the Boy Wonder took his time. Along with close family, he undertook a tour of many of the Universities that were literally chasing him, again all-expense paid. The shortlist of schools he visited officially were all big guns. Michigan; Ohio; Mississippi; Texas; Colorado; Utah. Apart from these, he had also “unofficially” visited several others. They all rolled out the red carpet. They all offered impressive financial incentives for someone so young. They all wheeled out their current sports scholars, alumni, and staff to woo him. They all left nothing to chance.
After the long tours, he sat down with his family. Dad, Mum, Brothers and Sister. For though he was born in America, Felix Ojo has been brought up and guided by the age-long mores and ethos of the Yoruba people of Nigeria. On his X (formerly Twitter) handle, he proudly displays the Nigerian flag to acknowledge his roots. His middle name, which translates to “one who receives honour and brings wealth”, often shortened to “Bobola”, is the name by which the family calls him. Dad and Mum, living in America for some 3 decades, know the country and system very well. His older brothers, Patrick and Phillips, had also got sports scholarships from their universities. The former with Oklahoma State University, and the latter with University of Houston.
This was the loving family that Felix sought counsel from. He outlined his priorities. He wants a university where he will get an immediate chance to play, learn and grow, and not one where he will be stuck in the dungeon of reserves. He wants a university with a warm and friendly culture. He wants a university with the desire to win and make impact. All reasonable desires, showing him to be a thinker and strategist even at 16. In addition, he expressed his desire to make the announcement on his birthday. July 4th.
A couple of weeks to the big announcement, several blogs and social media sites spread the word that Felix had reduced his options to 4 Universities. Texas; Michigan; Ohio; and Florida. This was no surprise, for 5-Star recruits like Felix almost always end up with one of these. So where else was he going to end up but one of these Universities?
But whenever he was cornered by one of the many media outlets detailed to cover him, Felix Ojo gave little away. He eulogised each school, talked of the enriching experiences he had while visiting them all, and gave the impression of someone to whom such a situation was common. He was unfused and unconcerned about the excitement that he was causing, and the competition that had ensued between the fans of the various Universities seeking his signature. Then came July 4th. Time for his announcement. Right inside his High School. Caps of the “Final 4” Universities were arrayed on the table. Mum and Dad flanked him. He sat down with a wide grin. Facing him were the media; students and staff of Lake Ridge; and family and friends, many of whom had undertaken long trips within the country to witness the big day.
He started out by giving a picture of his journey. He gave thanks to Mum and Dad for their sacrifices and support. He thanked his Teachers and School Mates. Everyone who needed to get a mention got one. He then proceeded to tease everyone by picking one of the caps on the table. That got the whole hall in a frenzy. Those present rushed to post on the social media handles. But almost immediately, he announced that he was only kidding.
“So which school are you committing to?”, everyone wondered. His grin widened even more. He rubbed his hands together. Then he dropped one of his hands, reached out to his Mum who silently stretched out a cap to him. To the astonishment of almost everyone in the room, Felix announced that he had picked Texas Tech University. Not one of the Big 4. But one of the rising Universities, one that has been making huge investments in its sports programme.
The news spread like wildfire. “Felix Ojo commits to Texas Tech”. Some crazy figures were thrown in the mix, from $2.5m to $5.5m over 3 years. No small amount for a school boy. More than enough money to get started in life. There was joy and celebration in the camp of Texas Tech. Sadness amongst the “losers”.
Did he go for the money? Why Texas Tech amongst all the 50 offers? As speculations spread across America, Felix told Moor Sports that it all came down to his keen desire to immediately get into the team and start playing. Of all the schools, Texas Tech openly guaranteed this. With a vision to get into the NFL in 3 years, he did not wish to lose time learning and growing from on-field experience and to immediately make impact. That ultimately clinched the decision. Oh, the money will help too. He is not denying that!
So Felix Ojo will wear the colours of the Red Raiders from 2026. In doing so, he will carry along the prayers of his family, and best wishes of the growing number of Nigerians, nay Africans, who are taking to the sport of American Football.
We wish him luck!
References
- “Texas Tech closing July as one of the hottest high school recruiting teams nationally”. By Jerred Johnson for Sports illustrated, 25 July 2025
- “Felix Ojo, $5.1 Million Commit, Has Two-Word Reaction to Texas Tech’s Recruiting Win” Story by Dean Koutouratsas for Athlon Sports. 25 July 2025
- “Felix Ojo Slips In Recruiting Rankings After an update to the 2026 rankings” Story by JD Andress. July 14, 2025
- “Five-star OT Felix Ojo commits to Texas Tech, lands $5.1M deal” Story by Eli Lederman for ESPN, July 4, 2025
Follow this link to subscribe to Moor Sportz’s YouTube channel https://youtube.com/@moorsportz?si=dX5Qa3yP5EMexoIJ
You can also find us on the Twitter and Instagram too, our coloured brand logo is unmistakable in the search engines.
Please note that we don’t have the copyright ownership of the photos here.
Edited by Kehinde Fagbuaro
