Boston College football has lost a number of important coaches and players to the Mid-American Conference over the last several years. After former offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler took over as head coach at Bowling Green in late 2018, running back Davon Jones and quarterbacks Matt McDonald and Darius Wade all followed him there.
The flow of Eagles to the MAC reversed course on Wednesday, as Buffalo defensive lineman Chibueze Onwuka announced on Wednesday that he would be joining BC as a graduate transfer.
Onwuka starred at defensive tackle for the Bulls during the 2019 season, racking up 43 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks, earning himself a spot on the All-MAC Third Team.
Although he enjoyed a successful high school football career, Onwuka started his experience as a college athlete playing a different sport, as he wrestled for Niagara County Community College during his freshman year. Onwuka then transferred to Buffalo, joining the football team as a walk-on.
He filled in as a rotation defensive tackle for his first two years on the team, amassing a total of six starts, five tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks between the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
Onwuka joins an Eagles defensive line unit that struggled during the 2019 season. The BC defense ranked 110th in sacks per game and 100th in opponent yards per rush in the FBS.
With Tanner Karafa graduating, Onwuka will line up next to TJ Rayam, who started 11 games at defensive tackle for the Eagles last season and made 6.5 tackles for loss.
Onwuka is not the only newcomer to the Eagles defensive line room this offseason. In January, Jeff Hafley hired Vince Oghobaase away from UCLA to become the new defensive line coach on the Heights.
Featured Image by Maggie DiPatri / Heights Editor
