Jide Abasiri begged his parents to let him play football, starting in elementary school. They reminded him, with each rejection, of potential injury and the importance of education.
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So, he made a risky, secretive decision. Abasiri, encouraged by his friends, attended a football practice his freshman year of high school in Minnesota without his parents’ knowledge.
“He went and registered and never discussed it with us,” Abasiri’s father, Eric Okpala, said. “Never let any of us know because he knows that if we know, we’re not going to support him.
“But he went and registered and finally we gave up. We said, OK, if that’s what he wants to do, then let’s give him the chance.”
A late start and hesitation from his parents, who are Nigerian immigrants, couldn’t hold him back. While his three older brothers are deep into medical school, the 6-foot-5, 280-pound junior has forged his own path as a critical piece of USC’s defense and one of the Trojans’ highest-rated 2027 NFL draft prospects.
He’s Pro Football Focus’ No. 18 pass rusher in the defensive interior and has rushed the passer on 128 out of 131 passing snaps faced. ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid listed him as one of his top 50 draft prospects at the start of October.
“I just remind myself where I came from,” Abasiri said. “You have to work super hard to come to a place like this. I remind myself to always keep that fire lit inside of me, and remember my roots.”
A perfect fit
The Prior Lake High School football players’ hands were mittened and gloved as they gathered around sideline heaters. The coaches were doing all they could to keep them game-ready in snow, sub-zero temperatures and a biting, 15-below wind chill during a state quarterfinal roughly seven years ago.
“We as coaches still talk about that being the coldest game we’ve ever been a part of,” Prior Lake head coach Matt Gegenheimer said.
Football season doesn’t seem to get quite as cold anymore, he said, but the Minnesota style of play has changed little over the years. It’s a physical, run-oriented game that still occasionally features a Wing-T offense, and its toughness matches that of the brisk elements that teams face.
It was a precursor to the pressures we now see from Abasiri on Saturdays. He fit right in as a natural hard worker, despite only starting football his first year of high school.
He played on the freshman team, then was moved up to varsity his sophomore year due to his natural size and athleticism. As he advanced into his junior and senior seasons, raw talent wasn’t enough to counter the strong fundamentals and football IQ that opposing players possessed.
“It was during his junior year where he was really starting to figure it out,” Gegenheimer said. “For a while it was like, raw talent and being able to hold his gap or hold his own. And then all of a sudden it turned into, ‘Not only am I going to hold my own, but I’m going to go make a play.’”
Abasiri began to study the technical side of football, acting on curiosity and asking questions as he stacked film sessions and, perhaps most influentially, joined the wrestling team.
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Clips of University of Minnesota’s Gable Steveson, an NCAA champion and Olympic gold medalist, as well as Penn State NCAA champion Anthony Cassar interlaced with football film as Abasiri learned the intricacies of body awareness, leverage and hand-fighting.
“My football coach said it might be good, so I gave it a shot because I knew one of the upperclassmen,” said Abasiri, who wrestled at heavyweight and also competed in track and field. “I’m definitely a lot more flexible because of wrestling, and it definitely helped with conditioning.”
Wrestling also reinforced the discipline and work ethic he already had, and would prove to be a tipping point in the recruiting process.
Taking a risk
Abasiri is one of just five USC football players to come from the state of Minnesota in the past 20 years. He’s the star of the “alumni in college football” page of the Prior Lake football website, with a photo of him in a four-point stance wearing a Trojans uniform kicking off a slideshow that takes up over half the page.
And yet, head coach Lincoln Riley felt like he was taking a risk by recruiting him.
Abasiri had raw talent, without a doubt, and agility to go with his strength. It was his humility and drive that settled any doubts that he could develop into a polished football player who can succeed in the defensive world of college football that is becoming increasingly technical.
“Some guys, you just feel a different level of hunger,” said Riley, whose No. 16 Trojans (6-1 overall, 3-1 Big Ten) play at Wisconsin (4-2, 2-1) on Saturday. “There’s a confidence past his physical skills that this guy’s gonna find a way to be good. His sense of where he was at and the work it was going to take to get it done and that he was going to have to have some patience … and grow and probably have some missteps a long way.
“We left it thinking, like, there’s a little bit of a risk. But man, it’s hard to bet against this kid.”
Little has changed about Abasiri’s character. He worked with director of sports performance Trumain Carroll in the offseason to lose 15 pounds and increase his athleticism. His play has remained consistent despite missing the majority of the Penn State game due to injury concerns.
USC has also seen its rushing defense improve behind the strength of its interior. The 2025 defense allowed 143.23 rushing yards per game; this year’s defense gives up 111 yards.
Abasiri’s choice of major – cognitive science – pleases his parents, too.
“His education is what matters to us a lot. If he can finish it and he ends up being so good to go to the NFL, so be it,” Okpala said. “He always wants to be the best. Ever since he was a child, he wanted to be the best. Whether it’s in school, whether it’s in football.”
The sport he once hid from his parents has become a pathway to Abasiri’s identity. He’s anchored by his roots – which have reached further by defying the odds, and on his own terms.
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