Defensive end Ezekiel Ansah from Ghana

I never heard of this guy until I read about him on Greg Wrubell's blog -- Anyone know anything of him???

Mendenhall filled us in on defensive end Ezekiel Ansah, a 6'6", 254-pounder from Accra, Ghana.



According to the coach: "Ezekiel wandered through our office one day; I think our players kind of directed him, seeing he's 6-foot-whatever he is. He runs a 21.9 200-meters, but we had to help him put his (football) stuff on; he'd never put gear on before. He's a work in progress, but he wanted to give it a try. He showed up this summer, the players loved him; he wouldn't go away... even though he wasn't prepared, he showed up for workouts. He kind of grew on (the players) and they came to me and said 'make sure you bring him in the 105.' He doesn't know anything (about playing defensive end), but when he decides to run fast, he runs fast, and he's big."

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=498&sid=11929463

These are the types of guys that sometimes end up as world beaters. I love the size and the speed; his athleticism alone makes him a real diamond in the rough. Put him on punt and kick teams and send him on the weak side every field goal and pat attempt. Just remind him 3-4 times, "dont' hit the kicker."







http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/9785/ansah.jpg" alt="" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%">

I like the possibilities here. I like his heart & willingness to "give it a go." Sometimes this type of experiment works - mostly not. Still - it's worth a shot.

:crazy:

maybe he'll be the next Jerry Hughes

tmoney35 wrote:
maybe he'll be the next Jerry Hughes

or maybe the next Kevin-Prince Boateng...can he kick a ball?...

You can't coach size and speed. You can coach technique. How old is this guy, what year in school? Just wonder how long BYU has to develop him. He could be great for the 2012 season, ya know.

Our missionary from Ghana knows him well - as "Ziggy". He is reported to be crazy (a lot of fun - gregarious), a great athelete and very fast/agile for his size. He looks like he would do well as a DE or tight end where his speed could be utilized.

He is a sophomore this year. Bet he redshirts. Could have 2 great years for us if he really develops.



http://www.byucougars.com/Profile.jsp?ID=8758" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

tmoney35 wrote:
maybe he'll be the next Jerry Hughes

If Jerry Hughes were 6'6" , he'd have been the #1 pick in the draft. This kid has a chance if he can learn the technique.



Also I dont' think a kids year in school ultimately determines his eligibility year in football. It's entirely possible that eligibility-wise he still has 4 years to play 4; for football.

6' 6" 254 lbs and runs a 21.9 sec 200m...can you imagine being the QB and being lit up by that guy at full speed?

After his first QB sack, I hereby dub him "The Ansah!"

craigoscarson wrote:

maybe he'll be the next Jerry Hughes

If Jerry Hughes were 6'6" , he'd have been the #1 pick in the draft. This kid has a chance if he can learn the technique.



Also I dont' think a kids year in school ultimately determines his eligibility year in football. It's entirely possible that eligibility-wise he still has 4 years to play 4; for football.

If he runs track, and competed a year, makes him a soph this year. He has a track profile, but it was removed, and it listed him as a freshman. Now listed as a soph on the football page.



http://www.byucougars.com/Profile.jsp?ID=8654" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

craigoscarson wrote:
These are the types of guys that sometimes end up as world beaters. I love the size and the speed; his athleticism alone makes him a real diamond in the rough. Put him on punt and kick teams and send him on the weak side every field goal and pat attempt. Just remind him 3-4 times, "dont' hit the kicker."







http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/9785/ansah.jpg" alt="" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%">

kind of makes me think of bobby bushay.

You've got something wrong with your medulla oblongata !

I played soccer with him a couple of weeks ago, he was pretty damn nimble for being so big, I had no idea who he was at the time. If he can figure american football out, there arent going to be many people that are as big, athletic, and coordinated than he is in all of college football.

I know Ziggy better than anyone. I taught and baptized him as a missionary in Accra, Ghana and he spends holidays at my house. He is an absolute stud athletically and if he can learn the mental part of the game he will be amazing. Check out this link to see how athletic he is:



http://www.facebook.com/ezrao?ref=hpbday&pub=2386512837#!/video/video.php?v=45702815849" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

kenfrei4 wrote:
I know Ziggy better than anyone. I taught and baptized him as a missionary in Accra, Ghana and he spends holidays at my house. He is an absolute stud athletically and if he can learn the mental part of the game he will be amazing. Check out this link to see how athletic he is:



http://www.facebook.com/ezrao?ref=hpbday&pub=2386512837#!/video/video.php?v=45702815849" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm interested to see how he reacts today when they really start hitting.

Can you imagine Charles Abouo and Ansah as bookend DEs? Maybe we need to recruit africa a whole lot more.



I'm really excited to hear how and if this kid progresses; it's such a mystery but my daydreams about it are fantastic.

Dang, with his ability, the only mental part of the game he needs is, "Find the ball and go get it - or whoever has it."

Can they Red-Shirt him to give him another year??