Rhonda Ogilvie, mother of five-star Emeka Egbuka, previews son's decision
In less than five hours, five-star wide receiver Emeka Egbuka will announce where he will be heading off to play football at the next level.
Nearly three dozen programs dished out offers to Egbuka throughout the course of his recruitment, but only three remain: Ohio State, Oklahoma and Washington.
OU made a strong impression on him during his visit to the school this past weekend, though the Buckeyes continue to hold 100 percent of the FutureCast predictions on his Rivals' profile. The Huskies also should not be counted out as Egbuka's home in Steilacoom, Washington, is roughly an hour away from the school's campus.
To preview his upcoming decision, BuckeyeGrove caught up with Egbuka's mother, Rhonda Ogilvie, this afternoon. We started off our conversation by asking Ogilvie what sticks out to Egbuka the most about each of his three finalists.
Washington: "I think the biggest thing about Washington is Coach Junior Adams," Ogilvie said. "He has gotten very close to him over the last few years and really loves his style. He has a connection there, too, because his first receivers coach at Steilacoom played for Coach Adams, so there's a connection there between the two of them. Of course, Coach [Greg] Herd speaks very highly of him.
"Then, of course, it's the hometown school, right? His grandfather went to U-Dub. He can be home, be with his family, be with his siblings. I think those were the biggest things."
Ohio State: "I think Big Ten football, for sure... I think that stood out to us when we were there the first time. Similarly, he's developed a very deep relationship with Coach [Brian] Hartline, and so have we. We really hold Coach Hartline in high regard. I think, also, the receiver room is quite deep, and he knows going there will be very challenging in a good way where he really will have to earn every single thing that he gets.
"He knows the program is just established. It's well-known, sends a lot of people to the NFL. That's, of course, his dream. I know he knows he will be developed there. Downside is how far it is, right [laughter]?"
Oklahoma: "He always wanted to get out to Norman before making a decision, and we just had to make that happen logistically for him during this pandemic. He had a great time, he spent a lot of time with Caleb Williams, who he thinks is just an amazing quarterback, of course. No. 1 ranked and everything. Felt really close to Caleb and I think that sticks out highly for him.
"Of course, he likes the feel of Norman, a small college town. I think it feels like home a little bit because we're a small town also with a city not far off. So, I think he likes that about it. Of course, Coach [Dennis] Simmons and Coach [Lincoln] Riley are awesome and, similarly to the other programs, he's developed deep relationships with them."
It was difficult for Egbuka, and other uncommitted prospects in the 2021 class, as he was unable to utilize any of his official visits prior to committing. Instead, Egbuka and his family had to rely on Zoom meetings and phone calls with coaches to narrow down his choices and make a final decision.
Ogilvie talked about a little bit about what led to Egbuka coming to the conclusion that he will announce publicly tonight.
"He's a very objective and methodical mind," Ogilvie said. "He had specific criteria outlined and went through each school and answered those questions internally. So, he had both an objective and a subjective kind of thing because obviously the gut feel comes into play, too. I think it was a really well-rounded decision on what's going to be best for him and his future."
As for his signing plans, there's no real surprise here as Egbuka will end up signing his Letter of Intent on Wednesday. The big question mark right now, however, will be when Egbuka decides to enroll in college and join his future team.
"Hard to say," Ogilvie said when asked if her son will enroll early. "That's the next decision he has to make. Originally, that was his plan, but since we are not playing football here in the state of Washington, his season has been delayed... once he knows how many games they might play, he will make a decision.
"He's actually chasing a few records here in the state, and he'd like an opportunity to get those. If the season is not going to be too long, he'll probably make the decision to head off to college."
Stay tuned tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time for Egbuka's decision.