Georgia football: who is B.J. Ojulari, the best edge rusher in Georgia

Younger brother of freshman Azeez Ojulari is making a name for himself in the Peach State. Georgia football certainly wants to make the Ojulari’s the next family of Bulldogs.

If there’s one name on defense to keep an eye out for this spring, it’s rising sophomore (or redshirt freshman) Azeez Ojulari. He didn’t play much through his freshman season before playing a ton in the Sugar Bowl. He looked pretty good in that game despite being thrown into the fire.

But when it comes to recruiting, if you want to watch a defender, look no further than his younger brother, Marietta’s B.J. Ojulari. Currently ranked no. 84 nationally and no. 6 out of weakside linebackers, B.J. is actually ranked 60 spots above his brother’s final ranking. But what kind of player is Ojulari? What position will he play if he comes to Georgia? What makes him the best edge rusher in the Peach State?

Ojulari is just a rusher. He’s not a bull rusher, or a finesse rusher. He gets into the backfield however he can, however he can beat offensive linemen. If Ojulari has the strength advantage, he’ll use it to power his way into the backfield. But at 6-3, 216 pounds, he typically has the quickness advantage, and he’ll use that to finesse his way through linemen. Sometimes however, he doesn’t need power or quickness, he’s just hard to block. Watching his junior highlights, the most noticeable aspect of his game is how he seems to easily slip away from blockers who appear to have him stuffed.

Another positive in his game is how many different ways he’s used by Marietta. They’ll occasionally move him from the end to play as more of a wide outside linebacker. In that area, they’ll either drop him into coverage, or send him on a delayed blitz. There’s isn’t a whole lot Ojulari doesn’t do in their front seven. They’ll have him fire from a three-point stance as a traditional defensive end, and then they’ll have him stand up as an outside backer.

In Georgia’s defense, he’ll be used the exact same way. Georgia actually switches between normal looking 3-4 sets, and a 4-3 formation with 3-4 personnel. That shift puts a lot on the jack linebacker because they might line up as a defensive end in a 4-3 look one play, then stand up and play off the line in a 3-4 formation in the next. There really isn’t a mystery about what position Ojulari will play at Georgia, he’s going to be a jack linebacker. He’s already playing that role at Marietta even though he’s listed as a defensive end.

Other positives about his game you’ll notice on his game film; He reads the option well. Even though we’re likely through with having to defend the triple option, the read option isn’t dying out anytime soon. Ojulari reads all run plays very well though. He always seems to know where the ball is going on each play. Coupled with how difficult it is to block him, Ojulari ends up being near the ball on just about every run down.

Ojulari does need to bulk up though. He needs to bulk up a lot actually. His size might get him by in high school, but he needs to be bigger and stronger to compete in the SEC. But it’s still February 2019. He has 19 months and another high school football season to bulk up for SEC play. He’ll likely exceed 230 pounds by the time the 2019 season ends. Georgia fans might not have to wait long to find out if B.J. Ojulari is joining his brother in Athens. He intends to commit before his senior year begins.