Boston College defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku has worked his way into the program annals

Local News

By Trevor Hass, The Boston Globe

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December 5, 2024 | 8:56 AM

At 10 years old, Donovan Ezeiruaku sat his parents down and told them he had decided what he wanted to do for a living.

Cindy and Sonyx Ezeiruaku assumed he would say he was going to become a lawyer, because he liked to argue and was rather persuasive.

“He said, ‘Mom, I want to play football,’ ” Cindy Ezeiruaku recalls. “I was like, ‘That’s not a real job. What’s your real job?’ ”

“He said, ‘Mom, this is what I really want to do.’ ”

They reminded him that football wasn’t forever. Cindy was worried she killed his dream, but Ezeiruaku insisted he had made up his mind. He was going to keep his grades up, earn a Division 1 scholarship, and play in the National Football League.

Everywhere he went, he told whoever would listen that he was going pro. Most looked at him with skepticism, and some laughed, but Ezeiruaku knew even then that it wasn’t a pipe dream. He’s always been about action.

As he wraps up a standout career at Boston College, Ezeiruaku is on the cusp of achieving his goal.

The 6-foot-2-inch, 247-pound defensive end from Williamstown, N.J., led the Football Bowl Subdivision with 16.5 sacks in the regular season. That ties him with Harold Landry for most in a single season in BC history, and his career total of 30 is second behind Mathias Kiwanuka.

Also second in FBS with 20.5 tackles for loss, Ezeiruaku recently earned both Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year and team Most Valuable Player honors. Projected as a potential pick in the first three rounds of the upcoming NFL Draft, he’s established himself as an all-time Boston College great.

“It’s very safe to say that he’s one of the best players to ever play in this program,” BC head coach Bill O’Brien said.

Ezeiruaku, born Sept. 25, 2003, at 9 pounds, 6 ounces, had a ball in his hands as a baby.

He played basketball, soccer, T-ball, and more, and quickly realized he loved competition. When his basketball coach suggested to his dad that he try football, Cindy wasn’t as sold as the rest of the family. She was hoping Ezeiruaku would gravitate toward something significantly safer, like tennis or swimming.

“I didn’t want him to hurt anybody’s kid, and I definitely didn’t want anybody to hurt mine,” Cindy said.

Sonyx brought his son to a tryout, and a 7-year-old Ezeiruaku came home and enthusiastically told Cindy he pushed a kid down and neither of them got hurt. Cindy told him he could play if he followed through on his grades and chores.

He was the type of kid who enjoyed seeing positive results. When Cindy encouraged him to join a choir, Ezeiruaku made sure to sing the best he possibly could with his “raspy voice.” When he participated in liturgical dancing at their church, as dubious as he was initially, he vowed to be the best.

“He always made sure he put his best foot forward,” Cindy said.

That carried over to the classroom, where Ezeiruaku competed with his brothers to see who could get the best grades. Whenever they raced, Ezeiruaku had to keep going until he won.

The work ethic stems from his parents. Sonyx was born and raised in Nigeria; he moved to the United States in the early 1990s, earned a degree in philosophy, and became an entrepreneur. Ezeiruaku grew up going to Nigerian church with his family, and they regularly eat Nigerian food and listen to Nigerian music.

Cindy, who is from Philadelphia, has her master’s in business and has been at a behavior health organization for 27 years. She often takes overnight shifts, and both work tirelessly to support their family.

“They were pretty hard on us,” Ezeiruaku said. “It’s not the easiest thing, having four Black boys growing up here. They raised us to be very respectful, polite, and caring young men.”

Football was an outlet to let loose, and Cindy said people sometimes mistook Donovan’s passion for arrogance. When he entered “little coach” mode, imploring his youth teammates to fix a certain technique, some parents thought he was a hot head. It was simply his way of bringing out the best in others.

One day in summer practice entering his sophomore year at Williamstown, he was sitting on the sideline when a veteran teammate encouraged him to join the scout team defense. The defensive coordinator was intrigued, moving him from linebacker to defensive end to face the starting left tackle.

Ezeiruaku was salty at first, and realized his dream of playing wide receiver was fading, but he quickly learned to embrace his role. He emerged as a catalyst and blossomed into Rivals’ No. 16 player in New Jersey.

“He came in as a freshman very raw,” Williamstown coach Frank Fucetola said. “He developed each year through his work habits and became a dominant player.”

Ezeiruaku mid-yeared and gained valuable experience as a BC freshman. He recorded a sack on his first-ever collegiate play against Colgate and appeared in 10 games.

Still a relative unknown around the conference entering his sophomore year, Ezeiruaku burst on the scene to lead the team with 8.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss in a second-team all-conference season.

He understandably expected to take another step forward as a junior, but with offenses keying in on him, Ezeiruaku posted just two sacks and felt like a shell of himself.

“I had really high expectations,” Ezeiruaku said. “I put a lot of pressure on myself. I feel like I was chasing the plays, chasing the stats, chasing the sacks, instead of just having fun and playing football.”

Ezeiruaku said it was “very demoralizing,” and he was uncharacteristically down on himself. He leaned on his faith and dedicated himself more than ever in a “full throttle” offseason. The rest of the Eagles’ line emerged, which opened up pockets for Ezeiruaku to break free and compile a monster season.

As he wraps up one chapter and starts another, he makes a conscious effort to be where his feet are. He’s proud of his roots, his degree, and his collegiate career, and honored to have a chance to play on Sundays and make that 10-year-old kid smile.

“It’s definitely crazy,” Ezeiruaku said. “I would say a little bit of imposter syndrome, but this is what I’ve dreamed about.”