A case of mistaken identity eventually led Ugo Amadi to the University of Oregon.
Late in December 2014, Amadi, four-star recruit in the 2015 class according to Rivals, decommitted from Louisiana State, less than three weeks after decommitting from Ole Miss.
The next day, Oregon secondary coach John Neal received a mysterious text message from an unrecognized number.
“It was an honest mistake,” Neal said. “Someone texted me and told me [Ugo] wasn’t gonna go to LSU. He said, coach Harbaugh, since you’re the new coach at Michigan, would you be interested?”
The sender, one of Amadi’s coaches, had confused Neal’s number with that of recently hired Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh.
Neal responded: “Well, I’m not coach Harbaugh, but I’m really interested.”
As it turned out, so was Amadi.
He looked at the Oregon depth chart and noticed that both starting cornerbacks, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu and Troy Hill, were graduating after the end of the season. Amadi saw an opportunity for early playing time. Neal and Amadi got in touch shortly after; and, one week following the Ducks’ 59-20 drubbing of Florida State in the Rose Bowl, Amadi committed to Oregon.
A misplaced text message turned into a welcomed addition for the Ducks.
Amadi enrolled early as a freshman to start taking classes during the winter 2015 term. On his first day at school, Neal showed Amadi around campus. They made a stop at the Jaqua Center, where fellow cornerback Arrion Springs was studying.
Oregon Ducks defensive back Arrion Springs (1) faces down Michigan State Spartans wide receiver Aaron Burbridge (16). The No. 7 Oregon Ducks travel to East Lansing, Mich. to play the No. 5 Michigan State Spartans on Sept. 12, 2015. (Adam Eberhardt/Emerald)
Neal acquainted his young corners, and the two hit it off almost immediately.
“We just started getting along,” Amadi said. “I made him give me his number, but he would never admit it to this day.”
While mistaken identity played a huge role in getting him to Oregon, Amadi, along with Springs and the rest of the Ducks’ secondary, were tasked with developing a new one for a group that lost three of four starters to graduation. The unit entered fall camp with a combined 19 starts, 15 of them coming from safety redshirt junior Reggie Daniels. Daniels became the secondary’s de facto leader, while younger guys like Springs and Amadi attempted to fill the void left by a previously well-established group.
Springs likens himself and Amadi to rappers Kanye West and Big Sean, “pushing each other to get better.” But establishing their identity on the field, along with the rest of the secondary, remains a work in progress.
In Oregon’s season opener against Eastern Washington, the defensive backs were responsible for 438 passing yards and five touchdowns. Eastern Washington receiver Cooper Kupp set a single-game record at Autzen Stadium with 15 receptions and 246 receiving yards.
“As a whole, from the guys that go to the scout team to the guys that play, we’re trying to establish our own identity,” Neal said. “We don’t have that right now. The more we play, the more we’re gonna strive to get it.”
On the surface, the Springs-Amadi dynamic appears to be somewhat of a big brother, little brother relationship. Springs jokes that Amadi is “always at my house, sometimes when I don’t want him to be.” But underneath, the two cornerbacks are in a similar position, even though Springs has one more year of collegiate experience.
Springs appeared in nine games last season, but most of his playing time came when the Ducks were leading comfortably. Both cornerbacks have limited big game experience, which is why Springs looks to Amadi for help in learning defensive nuances almost as much as Amadi does.
“It’s mainly us two,” Springs said. “We [talk to] each other a lot in practice, even when we don’t want to hear what [the other] has to say.”
Oregon Ducks cornerback Ugo Amadi (14) pushes the ball carrier out of bounds. The No. 7 Oregon Ducks open the season in a face-off with Eastern Washington at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. on Sept. 5, 2015. (Cole Elsasser/Emerald)
Enrolling early allowed Amadi more time to get adjusted to college. But it’s Springs, whom Amadi credits with learning the defense, and thus earning playing time early as a freshman.
“Ever since I came here, he taught me the playbook,” Amadi said. “All my success has been awarded to him for everything I do on the field.”
Although Amadi was listed behind Springs in the season-opening depth chart, Amadi was featured frequently in nickel (three-cornerback) formations in both the Eastern Washington and Michigan State games. Amadi struggled to defend Kupp, allowing two of Kupp’s three touchdowns in the game. His “welcome to college” moment came when Kupp beat Amadi on a route, then broke through Amadi’s tackle and ran for a score.
A few days after the game, Amadi vowed to never make the same mistake.
“Ever since then, my mindset has changed,” Amadi said. “I’m just trying to become more physical and make sure that never happens again.”
The secondary, however, fared much better last Saturday against Michigan State. The Ducks held Michigan State to 192 passing yards. Springs led the team with a career-high 13 tackles and Amadi, playing in his second collegiate game, grabbed his first interception.
“We still have areas where we need to improve, but we’re making great strides as defensive backs,” redshirt sophomore cornerback Ty Griffin said.
Still, establishing an identity takes time with an almost entirely new group. Their inexperience showed against Eastern Washington, but the secondary’s turnaround performance at Michigan State suggests they’re closer to finding their identity than many thought. At least their coach thinks so.
“All of our guys know where we’re going,” Neal said.
Follow Will Denner on Twitter @Will_Denner