LAS VEGAS — Tank Jenkins has played a lot of college football.
The Houston offensive lineman is entering his seventh year of eligibility and has appeared in 39 career games (28 starts) for the Cougars.
He's never seen anything quite like Colorado defensive lineman Chidozie Nwankwo, though.
"I miss my boy Chidozie, man," the 6-foot-3, 320-pound Jenkins said of his former Houston teammate at Big 12 media days. "Me and him were in the same workout group and we used to go at it with weight and stuff. He used to get me because, although he was shorter, he was always the strongest one.
"I talked to him about two weeks ago and he said he's really doing good up there (in Colorado)."
Nwankwo transferred to Colorado in December after four seasons at Houston. During that span, the 5-foot-11, 290-pound DL racked up 94 tackles (13 tackles for a loss) and five sacks across 40 games (33 starts). He notched a career-high five tackles for loss in 2023.
The strength that Jenkins alluded to is part of what makes Nwankwo such a disruptive interior force.
It's also helped Nwankwo earn the nickname "Block Bully."
"Chidozie is crazy, he's really like a bowling ball," Jenkins told the Coloradoan at Big 12 media days. "He puts his hands on you and he's going to take you for a ride. You can't double-team him and you can't really run block him like that because he's so powerful.
"If he puts his hands on you, he's going to stop you. That's where he gets the 'Block Bully' from because people try to double-team him and he won't go anywhere. He'll just sit right there (in the gap)."
Don't just take Jenkins' word for it.
Former Houston assistant defensive line coach Nathon Trawick — who coached Nwankwo in 2023 and is now at Colgate — says the nickname is well deserved.
"He's really the 'Block Bully,' so offensive linemen are scared of him," Trawick told the Coloradoan in January. "There's guys on our team that's like, 'yeah, he's not the guy to mess with.' The name is as advertised. He likes eating up blocks and he likes destroying blocks."
Nwankwo is a welcomed addition to a Colorado defense that allowed 176.4 rushing yards per game last season, which ranked 107th out of 130 FBS teams and second worst in the Pac-12.
His ability to shed blocks and be an immovable object at the point of attack should help the Buffaloes be better equipped to deal with the high-octane rushing attacks of the Big 12 in 2024.
"I think he's gonna be an instant impact," Trawick said of Nwankwo in January. "You're talking about a guy who's played four years and been extremely durable. He's a nose tackle who's in extremely great shape and when he plays there (Colorado), he's going to be able to play 40, 50 snaps a game. That's the type of shape he's in.
"There's not a lot of defensive tackles in the country who can be an every-down player and play that many snaps. You're getting a guy who is well conditioned, who is gonna stop the run and is gonna be a problem when he's getting 1-on-1 blocks."
Follow Colorado Buffaloes sports reporter Scott Procter on X.
Local Colorado State
Most Popular
Comments / 0