Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Hurricanes
Senior OL Sunny Odogwu, right, is transferring from the football program.
CORAL GABLES — Hurricanes offensive lineman Sunny Odogwu missed most of spring practice while recovering with an injury he suffered against Florida State last season, but the expectation was that he’d be fully recovered and ready to play come August.
Turns out that return won’t come at Miami.
Odogwu, a redshirt senior, is transferring from the Hurricanes program, Miami announced on Monday. He made 14 starts over his three years in Coral Gables and has already earned a degree, making him eligible to play immediately wherever he lands.
“Sunny and I had a good conversation, and he informed me that he feels his best opportunity to get the most playing time would be at another school,” Hurricanes coach Mark Richt said in a statement. “Sunny has been a great teammate and leader for this program, and we will miss him.”
Odogwu, who hails from Nigeria and had one of the more colorful personalities on the Hurricanes’ roster, injured his ankle in Miami’s 20-19 loss to Florida State on Oct. 8. He missed the rest of the season.
That injury came less than a year after the lineman got hurt in the 2015 regularseason finale against Pittsburgh. That knee injury caused Odogwu to sit out Miami’s Sun Bowl loss to Washington State that year.
While he missed most of spring workouts, Miami offensive line coach Stacy Searels said after the Hurricanes’ final scrimmage that Odogwu and fellow injured lineman Nick Linder were both expected to be available for fall camp.
The expectation, though, was that both Linder and Odogwu would have to work their way back into the rotation after tackle Tyree St. Louis and center Tyler Gauthier got most of the firstunit reps during the spring.
Odogwu has already earned a degree in human resources management and is pursuing a master’s in international administration.
“I have enjoyed my four years at the University of Miami,” Odogwu said in a statement released by the school. “I look forward to continuing my playing career elsewhere, but I will always cherish the relationships I’ve built with my teammates, coaches and professors here at ‘The U.’ ”