Nowoola Gets Full Scholarship to Villanova by Josh Stamer

Port Richmond football player Nowoola Awopetu is on his way to Villanova college. In January, Nowoola received a full scholarship from Villanova. He made it official February 3, 2016, on national signing day when he signed and committed to the Wildcats football program. Nowoola had a few other offers, but in the end he chose to attend Villanova for the next four years. “ It just felt right, Villanova felt like it was the right fit for me,” Nowoola said. This scholarship was received with not only his gifted athletic ability, but his hard work and dedication as well. Nowoola’s work in the classroom is also a big component that led to him getting this scholarship. Nowoola earned a 88.52 grade point average as well as a 1400 SAT score.

Although Nowoola played Wide Receiver and Cornerback in high school, a position change is in store for him at the next level. Villanova coaches are going to play Nowoola at the safety position,  This position could be a great fit for Nowoola, since it fits his fast, aggressive, downhill style of play. “ This wasn’t an unexpected change for me, I knew that my position could have possibly changed, and hopefully it's the best position for me, which I think it will be”, Nowoola stated.  Nowoola’s skill at the safety position was evident in the annual Fred Fugazzi game that saw Nowoola receive a defensive MVP award.

Nowoola had a decorated career at Port Richmond. Even though Nowoola was never featured as a running back, he managed to gain 340 rushing yards along with three rushing touchdowns in his career. Nowoola played the wide receiver position for two years and piled up 55 receptions for 829 yards, averaging 15.14 yards per catch. He also had 14 receiving touchdowns all while being a standout player at the corner position on defense. Nowoola will be seeing more time on the defensive side of the ball at the college level. This is where he excelled in high school, making 78 tackles and 5 interceptions in his three year varsity career. One of the things that is not seen on the stat sheet is his ability to lock down receivers, and take them out of the game with his coverage skills. Nowoola had a great experience playing the game of football at Port Richmond High School. “ It was great, I had a blast taking the field with my teammates and i’ll always remember playing football for Port Richmond.”   

Nowoola commits to Villanova college as his parents look on. (photo courtesy of Port Richmond High School)