Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, the Rose Bowl was something Ohio State senior receiver Emeka Egbuka dreamed of. It’s the game he and his childhood friends would imagine themselves in whenever they would play in the backyard.
“There’s just something about it,” Egbuka said. “Something in the air down there in Pasadena. It’s just a beautiful venue, especially that time of the year. … So just having the chance to play in it, it’s definitely very surreal. And this is gonna be my second time, so I’m gonna do my best to take it all in.”
But Egbuka, a native of Steilacoom, Wash., always pictured himself donning the uniform of the team that will be on the sideline across from him on Wednesday.
“Honestly, I was never really a Buckeye fan until I really committed here,” he said. “I was actually an Oregon fan growing up, especially in the Pacific Northwest. … That was a school that I really dreamed of going to.”
Egbuka loved the Ducks’ jerseys, but what mainly drove his fandom was an admiration for Fotu Leiato, a fellow alum of Steilacoom High School who played linebacker at Oregon.
Leiato — whom Egbuka considers the greatest player to ever come from Steilacoom — captured the attention of scouts and fans nationwide when his senior highlight tape went viral with 1,021,734 views, making it the most-viewed Hudl video of all time.
The 12-minute-long reel showcases the tenacity Leiato played with: the very first clip shows him on a kick return, lowering his shoulder as he bulldozes a player from the opposing team and sends him flying backward, creating a lane for the ball carrier to run through. On defense, Leiato created chaos every time he crashed through the gap on a blitz, making life hell for the O-linemen, quarterbacks and running backs he faced. And when he would get the ball in his hands, Leiato flashed his silky smooth athleticism.
Oregon linebacker Fotu Leiato served as an inspiration and mentor for Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka.
(John W. McDonough / Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
“If you go to his Hudl, you just see how relentless of a player he was,” Egbuka said. “He was just what you think of when you hear the word ‘football,’ like he’s out there just decapitating people, hitting people as hard as he can. He played very, very hard and that’s something I really admired about him.”
When Leiato was starring for the Spartans, Egbuka was a young middle schooler standing on the sidelines, mimicking his favorite player’s moves and trying to emulate him as best he could. Dreaming of becoming “half the player he was.” He took mental notes of how Leiato never took a rep off, playing every down with the same intensity on the field. Off the field, Egbuka was inspired by how close Leiato was with his teammates and how he interacted with them.
Despite about a six-year age gap, a friendship was eventually struck between the two. Word travels fast in Steilacoom, a small town of 6,000 nestled on Puget Sound, and Leiato learned about Egbuka as he was making a name for himself on the youth football scene.
Leiato was dating the older sister of Egbuka’s quarterback. Before long, Leiato took Egbuka under his wing.
“Whenever I went over to [my quarterback’s] house to hang out and stuff, Fotu would be there,” Egbuka recalls. “I think he saw something in me and was able to give me a little bit of experience and advice when I came to football.”
Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka speaks to reporters during a news conference on Monday.
(Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)
Then, in 2018, tragedy struck.
Leiato, who had been dismissed from the Ducks football program after his second arrest in four months, was found dead near the site of a single-car wreck at 5:31 in the morning. He was 21 years old.
“I was devastated,” Egbuka said. “I didn’t really understand what was going on. … A lot of my family and friends who were way closer to him than I was were devastated. It was just a tough time for our community.”
Though the two had lost contact before the accident, Egbuka tries to honor Leiato’s memory through his actions as Ohio State’s most experienced receiver, passing down his knowledge to the next generation.
“Emeka, that’s like a brother to me,” Buckeyes freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith said. “Following his leadership, the way he leads. Everybody listens to Emeka when he talks. It just means a lot from him, because he’s been through everything that we’re trying to accomplish in our receiver room.”
Ohio State wide receivers coach Brian Hartline has also noticed Egbuka’s growth as a leader.
“He’s probably one of the best people we’ve had in our room, both as a person and as a player,” Hartline said. “[He’s] a bit more vocal this year, really put his fingerprint on the room and allowed us to chase the best version of ourselves.”
As Egbuka gears up for his second Rose Bowl, this time against the team of his childhood idol, he carries Leiato — and Steilacoom — with him wherever he goes.
“Every time I step on the field, it’s a chance to shed light on where I’m from,” Egbuka said. “I think he was proud of where we’re from, and he never took the opportunity lightly to be able to be on the field, so I shouldn’t either.”