Charles Njoku is still growing, and still growing as afootball player. The Wayne Hills senior wide receiver is the No. 12-ranked college recruit in New Jersey, according to 247Sports. com. But when all is said and done, he could bethe best. And he will now be able to prove it at the University of Missouri in Columbia; in late July, hecommitted to playing with the Tigers.“ He was looking to get the decision behind him sooner rather than later, so he can focus on the season,” says Patriots coach Wayne Demikoff.
Apparently, Missouri has the combination of qualities Njoku has said he’ slooking for, namely“… the way players and coaches get along, how they coach their players, how well the teams work together and the energy on the field.”
You probably already know Charles’ brothers: David, entering his second year after being afirst round pick ofthe Cleveland Browns, and Evidence, ahighly-rated redshirt freshman wide receiver at University of Miami.
Njoku, asolid 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, is the youngest ofnine, and he jokes that he doesn’ tknow where the family gets its famous athleticism
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from. He says his dad is 5-foot-11, and his mom is only 5-foot-4.
“ All I know is ever since we were young, we were always running,” Njoku says.“ That’ s just how we were raised. There has been a lot of success in my family.”
“ YOU CAN RUN A GOOD ROUTE, BUT IT DOESN’ T MEAN ANYTHING IF YOU CAN’ TCATCH THE BALL.” CHARLES NJOKU The first word Demikoff uses to describe Njoku is“ raw.” Then, he gushes about the flashes in practice. The hands( huge), the jumping ability, the speed.“ His upside is just tremendous,” Demikoff says.“ He’ s made a lot of improvements to his route running and on his hands. He’ s understanding the simple nuances of his position. People think route running is something basic; it’ s really not, and he’ s worked hard on that.”
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“ I’ ve been working on catching the ball,” Njoku says.“ You can run a good route, but it doesn’ t mean anything if you can’ t catch the ball.”
Njoku became a threat for the Patriots last year after transferring from Cedar Grove to Wayne Hills, catching 26 passes for 493 yards and four touchdowns.
One might ask: When you have such a talent on the field, why weren’ t these numbers at least doubled for the Patriots? The answer is that injuries limited some of what Wayne Hills could doonoffense.
In 2018, expect those numbers to be much better. Between Njoku and Rutgers commit Jaaron Hayek, the Patriots will roll out two of the best playmakers in North Jersey, and new quarterback Tom Sharkey should solidify that position.“ We will want to get them the ball as many times as we can,” Demikoff says.“ Because any time you can, it could be a touchdown.”
The Patriots are playing in Provo, Utah, onAug. 31, continuing the tradition of the past few years, when the team opened the season with the first game in North Carolina, followed by Florida and Ohio.
“ We look for a good matchup,” Demikoff says,“ so we can start the year with a really tough challenge.” n
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NJOKU: COURTESY OFWAYNE HILLS FOOTBALL; GAME PHOTOS: COURTESY OFDAWN DELLECHIAIE |
22 BACKT TO SCHOOL 2018 WAYNE MAGAZINE |