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 |