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Patrick Onwuasor

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forestgreen

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Vikings safety Patrick Onwuasor getting national attention (with video):


http://www.kgw.com/story/sports/2015/11/04/vikings-safety-patrick-onwuasor-getting-national-attention/75168088/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Portland State Vikings are winning games and making history, and recognition is following their footsteps.

The Vikings are 7-1 for the first time ever, and now PSU Safety Patrick Onwuasor has been named to the Stats FCS National Defensive Player of the Year Watch List.

Onwuasor had three interceptions in last Saturday’s 35-16 win over Montana. Patrick was named Big Sky Defensive Player of the week as well. He received official news of the award after Wednesday morning’s practice.

“It means a lot to me,” said Onwuasor. “This defense came a long way so, everything is starting to pay off now and everybody’s having good success. Everybody’s buying in and this is the reward for it.”

The 6-foot-2, 225-pound senior has 7 interceptions this season, which is tied for the most in the nation. He also has 51 tackles, including 8 in the win over Montana. PSU Head Coach Bruce Barnum has been impressed with Onwuasor since day one.

"Number one, he’s fun to watch,” said Barnum. “He’s special, as far as being able to strike in the violent part of this football game and he’s a heady, savvy football player. More important than that, he represents everything here, the city of Portland. He’s a good kid.”

The Vikings are doing it on both sides of the ball this season, averaging 38 points per game and allowing just 19 points per game. Patrick says everyone is coming together on the team.

"It’s not individuals,” said Onwuasor. “I’m playing for the man next to me and he’s playing for me, so everybody has each other’s back. It’s like one big happy family.”

Portland State travels to Greeley, Colorado this Saturday to take on Northern Colorado at 11 a.m.
 
Three big Sky players are are the leaders for for FCS Defensive Player of the year.

James Cowser of Southern Utah, Tyrone Holmes of Montana and Patrick Onwuasor of Portland State are the top three who have received the most votes. All have been invited to the national awards banquet in Frisco Texas December 8th, the night before the National Championship game, where the winner will be announced.

Here hoping Peanut will be the winner.


http://sports.yahoo.com/news/big-sk...yYjJiBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMyBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--
 
Good story on him in the Big Oh.

I'm for second chances, but I do recall thinking of the felony gun and drugs charges and raising an eyebrow.

I know things didn't work out for Burton here, but good on him for giving him that second chance. And to that, good for Peanut for grabbing that chance and running with it. Hopefully the fruits of his labor will take home an FCS award and possibly result in an opportunity to play on Sundays.

http://www.oregonlive.com/vikings/index.ssf/2015/12/all-big_sky_safety_patrick_onw.html#incart_river_index" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
All-Big Sky safety Patrick Onwuasor of Portland State makes a difference off the field too

http://www.oregonlive.com/vikings/index.ssf/2015/12/all-big_sky_safety_patrick_onw.html#incart_river_index" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
Ravens' Patrick Onwuasor, aka 'Peanut,' is mixing it up

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/bal-ravens-patrick-onwuasor-aka-peanut-mixing-it-up-20160731-story.html

The physical play of rookie free agent linebacker Patrick Onwuasor has drawn notice from fans and media so far in training camp. It has also attracted the ire of some of his teammates.

For the second time in four days practice, Onwuasor was briefly engaged in a scuffle Sunday when fullback Kyle Jusczyk took exception to what might have been a high hit.

Onwuasor, who has been called “Peanut” since a youth basketball coach gave him that nickname, said he has always been a physical player.

“When I was small, my coach said, ‘Who is this peanut-head dude running around so aggressive?’” Onwuasor recalled with a laugh. “That’s one thing my coaches like about me. I’m physical and I compete.”

Onwuasor's late shove of rookie running back Kenneth Dixon on the first day of practice Thursday led to a minor knee injury for Dixon. The next day, Onwuasor got locked up with Buck Allen, causing the running back to swing wildly at him. But Onwuasor said that he is not trying to hurt anyone.

“Being a free agent, you’ve got to find a way to find your role as part of the team, and that’s probably going to be my role, being one of the aggressive, blue-collar players that Coach Harbaugh likes,” Onwuasor said. “When we get back in the locker room we’re like brothers and family.”

Former Ravens coach Brian Billick, who attended practice Sunday in part of his duties with the NFL Network, said that the line between making an impression and getting a reputation as a head-hunter can be difficult to navigate.

“You worry about that a little bit, particularly with the limited practices,” Billick said. “Somebody saying, ‘I’m going to make my mark.’ Well, let’s not make your mark taking out one of my top guys. You’ve got to orchestrate that a little bit.”

Onwuasor’s road to the NFL has not been easy.

Observations and highlights from the Ravens' practice Sunday
After being moved from wide receiver to safety at Arizona, Onwuasor was kicked off the team by Rich Rodriguez after being arrested on four felony charges that were later dropped.

Onwuasor, who admittedly was hanging around with the “wrong crowd” said that he harbors no resentment toward Rodriguez and the school.

“It was a life-changing thing,” Onwuasor said.

Playing safety for Portland State, Onwuasor finished second for the Football Championship Subdivision’s national defensive player of the year last season.
 
Former Portland State star Patrick Onwuasor's big hits turning heads in Baltimore

http://www.oregonlive.com/nfl/index.ssf/2016/08/former_portland_state_star_pat.html
 
forestgreen said:
Former Portland State star Patrick Onwuasor's big hits turning heads in Baltimore

http://www.oregonlive.com/nfl/index.ssf/2016/08/former_portland_state_star_pat.html
Click to expand...

A couple good stories on Onwuasor from Baltimore in that OLive story. I'd encourage people to click on those links to the Baltimore Sun. Good reads for Peanut.
 
Onwuasor hopes to be a hit as Ravens linebacker

http://portlandtribune.com/pt/12-sports/320378-200047-onwuasor-hopes-to-be-a-hit-as-ravens-linebacker?utm_source=New+Media&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PortlandTribune+%28Portland+Tribune%29

RANDALLASTOWN, Maryland — It’s been another hot and humid summer in the mid-Atlantic region. By mid-August, central Maryland had had 38 days of at least 90 degrees, already six more than the summer average.

Those sweltering, sticky days have been an adjustment for Patrick Onwuasor. The former Portland State free safety is a rookie linebacker in camp with the Baltimore Ravens after signing as a non-drafted free agent.

Onwuasor sweats easily in the midday sun at the Under Armour Performance Center at 1 Winning Drive. But some of his biggest tests come in the air-conditioned classrooms of this spacious, modern facility that is home to the two-time Super Bowl champions.

Onwuasor, listed at 6-0, 217 pounds, says the biggest surprise at the pro level is what it takes off the field and studying the thick playbook.

“Probably the studies in the room,” Onwuasor says after a morning workout. “You learn 10 plays in one day and then you have to go out there and run those 10 plays. You really have to do a lot of studying.”

Ah, running those — that has not been a problem. Thanks to his background with coach Bruce Barnum’s Vikings, the Southern California native has brought his penchant for big hits to the NFL preseason.

In one early August sequence, he put a memorable hit on fullback Kyle Juszczyk, a fourth-year player who took exception to the blow.

“That’s part of my motivation. That’s how I usually play,” Onwuasor says of hitting hard. “I’m an aggressive player. Playing safety at Portland State, I used to come up in the box.”

Do the Baltimore coaches tell him to tone it down?

“Not really. They like it,” Onwuasor says. “They like to see guys flying around (on defense). They come up and say ‘Keep it going.’ Afterward, they come up and tell me it was a good hit.”

Onwuasor, who turned 24 on Monday, is playing for a franchise where retired All-Pro Ray Lewis defined the position of middle linebacker. Onwuasor has yet to meet Lewis, but he has received encouragement from linebackers coach Don Martindale.

“He always tells me I can play linebacker. I thought I was undersized. He is really patient with me,” Onwuasor says. “He’s a great coach. He slows everything down, and I like that a lot.”

Onwuasor was voted second in the nation among FCS defenders last year, but this would be a big step.

“It’s been fun and exciting,” he says. “It’s a lot of work, and a lot of the rookies are going through the same thing.”

One player Onwuasor looks up to with the Ravens is Zachary Orr, a third-year inside linebacker out of North Texas.

“Zach has shown me the ropes,” Onwuasor says. “I like the (defensive) program a lot.”

Onwuasor earned FCS All-America and all-Big Sky honors after starting 12 games as a senior. He helped Portland State to a record of 9-3 and led FCS with nine interceptions (with 157 return yards). He also had 85 tackles, 49 solo.

He graduated from Portland State with a degree in social science after beginning his college career at Arizona, where he played in 12 games, with one start, in 2012 before getting kicked out of school because of criminal charges later dropped.

What are his chances of making the Ravens’ roster?

“I have a good chance,” he says. “I have to play hard on special teams and just keep fighting with everything I’ve got. I played some special teams in college. That is my first priority; a big part of it.

“I have to learn technique stuff and learn the schemes and learn things that our (defensive) coach wants us to learn.”
 
Ex-Portland State star Patrick Onwuasor could see larger role for Baltimore Ravens in 2017

http://www.oregonlive.com/nfl/index.ssf/2017/03/ex-portland_state_star_patrick.html

Former Portland State star Patrick Onwuasor got his first NFL start in the final regular season game in 2016 and he will likely get a chance to make a bigger contribution with the Baltimore Ravens in 2017. 
Onwuasor, signed as an undrafted free agent in 2016, worked his way up from the practice squad and into the starting lineup. Now, he's one of the Ravens "exclusive rights" free agents,  a player whose contract has expired, but he does not have the ability to sign with another team unless the Ravens chooses not to re-sign him.
Should he remain with the Ravens, Onwuasor will get a chance to expand his role in 2017. Starting linebacker Zach Orr unexpectedly retired after the season, citing a spinal condition. Onwuasor was one of the reserve linebackers and there's an opening after Orr's retirement.
The Ravens are expected to retain Onwuasor after his rapid ascension in 2016. He finished the season with 21 tackles in 11 games, including a team-high 11 tackles on special teams. 
Onwuasor had seven of those tackles during his start in the 27-10 loss to Cincinnati in Week 17. His seven tackles ranked fourth on the team for the game and the experience is something Onwuasor will remember as he moves into the 2017 season. 

"It'll help me a lot," Onwuasor told the Baltimore Sun after the game. "I've got a lot to grow from." 
 
Go, Peanut, go!

PSU's Onwuasor now rising star for Ravens

Undrafted star from Vikings, linebacker is in third NFL season

https://pamplinmedia.com/pt/12-sports/413870-313965-psus-onwuasor-now-rising-star-for-ravens
 
Once An Undrafted Safety, Patrick Onwuasor Now At Heart Of Ravens' Defense

https://www.pressboxonline.com/2019/08/15/once-an-undrafted-safety-patrick-onwuasor-now-at-heart-of-ravens-defense
 
How Patrick Onwuasor became the Baltimore Ravens’ unlikely choice to uphold a linebacker legacy

https://www.pennlive.com/baltimore-ravens/2019/09/how-patrick-onwuasor-became-the-baltimore-ravens-unlikely-choice-to-uphold-a-linebacker-legacy.html
 
Ravens LB Patrick Onwuasor stands tall in middle of defense

https://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/ravens-lb-patrick-onwuasor-stands-tall-in-middle-of-defense-091119
 
Watch: Former Portland State star Patrick Onwuasor forces fumble and posts a sack during the Baltimore Ravens’ win against New England

https://www.oregonlive.com/nfl/2019/11/watch-former-portland-state-star-patrick-onwuasor-forces-fumble-and-posts-a-sack-during-the-baltimore-ravens-win-against-new-england.html
 
Despite decline in playing time, former PSU Vikings’ star Patrick Onwuasor remains an impact player for Baltimore Ravens


https://www.oregonlive.com/vikings/2019/11/despite-decline-in-playing-time-former-psu-vikings-star-patrick-onwuasor-remains-an-impact-player-for-baltimore-ravens.html
 
Former Portland State Vikings’ star Patrick Onwuasor signs with the New York Jets: Report

https://www.oregonlive.com/vikings/2020/03/former-portland-state-vikings-star-patrick-onwuasor-signs-with-the-new-york-jets-report.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=oregoniansports_sf

The New York Jets have signed free agent linebacker Patrick Onwuasor to a one-year contract, according to a report.


Ian Rapoport
@RapSheet
Source: The #Jets have agreed to terms with former Ravens LB Patrick Onwuasor.

2,441
11:34 AM - Mar 25, 2020
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Onwuasor, a former Portland State Vikings’ star, spent his first four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens after signing and earning a roster spot as an undrafted free agent in 2016. Onwuasor, 27, started out as a special teams player and eventually earned playing time with the first-team defense.

Onwuasor posted a strong season in 2017 with a career-high 90 total tackles and followed up with a 59 total tackles, along with a career-high 5.5. sacks and seven tackles for loss in 12 games during the 2018 season.

Onwuasor was moved to middle linebacker to replace C.J. Moseley, who signed with the Jets in 2019. Onwuasor struggled against the run in his expanded role and was benched after five games. Onwuasor’s playing time diminished even further after the Ravens signed inside linebackers Josh Bynes and L.J. Fort.

Onwuasor, unhappy with his reduced role, reportedly engaged in a heated argument with head coach John Harbaugh during a practice in December. He finished the season with 64 total tackles and three sacks in 14 games last season.
 
Scouting Jets linebacker Patrick Onwuasor

https://www.ganggreennation.com/2020/4/5/21207620/scouting-jets-linebacker-patrick-onwuasor
 
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