Prospect Profile: Conroe (TX) Oak Ridge DE Joseph Jonah-Ajonye

Oak Ridge defensive end Joseph Jonah-Ajonye has had quite the rise on the recruiting trail in the last few months. After a monster junior campaign, Jonah-Ajonye was named First Team All-District 13-6A.

He then was recently upgraded to four-star status, slotting in as the No. 221 player nationally according to Rivals.com. Jonah-Ajonye now also holds an impressive offer sheet of 26 total offers and counting.

Texas Tech, led by defensive line coach Zarnell Fitch, was one of the first believers in Jonah-Ajonye. The Red Raiders were his fifth overall offer, trailing just Texas A&M-Commerce, Arizona State, SMU and UTSA.

Being early will help the Red Raiders' chances, as they are the first program to secure an official visit from Jonah-Ajonye. That official visit will be the weekend of June 9th.

Also helping Texas Tech’s chances is simply the way this staff cares about their players. If you’ve been on social media, you’ve likely seen the coaches talk about #REALationships. That started with Director of Scouting Brian Nance and permeates throughout the entire staff, including the coaches’ wives who are oftentimes as key in recruiting as the coaches themselves. Just take it from Texas Tech freshman EDGE rusher Joseph Adedire.

“I think the thing that stood out the most was how genuine he (Fitch) was. Most other coaches try to put on some sort of facade on how they really are but with him I saw how he was from the jump. One of the most genuine things he showed was how he took the effort to learn my last name. Many coaches would avoid saying my last name in fear of messing up. Immediately, he asked me to send him a recording of my name so he could know how to pronounce it properly. We made a connection over lots and lots of FaceTimes and he wouldn’t even ask me about football all the time. He would ask about my family, relationships, and school. When it did come to football it was a great time.

And when it comes to Mrs. (Mollie) Fitch, she honestly is the better recruiter. She connected with my mother. They had chemistry off the bat and you really don’t see many wives as involved and connected as she is. She is great person with great character. You can tell she really cares about you and she is a very loving person.”

Jonah-Ajonye grew up in Nigeria, moved to the United States in 2015, and didn't start playing football until his freshman year of high school. There's a ton of potential there just waiting to be unlocked.

Jonah-Ajonye proudly displays the Nigerian flag in his Twitter username, and this staff has actually signed defensive lineman in two consecutive classes with Nigerian heritage in the aforementioned Joseph Adedire in 2022 and Ansel Nedore in 2023.

Another data point in the Red Raiders' favor could be Fitch's success with putting defensive lineman in the NFL. Known as one of the better defensive line coaches in the country, Fitch has helped several players make it to the next level.

Fitch was a major part in the development of guys such as Josh Carraway (2017 Tennessee Titans 7th round pick), L.J. Collier (2019 Seattle Seahawks 1st round pick), Ben Banogu (2019 Indianapolis Colts 2nd round pick) and Ross Blacklock (2020 Houston Texans 2nd round pick) among others.

As Texas Tech continues to recruit the trenches better than they have in school history, Jonah-Ajonye could be next in line should he choose the Red Raiders later this cycle.

"They offered me last fall and I was mostly talking with Coach (Brian) Nance, Coach (James) Blanchard and Coach (James) Lockhart at first, but since the offer Coach (Zarnell) Fitch and the head coach (Joey) McGuire have been talking with me the most. I just really like the whole coaching staff's energy and what they bring to the table.

They definitely make me feel like a priority and Coach McGuire has told me that I'm one of their top targets in the whole 2024 class. I'm looking forward to taking my official visit to Lubbock this summer, it is the weekend of June 9th." - Joseph Jonah-Ajonye

... Plays to his size, has a good frame, and his athleticism keeps his height from being used against him

... Good motor, several instances where he doesn't give up on the play and chases the ball carrier down

... Quick first step, almost always forward

... Athletic enough to be an every down player and play in a few spots (think Bradford/Hutchings), he's not just a run stopper

... Good hands, keeps separation from the offensive lineman which allows him to read and react to the play

... Excellent mechanics, he uses several different moves effectively to shed offensive lineman

... Reads backfield mesh and lineman technique well, keeps his head up and finds the ball once in the backfield