​Photo Credit: Ifeanyi Emedobi/X Maize N Brew recently sat down with Kalen Desrosiers, a defensive line and linebacker training specialist at TractionAP based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to discuss 2027 four-star Michigan edge rusher commit Ifeanyi Emedobi. Desrosiers works closely with Emedobi, who pledged to the Wolverines last month after an official visit, helping the junior continue his development and rise in the recruiting rankings. Michigan has been high on Emedobi’s potential at the next level, and Desrosiers shares why in our Q&A:
On Emedobi as a student-athlete: “Obviously, he’s a great athlete, but many don’t realize how much he does off the field with community service and giving back. He’s the oldest of 11 or 12, so he has that big-brother mentality. Ifey treats everyone like they’re his younger siblings (laughs). He’s definitely a leader—on our team and wherever he goes.”
On discovering Emedobi last year before he started playing football: “A few guys were texting the coaches’ group chat saying there was a new kid dunking in gym class. I told him, after school I’d talk to him. ‘Hey, you play football?’ He said, ‘No.’ I said, ‘You do now.’ It turned out his dad played at Eastern Michigan and was an all-state lineman at the same school, so football was in his blood even if he didn’t know it yet. Before that, he was into video games and anime. He thought he wouldn’t pursue sports, but I told him he had a future if he applied himself. It took off from there.”
On Emedobi arriving onto the scene in a matter of months: “The funny part is he didn’t even play sports or watch football yet. Schools were calling him, and he asked, ‘Who is this?’ I explained, ‘That’s Michigan. That’s Penn State.’ It was essentially square one—getting him to start watching football and then translating what he saw onto the field, learning the position. Everything coaches saw in last year’s film came after just two or three months of playing. I’m excited to see what he does this year. With another 20 pounds and a year of experience, I think people will be even more surprised by what they see on the field.”
On how college coaches reacted to Emedobi’s potential during the recruitment process: “They couldn’t believe it was his first year. He was trying to learn multiple positions and formations, all brand new. It’s like someone picking up a new hobby. We all grew up watching football, and now he loves it. I think most coaches saw a kid who was just scratching the surface.”