18 Days to Purdue Football: Nnamdi Ezenwa and Cameron Posey

Today's featured players are two guys that I am very excited about. With one, we are looking at a potential starter that should round out a solid linebacker squad this year. Or at the very least, he is sure to be a major contributor at the position and is expected to step up his game considerably and be a force on the outside.

With the other guy, we have a player who will most likely wait to make an impact for the Boilermakers, but has the talent to be a stud, big receiver at Purdue in the future. With only 18 days left now until the first Purdue football game of the fall, the Kickoff Countdown takes us towards examining Nnamdi Ezenwa, senior Outside Linebacker, and Cameron Posey, freshman Wide Receiver.

Nnamdi Ezenwa - Sr. (RS)

Hometown: Acworth, GA (North Cobb HS)

Linebacker

6'2", 225 pounds

2012 Projection: Possible starter at Outside Linebacker

2012 is Nnamdi Ezenwa's last chance to make an impact for the Boilermakers, which may seem like a disappointment. After a very successful high school career at North Cobb in Acworth, Georgia, Ezenwa was well-recruited to play college football. He was considered a two or three star recruit, depending on where you look. And in January of 2008 he accepted a scholarship from Purdue over offers from Duke, IU and UNC.

Once at Purdue, Ezenwa redshirted his freshman year in 2008. But since then, he has appeared in only six games as a reserve at OLB. At 6'2" and 225, Nnamdi has always had the size to excel at his position. Yet, he has been overshadowed by the likes of Joe Holland, Will Lucas and others during his time as a Boilermaker.

But now that Holland is gone and the spot must be filled opposite Lucas, Ezenwa has no more excuses. He enters this season as a redshirt senior on his final year of eligibility. So, if he plans to crack the starting lineup, he must do it now. Some reports claim that Nnamdi is due to be a starter in 2012. However, other reports say that Robert Maci, who has been playing snaps at both DE and OLB, will win the spot. For the record, this could just be a glimpse of personnel shifts that will come from utilizing both 4-3 and 3-4 packages under new defensive coordinator Tim Tibesar.

Ezenwa must also fight off competition from other reserves looking to fill the open position, including junior Joe Gilliam and redshirt freshman Armstead Williams. Hopefully, Ezenwa is doing everything he can to fight off his competitors and win the right to finally be a starter and major contributor for the Boilers.

Cameron Posey - Fr.

Hometown: Boca Raton, FL (American Heritage HS)

Wide Receiver

6'2", 180 pounds

2012 Projection: Likely redshirt

Cameron Posey comes to West Lafayette this fall straight out of American Heritage, a high school in Boca Raton, Florida with a prestigious football program. While there, Cameron was a four year letterwinner in football, and a letterwinner in track and basketball as well. While splitting his time on the football field between WR and Safety, his team won Florida state football titles in his sophomore and senior seasons. After having himself a decent junior season catching the football, Posey missed most of his senior season due to injury.

Last year, Cameron was considered a three star recruit last year and he chose Purdue over Illinois, Bowling Green and Western Michigan. He ultimately chose Purdue, and Boilermakers should be very happy about that. Although we seem to have many incoming freshman receivers this season, Posey is one of only two true wideouts among them, along with Jordan Woods, meaning that WR was his primary position in high school.

Many things impress me about Cameron. He is a big, tall, fast and strong, and he has the guts of a lion. He isn't afraid to go deep, cut across the middle of the field or challenge DBs for the football. He has great hands, good blocking strength and techniques and he plays with a intensity that is contagious.

While I think Posey will be redshirted this season (Purdue has 13 active receivers currently on its roster and Cameron has most of them ahead of him on the depth chart), I strongly warn Purdue fans to look out for this guy in the future. He has the raw potential to develop into a very good possession receiver in his time for the Boilers. But, for the time being, let's just allow things to play out as they may.