Mississippi State lands Rivals250 Tennessee DE Ani Izuchukwu

Growing up in Nigeria, Ani Izuchukwu took a major gamble on himself and his abilities when he moved to the United States to pursue a dream of playing football in college and beyond. On Wednesday night, he took a major step toward achieving those goals when he announced his commitment to Mississippi State.

"I went down there to visit twice in the last month and I just knew it was the place for me," Izuchukwu said. "It's quiet town and a cool place and I just enjoy the whole atmosphere. I can't wait to get down there and play in one of the loudest stadiums in the nation."

Izuchukwu, the nation's No. 248 overall player, has spent the better part of three years adding offers from major programs since arriving in the Nashville area in 2015. But considering he didn't grow up playing football and is still learning the game, finding the right fit for future development was key

"I want a place where I'm able to learn the game," Izuchukwu said. "They know that about me and they're willing to help me develop. All the schools said they could but I think Mississippi State is the place that can really get me to where I need to be."

Because of his relative newness to the game of football, Izuchukwu took a methodical approach to the recruiting process, choosing to put more emphasis on personal relationships than historical success. After the new staff took over in Starkville in December they quickly made Izuchukwu a priority, helping close the gap on programs like Ohio State and Alabama.

"A lot schools said a lot of things that the could possibly do to help me and stuff like that," Izuchukwu said. "But I think the coaches at Mississippi State really care about me and have my best interests at heart, both on the field and off."

The versatile Izuchukwu could translate to defensive end or outside linebacker at the next level and he said the Bulldogs coaches have already talked to him about the impact he can have if he puts in the work.

"They've told me they will be using some different fronts and they think I can play in all of them," Izuchukwu said. "Most likely I'll be in a three-point stance but they will drop me back sometimes and I like that."

Izuchukwu said now that his commitment is out of the way he can focus on having a big senior year and taking what will hopefully be many steps forward in his development.

"I'm happy and know I can keep working on getting better," he said. "I want to be able to graduate early so I can enroll early and get to work and that's my main goal now."

Izuchukwu is commitment No. 6 for the Bulldogs in the Class of 2019 and he joins fellow four-star defensive lineman Charles Moore as members of the Rivals250 already pledged to the school. If and when he signs with Mississippi State, Izuchukwu will become the highest ranked player from the state of Tennessee to join the program since four-star Will Redmond in the Class of 2012.