When Tito Chikere left Kempner High in Sugarland, Texas as a three-star recruit, he headed to Fresno state with very high hopes for his college career like all promising athletes do.
But a knee injury and a coaching change began a longer journey than the 6-foot-2, 250-pound Chikere ever imagined.
Chikere is hoping his final and best stop will be in Lafayette at UL after signing with the Ragin’ Cajuns on Friday.
“It didn’t take too long to overcome the injury,” Chikere said. “I feel like the problem at Fresno was just the staff. It wasn’t the staff that recruited me. When I got there, it was a whole brand new staff, so I came into a bad situation.
“It didn’t end up working out there, so came back to Houston.”
Chikere transferred to Prairie View A&M, but only played in five games over two seasons here. His next stop was East Texas A&M of the Southland Conference.
“I just wanted a fresh start, kind of a clean slate,” Chikere said of his move to East Texas A&M in Commerce. “I just wanted to build my love for the game back up.”
It was his best collegiate season with 34 tackles, one quarterback sack and 2.5 stops in 11 games.
“I still feel like I left on a lot on the table,” Chikere said. “It was my best season production-wise. I had a good solid year, but frankly, I’ve got higher expectations for myself. I was a little frustrated with my performance at times.
“But really, I’m not an outcome-oriented guy. I’m process oriented. I feel like my processes were the same. I feel like I’ve learned the lessons God wanted me to learn. Now
it’s time to make the most of this opportunity.”
So the big step forward convinced Chikere it was time to venture back to the FCS level again.
He had conversations with Sacramento State, Eastern Kentucky and Louisiana Tech once he entered the portal, but his only visit was to UL.
It wasn’t his first trip to Lafayette. He actually visited a camp Cajun Country with his high school buddy Cameron Whitfield. Whitfield ended up signing with UL and Chikere wasn’t offered and he ended up going to Fresno State.
“I wasn’t too salty about it,” Chikere laughed. “When I saw coach Mike G (Guiliani) when I visited, I showed him a picture and he said, ‘I remember you dog.’ It just felt like family right away.”
During his previous three collegiate stops, Chikere has played every position from defensive tackle to defensive end to outside linebacker.
Ironically, the Cajuns are envisioning him potentially replacing Whitfield at outside linebacker.
Chikere is convinced he’s ready to make his final collegiate season his best yet by far.
“It’s a bigger stage and a better team and culture around me here,” Chikere said. “I just know I’m going to flourish. When I started this journey, I was a kid. I’ve matured and now I just know I’m ready. It’s something in my spirit. It’s something in my heart, passionately. I just know that this year is going to be a big breakout year for me.”
