Oregon Ducks vs. UCLA Bruins

Oregon Ducks cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (14), celebrates after sacking UCLA Bruins quarterback Brett Hundley on Oct 26. at Autzen Stadium.

(Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian)

EUGENE -- His name means “something that fits you well” and for one of college football’s best cornerbacks, there is no better descriptor of Ifomeno Ekpre-Olomu’s success.

Like his sisters, first-born Robodhene (“God’s gift”) and Onome (“this is mine”) and brother, Kesena (“here comes a son”), Ifo’s name derives from the Isoko dialect of Nigeria’s western delta region where his parents, Queen and Joshua, grew up and met. They earned advanced degrees in the U.S. to better support the four children they’d always envisioned having.

They immigrated to the Los Angeles area, where Queen became a nurse, Joshua a social services administrator and they had their first child. As their children grew up as American teenagers, the parents reminded them of their heritage and the values of family as constantly as Ifo reminds opposing receivers of his unerring presence.

“It's just something special,” Ifo said of his background. “I can share different culture, especially when I have my own family.”

As the second son in a family already with two sisters, Ifo completed the symmetry; he fit well. His name befits his accomplishments for No. 5 Oregon, too, where he completes a beaten but undaunted defense, and his projected fit in the NFL, where he’s a likely first-round pick in May should he forgo his senior season.

Because of his academic, athletic and social success, people have taken to describing him in other ways than his first name: Third-team All-American, caring, committed, an ascender.

Oregon secondary coach John Neal calls him something different.

“Ifo,” he said, and pausing with emphasis, “might be the best player I've ever coached.”

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Ekpre-Olomu is a natural fit at Oregon.

In October, the semifinalist for the Thorpe and Bednarik awards was called “probably the best defensive player we’ve seen this season” by Washington coach Steve Sarkisian, praise that’s reached a fever pitch for a player who first gained notice as a true freshman who played in all 14 games. He earned his shot after Anthony Gildon’s injuries and Cliff Harris’ suspensions but ended the season with a bitter taste after allowing two touchdowns against Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl.

The offseason entering his sophomore season was “one of the hardest I’ve ever had,” he said.

"I didn’t want to be in that situation like that again.”

He guards against those moments by practicing at full speed to the point Neal said, “Sometimes, I worry about him.”

Ekpre-Olomu says that he’s read some of the mock drafts that predict millions in first-round earnings and understands what could await him in the pros. It doesn’t translate to complacency, however. Neal, with 30 years of coaching experience, believes Ifo is a better cover corner than former Duck and two-time NFL Pro Bowler Jairus Byrd.

“If a guy were to think about the NFL, and worry about it … then he would not be playing at this level of football,” Neal said. “And most certainly, most certainly, wouldn't be practicing at the level he practices at. … His ability to be consistent and ascend at the same time is the identifier of greatness.”

The blend of exceptionally quick feet supporting his 5-foot-10, 185-pound frame coupled with his understanding of coordinator Nick Aliotti’s defense is such that senior safety Brian Jackson said that, without talking, they can swap duties in the middle of a play.

“I can just point at someone and he’ll see it,” Jackson said.

But to get here, he needed to be pointed in the right direction, too.

In football, Kesena was Ifo’s inspiration, the older brother whose high school statistics were often topped by his Pop Warner sibling. USC was their shared, dream destination, born from watching Reggie Bush.

But though the Trojans asked the four-star recruit to attend their summer camps, Oregon sent Neal, twice, to the family’s Chino Hills, Calif., house. The first time Neal arrived, he was so ill that Queen Ekpre-Olomu, a nurse, took care of him. Chip Kelly appealed in-person, too. In the aftermath of USC’s NCAA sanctions, Trojans coach Lane Kiffin didn’t show up until it was too late.

“I felt like I was not really disrespected, but underestimated,” Ifo said, and he pictured where he’d fit best. “In the back of your head you kind of want to wait, but at the same time I saw the direction Oregon was going.”

Still, the decision to deny USC was agonizing for his brother, Kesena said. His decision speaks to a connection developed throughout the recruiting process that runs as deep as their names.

“They always were a family and made us feel like we were a part of their family,” Kesena said of the Ducks. “Being Nigerian, that family community, that bond, that's huge.”

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In the diverse Los Angeles area, the Ekpre-Olomus fit well among two worlds. As they raised their four children to be typical American teenagers, the parents -- now naturalized citizens -- pushed reminders about Nigeria.

Their lives were sprinkled with elements of both. Ifo and Kesena became video game experts, hosting parties with sometimes a dozen friends where small bets were wagered on outcomes across all video game platforms. Kesena’s punishment for losing to Ifo in their last NBA 2K battle was covering his brother’s half of their shared phone bill.

At Christmas, Queen and Joshua will return on their latest trip home to Nigeria. (Oregon’s bowl practices will keep Ifo from joining. His last trip was in kindergarten.) Though their children often joined, the lessons didn’t always translate to Southern California.

“It was really hard to understand sometimes the meaning behind the stuff my parents would do for us because we'd be conflicted,” Onome said, citing traditional gender roles for cleaning and housework. “Some of our other friends, they do things this way but we did it a different way. It was very hard to blend the two culture and assimilate. We've kind of come up with our own identity here. It works for us.”

All the children developed a comfort with their heritage differently. As a teen, Ifo developed a pitch-perfect impression of his mother’s accent, Onome said. But though he mimicked her delivery to the delight of his siblings, he understood the meaning behind his parents’ words.

“As I’ve gotten older I’ve appreciated it a lot more than when I was younger,” he said of discovering his heritage. “It's just a blessing.”

After hearing those comments, Queen let out a content chuckle over a phone line. Confirmation that her son -- whose success at an American game has brought his Nigerian name to the forefront of college football circles -- has priorities that fit well with the rest of the family’s.

“We always instruct them to know where they are from and where they are going. That is something we feel in all four of our children, that family is very important,” Queen said, “and they are to maintain the family name.”