It was the 2020-2021 season, and Michigan’s Ike Iwunnah was in his senior year of high school. Due to COVID-19, the Lakeview Centennial athlete couldn’t showcase his talent. That didn’t mean that he wasn’t getting the eyeballs. Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh saw his tape and extended an offer to Iwunnah. When Harbaugh called him, Iwunnah couldn’t recognize who was on the other side of the call. “To be honest, I didn’t even know who Jim Harbaugh was before that. So, my coach had to nudge me to pay attention to him. I’m like, ‘Oh, who’s that?” In February 2021, Iwunnah’s FBS Division 1 dreams got a massive upgrade when he committed to Michigan. After his enrollment, snaps did become scarce, considering the quality in the DL room. But now? Ike Iwunnah is turning heads with his sheer physicality.

According to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, Iwunnah registered his name in one of Michigan’s legends as he did 800 pounds on a combo twist. Moreover, the 6’3″ and 320 lb DL became just the third player to achieve that feat in Michigan’s storied history. “Ike Iwunnah, a 6-3, 320-pound senior, is just the third player in Michigan history who has done 800 pounds on the combo twist, joining Mike Onwenu and 2022 Freaks Lister Mazi Smith.”

Iwunnah’s inclusion is the third time that the Wolverines cracked the top 10 of the Athletic’s Freaks List. Mazi Smith was the No. 1 player on the list in 2022, while Kenneth Grant was No. 3 in 2024. Iwunnah took 2.75 seconds in the reactive plyo stairs. Mazi Smith had done the same in 2.82 seconds.

Ike Iwunnah is expected to start at defensive tackle behind Damon Payton, who came from Alabama on transfer this year. Last year was the season when he earned his first snap and totaled 7 tackles. But, coming in 2025, Iwunnah is expected to take a step up and gain significant playtime, contributing to the D-line with his impressive frame. As for Iwunnah’s journey?

It was never really Michigan that was on the cards. From the beginning of Ike Iwunnah’s career at Lakeview Centennial, Texas, to getting his first offer from New Mexico, the player didn’t carry many lofty aspirations. “Oh my God, are you serious?” said the player after getting an offer from UoM, showing sheer disbelief at the prospect of playing for a Division 1 school. But little did he know that fate had much grander plans for him, and as his senior year came, the talent was hard not to notice.

Sherrone Moore gets an unexplored secret weapon in Ike Iwunnah for 2025

Iwunnah, being a 3-star recruit and ranked 674 nationally, didn’t get national attention initially. It was then his family’s plan to seal a commitment from a school like Michigan and then hope for the best from there. But Iwunnah’s love for football ran deep in his blood, and the guy played the game not because he had to, but because he loved it. The results then were apparent.

“He just came out and enjoyed playing. Played really hard, and then once he played well, the product of it was some opportunities opened up for him. And that’s the original order of how this used to go. He did it in the correct order,” said Kendall Miller, Iwunnah’s high school head coach, about the hard work the DL put in for his offers. Now at Michigan, he still awaits his chance to perform, and coming in the 2025 season, Michigan will surely need him.

As Michigan gears up for the 2025 season, they’re really looking to bounce back after only snagging 8 wins last year. While that might fly with some teams, the Wolverines have bigger dreams, especially since they took home a national title just two years ago. Sure, their win over Ohio State and some solid defense helped ease the heat on Coach Sherrone Moore, but that might not hold up in 2025. That’s why the team is going to need all the help they can get, including from Ike Iwunnah.