by Pat Turner, goUTSA.com contributing writer
SAN ANTONIO — Michael Egwuagu has a special appreciation for UTSA.
The senior safety from Pflugerville displays his affection mostly on the football field where he has made a name for himself by earning All-Conference USA honors following a junior campaign that saw him record 62 tackles, including 3.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks, in addition to three interceptions and eight pass breakups.
His enthusiastic personality also makes him a favorite among his teammates where his leadership has made an impact.
However, to show it's not all about football, he has a serious mind for business with an interest in foreign currencies and the stock market. If that's not enough, he also is receiving positive feedback as a rap artist, which has him taking a serious look at diving into the music industry.
"I've loved being here," said Egwuagu, whose rap name is Ify. "I appreciate it every day. I love these guys on the team and I love this program."
With that being said, Egwuagu's UTSA career came close to ending prior to his sophomore year.
He was coming off a promising freshman season where he recorded 25 tackles and a pick in 10 games of action. The future looked bright, but a family issue pulled him back home at the end of fall camp.
While in Pflugerville, Egwuagu quickly realized he belonged with his teammates and returned to the Alamo City. Since then, there has been no looking back.
"Being back is that much more sweet, that much more fruitful," the senior safety said. "Some days I used to dread practice. I haven't dreaded a practice since then."
Even though everything worked out, he was not sure what the response would be when he asked to come back. It was an emotional meeting and he learned quickly players and coaches were happy to have him back.
"I am blessed and thankful the old coaching staff let me back on the team," Egwuagu said. "I am blessed my brothers accepted me back on the team because that was my biggest fear. It was hard to ask to come back. For the first time, I broke down and cried in front of my teammates. It was crazy. Some of my teammates were crying, too, and they gave me a hug and said they understood. I wasn't expecting that at all. I was preparing myself for the worst, so to have them welcome me with open arms was a defining moment."
Egwuagu made the most of the second chance, beginning with his sophomore season. Even though the defensive back missed the first three games, he made up for lost time during the final nine contests by totaling 41 tackles, including three behind the line of scrimmage, and yet another interception.
That carried over into a more productive junior season, one that saw him score his first two touchdowns as a Roadrunner in the C-USA opener at UTEP.
Through it all, stronger leadership skills surfaced.
"It played a huge part in me becoming a better leader," Egwuagu said. "I am able to talk to other guys about what I have been through and give them a different perspective. It allows me to appreciate things more and get other guys to appreciate it more, as well."
Egwuagu has a number of big games throughout the four years, but last year's 25-6 victory at UTEP ranks as the most memorable.
He came up with eight tackles and a 40-yard interception touchdown return, along with another score, which might be the most unique in the program's brief six-year history.
It happened when teammate Nate Gaines picked off a pass. He was heading downfield and saw a UTEP player charging in his direction. Within a split second, Gaines pitched the ball to Egwuagu, who sprinted the final 15 yards to the end zone.
"That was crazy," he said. "Nate was running and I'm running right behind him. Then I say to myself, 'oh shoot, he's about to pitch it to me' and it was a perfect pitch. The crazy thing about it is after he pitched it he goes and gets the lead block. I saw a little cut and dove into the end zone."
Gaines was more than happy to set up his friend's scoring opportunity.
"It was a great play," Gaines said. "I remember running down the sidelines and hearing someone at the back of my neck screaming, 'pitch, pitch it!' I looked back and sure enough it was Eg. I wasn't going to pitch it at first, but then I saw their running back step up and I thought maybe we could make a play happen and we did."
Last year could qualify as a breakthrough year and Egwuagu is using that as a building block for his final season.
He comes into today's game against Southern Miss with 30 stops, which ranks second on the team, but he is looking to expand that total in the season's final eight contests.
"I think I am doing what I can to contribute to the team," Egwuagu said. "I'm in on a lot of tackles, but there's always room for improvement. I am very hard on the way I critique myself. There are little things like footsteps or triggering that I want to continue to work on."
This year has been filled with challenges, too.
During the offseason, Frank Wilson replaced Larry Coker as head coach. Uncertain about what direction UTSA would be going, Egwuagu met with the new coaching staff to discuss his future and he left a strong first impression.
"He met with me, as well as some of the other seniors," Wilson said. "He was very outspoken about his desire to be led. He wanted to go out his senior year with a winning attitude and that impressed me."
With the season underway, Egwuagu continues to impress.
"He's really playing well," Wilson said. "He's all over the place and playing with great energy, effort and leadership, which is what we expected from him. He was a preseason all-conference nominee and is living up to that billing."
The same vibes are coming from UTSA's defenders.
"He is a great leader and a great friend," Gaines said. "He does everything right on and off the field."
Egwuagu's guidance isn't restricted to his side of the football. He also sends encouragement to the offense, especially quarterback Dalton Sturm.
Prior to the season opener against Alabama State, Egwuagu gave Sturm a pep talk before hitting the field. His words of wisdom were well received, as the quarterback helped the Roadrunners to a 26-13 victory against Alabama State.
"He pulled me over and pretty much told me I got it," Sturm said. "He just said, 'do what you do.' He's a great leader who always is hyping everybody up. He's a great guy to have on this team and we're lucky to have him out there as a teammate and a brother."
Egwuagu and Sturm's bonding actually began this past spring. They live close to one another, but their bond became deeper when they took a road trip to Arizona together to visit UTSA point guard Gino Littles.
"I think that's how we became so close," Egwuagu said. "We're teammates and friends. I think after that we almost became best friends and best teammates. When you're sitting in a car together for 14 hours, you talk about everything. It was good for him to see me in a different atmosphere and me to see him in a different atmosphere. I always encourage my teammates to spend time together away from football. I think that is exactly what that was."
While his football career may be winding down, Egwuagu's dream to become a rapper appears to be picking up stream.
He's placed it on hold for the time being to focus on his senior season, but the reviews have been positive when he has performed.
Egwuagu began rapping in high school with other football players around the Austin area. He eventually got connected with the group UndderGroundd Squad. In college, things have picked up even more.
What really got him going was having the support of his mother.
"My mom is the type to embrace anything we do with open arms." Egwuagu said. "That's really what gave me the courage. Then, I had teachers starting to attract to it as well. I was like, 'wow, I'm really doing a good thing.' In my free time I'm always writing, always making music. Sometimes I try to stop, but it doesn't work. It's like a disease that doesn't go away. I just can't stop writing music."
Like football, Egwuagu sees rapping has an opportunity to make an impact in another special way.
"Ultimately, it's all comes down to a platform to influence a generation in a positive manner," he said. "I want to show people they can chase their dreams no matter what."
