Pat Kinnison - Pokes Report chief photographer
A Story on Chuba Hubbard Before We Find Out Chuba's Decision
STILLWATER -- This week, Oklahoma State fans are waiting for the word from Canada. It may come in a video. There could always be a special announcement somehow, but more than likely with Chuba Hubbard, he will simply go on his Twitter account and make his decision public with a simple explanation. Hubbard has not been one for a lot of drama, so when I heard this story about how the now unanimous All-American running back that carried the ball 328 times for 2,094-yards and 21 touchdowns first was on the radar screen for Oklahoma State, I wasn't surprised.
It's been made a big deal this season and leading up to this season that the connection between the two Canadians, both from the Province of Alberta, helped land Hubbard to Stillwater to join Ogbongbemiga.
Former defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer, now at University of South Florida was recruiting linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga in Canada and that led to Chuba Hubbard.
Pat Kinnison - Pokes Report chief photographer
"I had been up there recruiting Amen," said former Oklahoma State defensive coordinator, and now defensive coordinator at South Florida, Glenn Spencer. "He and Chuba were friends and so I go back (to Stillwater) and I kind of sat on it, but then I said, "look at this kid."
I showed video to coach Gundy and to Marcus Arroyo (then the running backs coach) and they jumped on it.
"It was Amen that clued us in first," Spencer said.
"We played each other and it was kind of like a rivalry because it was deep in the playoffs and he got in the game late, but he still had like 200-or-300-yards (rushing) something like that, but we still won the game in the end." Ogbongbemiga said of the match-up between his Notre Dame Prep squad from Calgary and Hubbard's Bev Facey Community School team from outside Edmonton.
"His team beat mine, but I still won the individual battle," Hubbard said with a chuckle in an interview with Orange Power Studios Jessica Morrey.
"I went up to him and said I see some potential in you," Ogbongbemiga said. "At the time I was committed to Oklahoma State. He had no offers at the time and a few months later after the season, he picked up an offer. We kind of talked about it and I saw him later that year at a track meet and he said he was going to commit. I said, 'yeah bro, let's go do it for our country.'"
"We talked about it and he hooked me up with some of the coaches," Hubbard said of Ogbongbemiga's involvement. "From then on we just built that relationship and now we're like family."
It's not unusual that a Canadian linebacker would help with the connection of a Canadian running back. It is a darn good story about the defensive side of the ball helping the offensive side with a recruit that turned out to be very special.
