5 Enlightening Minutes with Husky ILB Edefuan Ulofoshio

The UW defensive standout has come a long way from a player at one time without a scholarship.

Sophomore linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio sits down in a Husky Stadium room shortly after noon to speak with media members covering him and the University of Washington football team.

A notorious early riser, the 6-foot-1, 235-pound player from Las Vegas by way of Anchorage, Alaska, declines to say how early he got started that morning. He's fearful that others might hear the hour and try to beat him out of bed.

Ulofoshio, who's of Nigerian descent and the son of high-achieving immigrants, is a pre-med student studying to be a doctor. In some circles, he's also been labeled as the best returning inside linebacker in the country. 

His is an amazing story of someone convinced he can be great at everything he throws himself into. All Ulofoshio has to do is put in enormous effort. This has enabled him to go from non-scholarship player to Husky starter by the end of his second season to grateful scholarship recipient and bona fide honors candidate. 

The secret to his success is taking the football skills he was given and simply matching them to an exorbitant time investment. 

In just five minutes with the eloquent Ulofoshio, you learn something new about him. In this case, he was asked about his relationship with Ryan Bowman, the Huskies' starting outside linebacker, a sixth-year senior and a fellow UW defensive leader. His answer is new to everyone's ears.

"I knew of Ryan Bowman before I came here," Ulofoshio said in his rich baritone voice. "He was kind of one of the reasons why I actually decided to walk on."

In other words, Bowman was someone who similarly showed up at the UW without a football scholarship and he was willing to initially pay his way, even though his older brother Shane played for the Huskies and had his tuition and room and board covered by the school. 

The younger Bowman immediately became a standout player and soon had his college bills paid for.  

Ulofoshio saw Bowman's success story from afar, while still in high school in Nevada, and witnessed this success in former Husky cornerback Myles Bryant, too. They were players who were comfortable in their own skin to join the UW football team and believe were deserving enough of all the trimmings. 

Those players gave him the proper motivation and inspiration to excel and he became a second-team All-Pac-12 selection, just like them, and maybe do a lot more.

What's surprising is the younger Bowman and the equally opportunistic Bryant still didn't know this when Ulofoshio recited his story on Wednesday, three days before the season opener against Montana. 

"Him and Myles B — and  I've never told them this — but  they were the reasons I had the confidence to jump the walk-on here and be able to believe I could play here," Eddie said. "They were able to do it, so, OK, I have a chance to do it here."

Five minutes goes by fairly fast when you're speaking with Ulofoshio, who's always engaging in sessions like this. He talked about how happy he was to be able to play in front of UW fans again, and of how he and his current teammates always believe they will be successful on the field.

As for his waking hour, Ulofoshio remained mum. You can only guess when he got started. He's worked too hard to give away the blueprint. 

Find Husky Maven on Facebook by searching: Husky Maven/Sports Illustrated

Follow Dan Raley of Husky Maven on Twitter: @DanRaley1 and @HuskyMaven