Why Oklahoma Teammates Call P.J. Adebawore a 'Freak of Nature'

DALLAS — In December’s Alamo Bowl, Oklahoma defensive end P.J. Adebawore was listed at 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds.

Not bad for a true freshman.

Sooner Nation recently got excited, however, when the team's summer roster was released and Adebawore was officially listed at 251 pounds.

But last week at SEC Media Days, OU coach Brent Venables gave the fan base an even more tantalizing scrap of data.

“I did throw P.J. on the scale yesterday (Monday),” Venables said. “I didn’t have my phone with me, but I was going to take a picture. I wish I had so I could send it to Coach (Miguel) Chavis, who’s still on vacation. He was just barely over 260. 

“That just kind of tells you the type of gains that you can make over the summer when you have guys that are committed.”

Armed with a better understanding of Venables’ defense and almost two years worth of instruction from Chavis, a 260-pound Adebawore could become a nightmare for opposing offenses.

“Have you seen that guy?” said senior linebacker Danny Stutsman. “It’s hard not to be amazed by him.”

Stutsman said since arriving from North Kansas City in January 2023, Adbawore has been on an impressive upward trajectory.

The former Under Armour All-American and consensus 5-star prospect had minimal impact as a rookie in 2023, with just six total tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 quarterback sacks. But he played in all 13 games and got invaluable experience.

“You see some of these pass rush moves that he does throughout practice, you watch the film and you can’t teach that, the way he moves, how fluid he is with his motions,” Stutsman said last week. “It’s amazing. It’s great to watch. On third down, to have packages and bring him in to see what he can do, it’s gonna be huge for us.”

As a consensus top-25 national recruit, Adebawore — whose given first name is Adepoju — has an older brother (Tomi) who’s already in the NFL and a younger brother (Adeyeye) who might be on his way.

Meanwhile, the middle brother seems on the very doorstep of becoming a college football superstar. That’s significant for a defense that has improved in two seasons under Venables but has struggled profoundly to get to the quarterback. Adebawore can change that.

Adebawore graded out at 62.1 for the 2023 season, according to Pro Football Focus, including a grade of 60 or better in eight games. He played a total of 184 defensive snaps, per PFF, had 13 total QB pressures, nine hurries and two hits. 

His pass rush grade of 67.5 ranked 21st among Big 12 Conference edge rushers (first on the Sooners’ roster, ahead of teammates Trace Ford and Ethan Downs). Only 14 players graded better than 70.0.

And while the process to becoming elite continues, he’s endearing himself to his teammates on a different level.

“His personality is one of a kind,” Stutsman said. “It’s a dude that — we went skeet shooting the other day, and then me and P.J. and some other guys went to a PBR (Pro Bull Riders), and that guy’s horrified of guns and bulls. 

“It’s funny to see because when that guy’s on the field, he’s an absolute monster. He’s a terror. But to see him outside of football, ‘All right, this guy’s human, he gets scared around a bull.’ But he’s a generational athlete. He’s a freak of nature.”