BIOGRAPHY
Chidobe Awuzie was born on May 24th, 1995 in San Jose, California. He is a cornerback in the NFL.
The son of Nigerian immigrants, Awuzie attended Oak Grove High School in San Jose, California. He played cornerback as well as wide receiver and was rated as a three-star recruit by both Rivals.com and ESPN.com.
He committed to play college football for the University of Colorado Boulder, over offers from other "Power 5" schools including Pac-12 opponents Utah and Washington State.
Awuzie gained immediate playing time, appearing in 12 games, with 7 starts (six at the nickel position and one at left cornerback. As a sophomore, he started in the first 9 games, before missing last three with a lacerated kidney he suffered in practice. He tallied 64 tackles (2 for loss), 8 passes defensed (third on the team), 2 interceptions, one fumble recovery and one quarterback hurry. As a junior, he appeared in 13 games (12 starts) at a combination between cornerback and the nickel position. He registered 90 tackles (second on the team), 78 solo tackles, 4 sacks (set record for the most by a CU defensive back), 2 interceptions, 10 passes defensed and had a team-high 13 tackles for loss, making it the first time a defensive back ever led in that category dating back to 1969 (when it was first tracked). He was named to the All-Pac-12 football team second-team. Before his senior season, he was named to the Thorpe Award watchlist, annually given to best defensive back in the nation, as well as the Nagurski Award watchlist, which is given to the best defensive player in college football. He finished with 60 tackles (48 solo), 4 sacks (tying his own single-season record for CU defensive backs), one interception, 12 passes defensed and 2 forced fumbles.
The Dallas Cowboys selected Awuzie in the second round (60th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft. Awuzie was the 10th cornerback drafted in 2017. The Dallas Cowboys selected Awuzie in the second round (60th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft. Awuzie was the 10th cornerback drafted in 2017.
On March 19, 2021, Awuzie signed a three-year contract with the Cincinnati Bengals.
