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RECRUITING: St. Thomas' Kopp releases Top 5, includes University of Houston
HOUSTON - The Elite 11 changed everything for Maddox Kopp.
The day Kopp got the invite, he received offers from Tulane and Texas State. Then Wyoming offered. Then it was Ole Miss. Then Colorado.
The recruiting buzz around the St. Thomas senior quarterback was definitely going and it hasn't slowed, despite him being unable to do camps as he originally planned this summer prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I was planning on going on the camp circuit and getting my name out there, because I felt like I was under-recruited and I had worked my tail off during the offseason just to prepare for that," Kopp said. "The Elite 11 gave me a platform and an opportunity to show that I do belong in that group of quarterbacks.
"It happened real fast and I just took it all in as much as I could, while staying focused on the season."
On Wednesday, Kopp narrowed his list to a Top 5 - Houston, Tulane, Wyoming, Colorado and Ole Miss.
"It was important for me to do that list and make it public just so I can focus on the schools I want to go into detail on," Kopp said. "It was a tough decision but it needed to happen."
The Top 5 is a mix.
The University of Houston is the hometown choice, now led by former West Virginia coach Dana Holgerson. Ole Miss gives the SEC option, Colorado is in the Pac-12, while Wyoming and Tulane reside in the Mountain West and American Athletic Conferences, respectively.
When asked what he's examining the most in his ultimate decision, Kopp said it all comes down to fit.
"There's a lot of things but the biggest is my fit in the program and my ability to play and contribute early on in my career," he said. "But there's so many things that go into a decision like this."
‼️ Top 5 ‼️
Blessed to be in this position! Thank you to all the schools that have recruited me to this point. These are my top 5 schools moving forward. (recruitment still open) @STHFootball pic.twitter.com/FMwbpWfLIn
— Maddox Kopp (@maddox_kopp) August 5, 2020
Having a Division I prospect in the Kopp household is nothing new.
Oldest brother Braden (2016 Houston Christian graduate) just graduated from Vanderbilt, where he played football. Miller (2018 Houston Christian graduate) is currently at Northwestern and Anderson (2019 St. Thomas graduate) is at Lamar University, both of whom play basketball.
So, now it's Maddox's turn.
"I've talked to them, bouncing ideas off of them, seeing what they think," Maddox said. "It's really helpful for me. My parents [Will and Deborah] play a big role in this too, so having all of them to talk to and run my thoughts through is really good for me. [Their biggest advice] has been to take it all in, you only get to go through this process once and making the decision is really big but you have to have fun with it.
"You're recruited to play college football but you also have to go to school there. So, they've said make sure you look at every aspect and that's what I've done."
Full Circle: Foster's Chidozie Nwankwo caps career with State Wrestling Championship
CYPRESS – Dressed in a white long sleeve shirt with a silver UH logo on the right side and a plethora of medals hanging around his neck, Corey Harris watched from the front row.
He watched his son Chidozie Nwankwo finish his high school career with one last gold as a win in the Class 5A, 285-pound State Championship match capped his stellar career.
Moments after the win, Chidozie came over and the two embraced. It was an emotional hug. One that had a lot of meaning to the both of them.
"The hug was me saying well done," Harris said while leaning forward on the rail in front of his seat and holding back tears. "It was saying let's close the chapter on this book and open up next chapter, which is going off to college and pursuing your collegiate career and becoming even more of an impact in this city and to your family.
"It was me saying thank you God for giving me the honor and pleasure of raising my children and being in these beautiful experiences that he and our kids have brought us along the way. I'm just proud of him. There are no other words. Just proud of him."
Chidozie added: "It was emotional for the both of us. I know he loves me. He wants the best for me."
BREAKING: @ChidozieNwankw wins the Class 5A 285 pound State Championship. He is signed to @UHCougarFB | Nwankwo finishes career with two state titles
Freshman: 3rd
Sophomore: State Champ
Junior: 2nd
Senior: State Champ#UILState @Fosterwrestling @FosterFootball @KPRC2RandyMc pic.twitter.com/rrn8aKdCYY
— VYPE Houston (@vypehouston) February 23, 2020
Ironically, that hug may never have happened had it not been for Chidozie having a change of heart following football season.
Chidozie told reporters following the win, he originally wasn't going to wrestle this year.
A tough loss in the state title match a year ago really took a toll on him. It took a while for him to process it and provided a life-teaching moment for the father and son.
"This is a flat, this is a bump in the road that you have to overcome," Harris said about that loss. "The only way you're going to overcome it is to become a champion again. So, today solidified everything that we raised him to understand about falling and getting back up."
It was about a week after football season that Chidozie ultimately made the decision to wrestle his senior year.
"Last year he was doing it to stay in shape for football season," Harris said. "This year, he wanted to win. He wanted to come out here and prove to everybody. 'Hey man, I'm the champion'."
Chidozie would get one more chance to stand atop the podium inside the Berry Center come February.
"He easily could have just focused on football," Foster wrestling coach Scott Kimball said. "He could have walked away, and nobody would have blinked an eye. But he had something to prove this year. He wanted to prove it, not only to everybody but to himself. So, this season he came out and did this for him and nobody else."
Chidozie entered the UIL State Wrestling Tournament with a 22-0 mark for the season and 98 career victories on the mat.
The first win on Friday was a fall in 35 seconds. The second was a 9-2 victory, which pushed him into Saturday's state semifinals. In the morning on Saturday, he won his match with a fall in 3:07, which thrust him into the title bout.
It was a highly competitive match with Midlothian's Marshall Hodges. Early on Chidozie led 1-0 before it was tied up. On two occasions, Chidozie threw Hodges out of bounds but officials ruled each of those neutral position, which meant no points.
With time running down, overtime looking like a reality, Chidozie pushed Hodges to the edge again. And with two seconds left, a stall was called against Hodges, giving Chidozie the 2-1 lead with no time left.
THE MOMENT: @ChidozieNwankw throws his opponent out of the ring for a point to take a 2-1 lead with two seconds remaining in the match. Unbelievable moment. @FosterFootball @Fosterwrestling @FosterHSNews @KPRC2RandyMc @KPRC2AdamW @KPRC2 @MaxPreps @uiltexas pic.twitter.com/24nm1cLL0L
— VYPE Houston (@vypehouston) February 23, 2020
"I get to say I finished wrestling with a first-place medal in state. Now, I get to pursue my football career."
If Chidozie would have decided not to wrestle, the senior said it would have been a decision that later in life he would have regretted.
"Let's say in 10 years from now, I would look back and I would have been like 'I should have wrestled my last year in high school'," he said. "'Lord knows what I could have done'."
Chidozie finishes his high school career as a four-time District Champion; three-time Regional Champion; four-time state placer; two-time state champion and one-time runner-up.
His final record – 102-5.
"He's got a storybook career in the wrestling field," Kimball said. "People are going to be talking about him for a long time."
Chidozie added: "I learned a lot from wrestling. It helped me grow as a man. It helped my stamina. It helped me push my mind farther than I thought it could go. I love wrestling for that."