McALLEN — Becoming a Mustang was an important step to signing as a Roadrunner for McAllen Memorial safety Kelechi Nwachuku, a senior who signed his letter of intent to play for the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Nwachuku moved to McAllen and the Memorial Mustangs and quickly established himself as a standout. Prior to transferring to the school, he was a UTSA commit from his time at Class 4A Hardin-Jefferson, located northeast of Houston.
He said joining the team at Memorial was a stepping stone because of the passion players had compared to his old school.
“Here we’re all in it because we love it, and because of that we work so much harder and we all push each other,” Nwachuku said. “I’ve never been around that atmosphere before and it made me so much better of a football player. I’m so glad I got to come here before going to college, it was like a wake-up call.”
His mother, Myra Nwachuku, said since the school was bigger so was the challenge for her son, but being welcomed helped.
“From day one when he came, coming from one school to the other, the support has been here,” she said. “They took him under (their) wing and they loved him.”
He had 110 solo tackles, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one interception in his season in blue and gold. He earned 30-6A Defensive Newcomer of the Year honors and helped Memorial to a top defense in the district and a playoff win over Laredo United South.
He will play for a UTSA team that is a budding program in NCAA Division I since their first season in 2011. In 2016, the Roadrunners hired their second coach in program history, Frank Wilson. He led UTSA to their first bowl appearance, a 23-20 loss to New Mexico.
The Roadrunners play in Conference USA West with programs like Rice, UTEP, North Texas and the University of Alabama-Birmingham.
“It’s great to be there for them when they’re on that come-up,” Nwachuku said. “I can’t wait to go in and join the guys. They’re all guys like me; we’re all like-minded; we want to work; we want to get better to come together for the same goal.”
At safety, Nwachuku was often a catalyst on a defense that finished second in 30-6A in yards allowed. At 6 feet 1 inch, he is an imposing figure that figures his style of play will allow for a smooth transition.
“I fit right into everything that they do, their system,” Nwachuku said. “They play with five defensive backs on the field at a time, so hopefully there’s room for me in their rotation. They’re all ball hawks, playmakers that go for fumbles, big hits. They feed off of energy, that’s literally like describing myself.”
Memorial coach Bill Littleton said the immediate impact and leadership ability was clear when Nwachuku was elected a captain just one semester after enrolling and joining the team as a junior.
“I think Kelechi brings things that are very important to football: He’s a very intelligent player; a very intelligent human,” Littleton said. “He has great athletic ability and he has great speed. And with those three things it’ll take you a long way on the Division I level and maybe someday on a Sunday afternoon level.
“He’s just a super young man and I think the sky’s the limit for him.”
Surrounded by his family, Nwachuku thanked his parents and all of his coaches along the way before signing.
“Honestly, I’m just glad (my parents) won’t have that burden and me too, without any debt when I graduate,” Nwachuku said. “It’s insane, I’m so grateful for this opportunity.”
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