Coach: Igbinoghene Impressive On & Off Field
Noah Igbinoghene is the product of hard work, good character and great genes.
The 2017 Alabama wide receiver continues to see his profile rise in the eyes of recruiting analysts, but that’s no surprise to Igbinoghene’s receivers coach and co-offensive coordinator at Hewitt-Trussville High School.
“Noah’s ability to accelerate, come to a complete stop and re-accelerate at top speed is the best I’ve ever been around and coached,” Rodney Bivens Jr. said.
“He’s able to make defenders miss in ways that no other player can. Rarely are any of our quarterbacks able to overthrow him. That affords us the capability to take shots down the field and have explosive plays in both the passing and running game.”
An elite track performer, the 6-foot, 190-pounder won the 2016 New Balance National Indoor triple jump with a jump of 49 feet, 7 inches. He followed that up by setting a state outdoor record in the long jump at 24-5.
“Noah’s explosiveness in the long jump and triple jump can easily be seen on the football field when running routes, during his runs after catches and when he avoids defenders,” Bivens Jr. said. “There are numerous times that you can see Noah literally jumping in and out of his cuts as though he is triple jumping when making defenders miss.”
Bivens Jr. describes Igbinoghene’s work ethic as “second to none,” which isn’t a surprising given his family background.
“He comes from a great family in which both of his parents are Olympic medalists,” said Bivens Jr., referring to Igbinoghene’s mother, who was a part of Nigeria’s 400-meter relay team at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and his father, who participated as a triple-jumper for Nigeria during the 1996 games in Atlanta.
“Noah is always the first one to the weight room, he never skips a set nor repetitions, uses the proper technique on all of his lifts, and he finds a way to make up anything that he has missed due to his national and international track schedule.”
Igbinoghene’s parents have helped him tremendously.
“They are great people, very supportive of Noah and the football program,” Bivens Jr. said. “It’s evident through their support that they truly want what’s best for him. Both of his parents are involved within his recruiting process, development, and they have allowed us to push him to new levels of growth.”
As with all high school prospects, there are areas where Igbinoghene can still grow.
“Noah is obviously a great athlete and has an elite skill set,” his coach said. “Just as with any great young receiver, he can continue to work to perfect the fine details of route-running. Noah has improved tremendously within the time that I’ve been able to work with him, but there’s always another level that you can go to.
“Our team sees a variety of coverages within the classification and region that we compete in, but I do know that many of those same looks will be disguised even further at the next level. Noah spends time with me before and after practice to work on separation techniques so that he’ll be ready to compete at the next level once he finishes his high school career.”
The senior wideout took visits to Notre Dame and Duke earlier this fall, the two schools he named as co-leaders this summer, and landed an offer from Auburn when he visited the in-state school this past weekend.
Through it all, Igbinoghene has remained focused on what’s in front of him.
“He most certainly has not allowed the exposure to affect his performance nor approach to the game,” Bivens Jr. said. “I believe that his success in track within individual events has contributed tremendously to him being able to handle the recruiting attention.”
Igbinoghene has also managed to stay focused away from the field.
“He’s a great student, very respectful to all of his teachers and superiors, and he is active within numerous school and community organizations,” his coach said.
Bivens Jr. sees Igbinoghene as pretty much the entire package.
“Noah is a very respectable kid, but he’s also a fierce competitor. He hates to lose in anything from a foot race, who can catch the most consecutive passes, to playing video games with friends. Noah also gets along really well with all of his teammates and peers, and he will most certainly be an asset to the locker room environment.”