Northwestern Offensive Guard Makes Midseason All-Freshman Team

Ryan Cole

Oct 17, 2025, 21:32

Ryan Cole

Oct 17, 2025, 21:32

Updated at: Oct 17, 2025, 21:32

Freshman guard Ezomo Oratokhai was named to The Athletic's midseason All-Freshman team.

A standout performer on Northwestern's offensive line is getting his flowers from a major sports media source.

In an article published today, Ezomo Oratokhai was named to The Athletic's midseason All-Freshman team. The redshirt first-year has impressed so far this season in his first full campaign with consistent snaps and appears to be developing into a star for the Wildcats.

Last season, Oratokhai played in four games and made two starts, according to Northwestern Athletics. This year, he's yet to miss any of the Wildcats' first six games, starting all of them, and he's made tremendous strides.

According to the article, Oratokhai has only allowed just one sack so far this season, as well as five pressures, on 192 pass blocking snaps. Those are incredible numbers for a guard in his first full season at the college level, let alone the Big Ten level.

Keep in mind, Oratokhai has been up against some blue bloods in the conference like Oregon and Penn State. He's still only allowed one sack. Those are the makings of an impactful blocker this season and down the line for a Northwestern program that is becoming somewhat of an "O-line U."

In recent seasons, NU has developed the likes of Peter Skoronski, Rashawn Slater and current left tackle Caleb Tiernan. The first two were both selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, and they now start on NFL teams. Slater is injured this season, but he's a superstar in the league.

Tiernan, meanwhile, is poised to make his NFL dreams a reality after this season as well. He's played well, and he has the tools to go pro and be impactful.

Now, Oratokhai is another promising young offensive lineman earlier on in his career arc. If he keeps developing like this, he's going to be a stud for a while in the college ranks.

"It's really impressive for any first year to play the amount of football he played. We knew when he arrived, his strength and his IQ stood out," head coach David Braun said of Oratokhai before the season started.

Oct 11, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach David Braun stands on the field during a warmup prior to the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

So far, he's living up to expectations, and The Athletic took notice.

Alongside Oratokhai, Texas State's Brock Riker, Washington's John Mills, Texas Tech's Jacob Ponton and Tennessee's Jesse Perry were named to the offensive line.

Northwestern Offensive Guard Makes Midseason All-Freshman Team