UTEP Football Feature - Praise Amaewhule

Drumming Up Success: Amaewhule’s Play & Leadership Key To UTEP Football

By Mark Brunner Strategic Communications

Even before he was born in Nigeria, it seems like there were big things planned for UTEP redshirt-sophomore defensive end Praise Amaewhule. For his parents had a special reasoning behind his first name.

“Because it was pre written, just destiny for me,” Amaewhule said. “I grew up in a very religious family, you know, my mom, parents were really strong in the church. And then I was raised that way. So it was just gonna be my name. Being born, it was all praise to God.”

Amaewhule lived in Nigeria until the age of 11, but even now he has fond memories. And it’s clear that the culture had a strong impact on who he is and he remembers a lot even after he moved to the Houston area with his aunt Katie in November of 2011.

“A lot, man. It’s a beautiful, beautiful place. Beautiful culture,” Amaewhule said. “You know, we have different people with different tribes. The food is probably the number one food in the world. I’m going to stand by that today. You have the best foods, the best traditions, just the environment and our culture and our music. Everything about us is just unique. You know, we don’t try to copy anybody. We just kind of do us, you know? That’s what I like about being Nigerian, we shine just by being ourselves.”

Amaewhule has certainly shined for the Miners, particularly during the Covid-affected 2020 season when he earned second-team All-Conference USA honors. He started all eight contests at DE, leading UTEP with eight tackles for loss, seven sacks and nine pass breakups.

The 6-3, 245 pound lineman is humble, and has a workmanlike mentality on the field. “I just go out there and try to do my job, do what my coach tells me to do,” Amaewhule said. “I want to make sure the guys behind me are making plays. That gives me a lot of joy to see my teammates make plays because I know we’ve worked hard all week for that.”

Due to varying circumstances and rule changes since he arrived on campus, Amaewhule is listed as a redshirt-sophomore despite being in the midst of his fourth season. That experience has allowed him to take a leadership role both on the field and in the locker room.

“I just try to lead by example,” Amaewhule said. “I’m not gonna tell a guy to do his job if I’m not doing my job. (It’s important) to be able to know your teammates because some guys don’t react to coaching the same way you do. You kind of know what kind of players they are, how to best get to them. Either by talking to them one on one or by getting on them by being loud in their face. But whenever I do get on a guy, he knows it is out of a place of love.”

That leadership approach and efforts on the field are appreciated by UTEP football head coach Dana Dimel. “He’s really learned how to be a great leader for our team,” Dimel said. “The guys feed off of his enthusiasm. He loves to practice the game. He practices the same way that he plays. He plays with a ton of intensity and a ton of fire. He’s just a great part of our football team.”

Before he gained any type of notoriety on the football field, he was living his best life while playing the drums as part of his church band.

“I grew up in the church and I just always loved the sound of the drums and how it got everybody moving,” Amaewhule said. “You were like the heart of the music. You get the rhythm, the tempo. So being at church and being able to dance with the drums, so that’s kind of cool. I wanted to play the drums. It just kind of grew on me over the years.”

His drumming years may be in the past, but a solo show could be in the imminent future according to Dimel.

“Oh, I didn’t know about Praise drumming,” Dimel said. “He’s a great drummer? That’s exciting. I will have to have him do that (put on a show) for us. We’ll have to watch him play sometime and get him in front of the team.”

One person who would be in favor of that is UTEP defensive tackle Keenan Stewart. “I’ve never seen him in person,” Stewart said. “But he showed me a video, and he’s pretty good drummer.”

While Amaewhule may be the best drummer in his family, he concedes that both his sister and little brother outrank him when it comes to dancing. But that doesn’t mean he can’t deliver in the clutch.

“When I have to you know, I put on like one or two moves I could do for the camera,” Amaewhule said. “But yeah, for sure my sister Amanda is the best.” Amaewhule is known for his ability to make big plays, and has a unique mindset for what recording a sack feels like emotionally.

“A sack and playing the drums, it’s really like top two feelings in the world,” Amaewhule said. “When you get a sack the crowd goes wild. When you play the drums everybody goes wild because they’re dancing so it’s like kind of the same thing. It’s literally a surreal feeling man because like you know you it is days where you practice for this one moment. So just to go there and do it at a high level you know, it just feels good.”

At the end of the day, it’s important to Amaewhule that others know who he is as a person. “I’m a God fearing man, kind, caring, humble,” Amaewhule said. “I grew up with a lot of respect for people and for my elders. I show kindness, I’m very caring. I can be a character sometimes, a little goofy. I’m just free spirited man, and I just want the best for everybody.”

But as kind and caring as he is off the field, Amaewhule understands things change once he straps on his helmet and steps between the lines.

“You can’t be kind out there, you really can’t,” Amaewhule said. “You gotta go into game mode and win the game. The opponent doesn’t care about your feelings. It doesn’t matter what’s going on in your life. You just need to put all that to the side for the next three hours. You play with respect and honor, but you can’t be kind.”

He certainly wasn’t kind to the New Mexico offensive line in UTEP’s come-from-behind 20-13 victory on Sept. 25. He recorded a strip sack and a career-high seven hurries. It was the most QB hurries by a Miner since Menson Holloway piled up eight in 2000. Amaewhule was also credited with two pass break-ups after batting down two attempts at the line.

Amaewhule is well-known by Miner fans, but his teammates also respect the way he leads and gets after it on the field, which means more than anything else to him.

“He’s a humble, good guy who brings positive vibes,” Stewart said. “He brings the team chemistry together, and he’s a good player.”