The lifecycle of a college football season is such that a few months feels like an entire year, like defensive ends Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo have been speeding up quarterbacks and spinning around or going through offensive tackles for as long as anyone can remember.

It wasn't that long ago, though, that Ojabo was a relative unknown, a bundle of potential that had yet to turn that into on-field success. Pro Football Focus gave him a 42.1 defense grade for the 2020 season for his work over 26 snaps, and a 52.8 pressure grade (with zero recorded pressures) in the category that has since become his calling card.

Ojabo took it upon himself in the offseason to figure out how to accelerate his development, and he didn't have to look far for someone to aid the process. He decided to emulate Hutchinson, and the rest is history.

"Yeah, it started in the summer training when I just told him I was going to be in his hip pocket, just knowing he was going to be a top-five guy," Ojabo said during his Orange Bowl media availability. "It was a smart thing to do, to have someone who like knows the ways and having someone to follow, and it's translated throughout the season. We just feed off each other. You go up, I go under, you go under, I go up. We just do our thing."

Defensive coordinator Mike Macdoald has had a front row seat to the development of Ojabo, as well as the development of the bond between Hutchinson and Ojabo. "I think what happened was he saw how Aidan approached everything and the success that he was having and he realized what it took to be great," Macdonald said. "He's going to be really good. He's a talented guy. But his approach really working with Aidan on a daily basis and the rest of our coaches, they've really taken on to the coaches, and then in terms of what it takes, weight room, practice habits, film preparation, all those things, he really upped his game, and like you said the chemistry is real out there, and I'm very proud of where David is at."

Ojabo flashed raw talent even in high school; Rivals ranked him the 12th-best player in New Jersey on his signing day. What he learned in the offseason, however, is what it would take to get to the next level. Earlier today he was asked what he learned from Hutchinson in the offseason and replied, "[t]he work ethic of a first-rounder, because at the end of the day I have the tools and the physical traits, but it's the work ethic and the grind, and just knowing that you're not going to fall from the sky and become a top-round pick. You've got to grind. You've got to put it on film. I guess it's the mentality part. And then the stars kind of aligned with my physical traits, and then kind of took off."

The take-off did not catch Ojabo's teammates off-guard. "We've seen the special talent, the special ability of him since day one. But sometimes it just takes kids a little longer to understand, to just get comfortable in the game," defensive tackle Christopher Hinton said when asked whether teammates were surprised by Ojabo's success. "But we all knew, everybody in the building knew once he understood and once he got comfortable with the game, he was going to be really special, and we're seeing all the work and his patience pay off this year, and he's been having a great season."

From NIL deals to Twitter chatter, the attention given Ojabo and the eyes on him have increased exponentially in the last few months. With the uptick in stats and what he has put on film has come NFL Draft attention as well. Ojabo was recently asked whether he could have imagined being in this position before the season. "I mean, coming into the season, I had 20 snaps and I was unknown," he said. "Looking back at it, seeing where I'm at now, it's a blessing, but like I said earlier, when it comes to draft time, that's when my focus will go on there and really reflect on what I've done, but it's really obvious, coming from unknown to now, it's a big jump."

Does the acknowledgement of how much he has improved indicate that he's thinking about testing the waters of the NFL Draft? According to Ojabo, that's far from his mind.

"I haven't really given that much attention. When it comes time for the draft time, draft attention, I'm going to switch the focus to that, but you see us, we're in the playoffs. Can't be talking about the draft or focusing on the draft."

We do indeed see where Michigan is, and on Friday night Ojabo has another opportunity to showcase his skill on a stage most Michigan fans couldn't have fathomed entering this season.

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