Auburn’s 7-foot center, Emeka Opurum, is visiting NC State

A 7-footer from Auburn is currently visiting NC State.

Emeka Opurum, 7’0, 205-pound center from Lagos, Nigeria, who played last season at Auburn, is exactly what NC State is looking for and is actually one of the bigs we were hinting at in our latest portal update.

Opurum played just 9 minutes per game last season, but averaged 3.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1 block per game. NC State is looking for sheer size at this point, and Opurum would give them that. He’s not a bruiser by any means, but he’s a shot disruptor and is actually pretty bouncy for his size, making him a good lob option on offense.

Born September 19, 2003, Opurum grew up playing in Nigeria. He moved to the U.S. in August 2024 and landed at Butler Community College in Kansas. As a freshman, he started to make a name for himself.

In 33 games, he averaged 9.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks a night while shooting a strong 67% from the field. He was named the conference Defensive Player of the Year, made First Team All-Conference, and racked up 87 blocks total. He was a true rim-protector with good mobility for his size.

In April 2025, Opurum committed to Auburn after drawing interest from places like St. John’s, Iowa, and Indiana. He joined the Tigers for the 2025-26 season, but things didn’t go as planned. He only played 6 games before a medical issue shut him down after the late November matchup with St. John’s.

In those limited minutes (around 9 per game), he still put up 3.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks while shooting 77%. Had some nice flashes too, like 11 points and 2 blocks against Merrimack, and 7 rebounds plus 3 blocks vs. Wofford.

Opurum is a classic long, athletic 7-footer with a reported 7’6″ wingspan. He’s a natural rim protector who can move his feet well laterally and “wall up” without needing tons of touches on offense. He’s still pretty raw offensively, but he finishes strong around the basket and plays with high energy.

This would be a great addition to NC State’s front court, allowing them to move Evans to the 4 in spurts (to give them 2 elite rim protectors against large teams) or have a 1-2 punch at center, both of whom are low-usage offensive guys who bring a big defensive impact.

We believe NC State has the funds available to get this done, so if Opurum likes the vision and role, this could move fast.

Here are some highlights…

Can’t believe Emeka Opurum hasn’t found a home in the portal yet.

Didn’t see the floor much at Auburn, but he was really solid at JUCO and has an amazing developmental story.

You can’t teach his physical tools. pic.twitter.com/34fcvIOvfw

— JPR (@Scouting_Col) May 17, 2026