Chigozie Anusiem

Early life

Anusiem was born on November 5, 2000, in La Habra, California. He was the fourth of five children and the son of immigrants from Nigeria. He grew up in California and started playing football at age six. He attended Sonora High School in La Habra where he participated in football and track and field. With the football team, he won three varsity letters and was a two-way player at defensive back and wide receiver.

Anusiem moved from safety to cornerback as a sophomore and won a starting role. He was named second-team All-League as a junior and helped Sonora reach the state playoffs as a senior, posting 30 receptions for 605 yards and 13 touchdowns along with 35 tackles and four interceptions that year. A three-star recruit, he committed to play college football for the California Golden Bears.

College career

As a freshman in 2018, he redshirted, appearing in two games while posting no statistics. The following year, he appeared in 12 games, one as a starter, and tallied 15 tackles and five passes defended. In the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, he played in four games, two as a starter, making 12 tackles. He played in seven games in 2021, missing five games, and made 13 tackles, before entering the NCAA transfer portal in November. He concluded his tenure with the Golden Bears having made 40 tackles and six pass breakups in 25 games played, six of which he started.

After receiving his degree, Anusiem initially transferred to the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors to continue his career. However, after the resignation of Todd Graham four days after his commitment, he opted to re-enter the transfer portal. He ended up transferring to the Colorado State Rams. In his first season there, 2022, he posted 36 tackles and nine pass breakups, being named honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference (MWC). As a senior in 2023, he totaled 57 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss (TFLs), three passes defended and an interception, while being named honorable mention All-MWC for the second time. He was invited to the 2024 East–West Shrine Bowl at the conclusion of his collegiate career.