Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, CB

04/25/2010 - A closer look at the Cowboys picks: Round 4/126 --Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, FS, 6-0, 207, Indiana (Pa): Will miss the rookie minicamp recovering from shoulder surgery. He is fast and athletic with good ball skills. The only concern is the learning curve from Division II football to the NFL.

04/25/2010 - 2010 NFL DRAFT COULD SURPRISE: Safety Akwasi Owusu-Ansah -- He is a converted cornerback who has strong ball skills. He will impact the Cowboys immediately on special teams and returns. His ability to impact the regular defense is dependent on how fast he is able to grasp the defense and adjust to the steep learning curve from Division II to the NFL.

03/31/2010 - Historically, the Cowboys have always been able to find small-school gems. Cliff Harris went undrafted out of Ouchita. Rayfield Wright went to Fort Valley State. Larry Allen went to Sonoma State. Dexter Coakley was a find at Appalachian State. Last year, they took Jason Williams in the third round out of Western Illinois. There's a small-school guy to look at this year, too. His name is defensive back Akwasi Owusu-Ansah out of Indiana (Pa.), a Division II school. He is scheduled to be among the visitor to Valley Ranch this week. He is listed among the cornerbacks in most draft guides but some wonder if he can play some safety. He's 6-0, 207 pounds and can run. But what intrigued me the most was his return ability. He returned three punts and two kicks for touchdowns for scores as a senior. The Cowboys are looking for some "wow" in the return game and maybe this guy has some of that. It's a big jump from the Division 2 level to the NFL, but Wade Phillips was around one of those guys recently in San Diego in Drayton Florence. A second-rounder in 2003 out if Tuskegee, Florence has been a decent player for his career. - Todd Archer, The Dallas Morning News

03/19/2010 - PRO DAY RESULTS: Small-school standouts often have to work out at more established programs' pro days in order to reach a larger group of scouts and coaches. Indiana (Pa.) defensive back Akwasi Owusu-Ansah (6-foot, 5/8, 207) did just that, performing at Ohio State's pro day on March 12. And perform he did. Owusu-Ansah built on his solid NFL Scouting Combine workout with an outstanding pro day. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.33 and 4.41 seconds, had a 4.19-second short shuttle and did 21 bench press repetitions at 225 pounds. He stayed afterwards to run drills with Bengals defensive backs coach Kevin Coyle, and two other teams were also there to work him out. Owusu-Ansah has impressed scouts and figures to be a mid-round draft pick. He did have his labrum operated on Wednesday, March 17, but the injury shouldn't really affect his draft status. He is also an exceptional kick returner. - Gil Brandt, NFL.com

03/19/2010 - TOP RATED NFL DRAFT SCOUT CORNERBACKS: Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, Indiana (Pa.), 6-0, 207, 2-3: Born in Ghana, his first name means "Born on Sunday," and pro scouts are curious about how well he might play on Sundays. Owusu-Ansah displayed great ability as a returner, where he had nine career touchdowns ??? four on punts, three on kickoffs and one each off an interception and a fumble. But he injured his shoulder in November and was unable to play against top competition in postseason all-star games, so questions remain about how well he projects for the NFL. At the combine, he was disappointingly slow (40 yards in 4.58 seconds) and struggled in agility drills. But offseason shoulder surgery might have impacted his workout. - Frank Cooney, The Sports Xchange, NFLDraftScout.com/CBS Sports/USA TODAY

03/15/2010 - Indiana (Pa.) University defensive back Akwasi Owusu-Ansah was allowed to take part in Ohio State's pro day on Friday and stole the show. The Division II prospect more than showed he belonged with the big boys. He was the big boy on this day. The 6-foot, 207-pound Owusu-Ansah recorded the fastest 40-yard dash time among those participating in the school's workout. Teams in attendance clocked him between a 4.34 and 4.36 seconds on field turf. He also ran an impressive 4.05 in the 20-yard shuttle. Owusu-Ansah stood on all his other numbers from the Scouting Combine last month. If those numbers weren't enough to prove he belongs, Owusu-Ansah did something even more incredible. He pumped out 21 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press despite a torn labrum in his shoulder. Pittsburgh Steelers team doctor James Bradley is scheduled to perform surgery on Owusu-Ansah's left shoulder Wednesday, March 17. The defensive back is expected to make a complete recovery and be back on the field in time for training camp barring setback. Owusu-Ansah is projected as a second- or third-round choice in April's NFL draft. After running that blazing 40 time, Owusu-Ansah was asked to stick around to take part in position drills with Buckeyes Kurt Coleman, Anderson Russell, Andre Amos and Jamario O'Neal. Cincinnati Bengals defensive backs coach Kevin Coyle led the D-back drills. Again, the small school talent received rave reviews with his performance. "I had quite a few coaches come up to me afterward and say great job keep it up," Owusu-Ansah said in a phone interview following the workout. "It meant a lot that they acknowledged me and now I know all the hard work is paying off." - Carlos "Big C" Holmes, The Dayton Daily News

02/25/2010 - 2010 NFL COMBINE, MEDICAL CHECKS: CB Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, Indiana (Pa.): The FCS All-American cornerback and returner had shoulder surgery on an injury suffered in season finale. - Chad Reuter, The Sports Xchange, NFLDraftScout.com

01/08/2010 - Indiana (Pa.) cornerback and return specialist Akwasi Owusu-Ansah has been selected to play in the 85th East-West Shrine Game, becoming the first IUP player chosen to participate in a predominantly Division I all-star game since Leander Jordan (Breashear High School) was named to the Blue-Gray roster in 1999. Owusu-Ansah, however, won't play in the Jan. 23 game in Orlando, Fla., because of a shoulder injury suffered in IUP's season finale against Kutztown. He is recovering from surgery. Pitt tight end Nate Byham, Penn State punter Jeremy Boone and tight end Andrew Quarless and Toledo strong safety Barry Church (Penn Hills High School) also were selected to play for the East squad. - Dave Mackall, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

01/07/2010 - His first name means ``Born on Sunday.'' In a few short weeks, Akwasi Owusu-Ansah will find out if NFL scouts think he was born to play football on Sundays. Owusu-Ansah, who was born in Ghana, on the west coast of Africa, is preparing for the flurry of workouts and judgments he'll have to go through in the next few weeks, under a much brighter spotlight than he is familiar with at IUP. It's too bad, though, that a torn labrum in his right shoulder will keep Owusu-Ansah from really showing off for the NFL scouts, who have flocked to IUP in recent months to watch the Crimson Hawks' All-America cornerback work out. Despite the injury, Owusu-Ansah has a body of work through four years with IUP that has garnered him all kinds of national attention. Various draft Web sites rank him from as high as a projected second-round pick to a fourth-round choice, which is quite an accomplishment for a player from what most scouts consider to be a small school. Owusu-Ansah has gained a lot of attention not just for his size and speed at cornerback, but for his special teams heroics. He scored nine touchdowns in his career on returns, including four on punts and three on kickoffs, making him an attractive prospect for NFL teams. ``Nobody can argue about his height, nobody can argue about his weight, nobody can argue about his speed,'' IUP head coach Lou Tepper said in November. ``Then he has that body of work in special teams that makes him intriguing. But he can be more than that.'' Owusu-Ansah has been invited to play in three all-star games: the Cactus Bowl, Texas vs. Nation Bowl and East-West Shrine Game. But the shoulder injury, which he suffered in IUP's final game of the season in November, will keep him from playing in them. But, he has reportedly been invited to the NFL Scouting Combine in February, which will give him a chance to show his skills to all 32 teams. - Matthew Burglund, The Indiana Gazette

12/28/2009 - 2009 AP LITTLE ALL-AMERICA SECOND TEAM: DB - Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, senior, Indiana, Pa., has been selected Second Team Little All-American (Division II, III & NAIA) for the 2009 college football season as voted on by the Associated Press. - AP Sports

12/15/2009 - 2009 AFCA DIVISION II COACHES' ALL-AMERICA TEAM: AP Akwasi Owusu-Ansah 6-1 205 Sr. Indiana (Pa.) Lou Tepper Columbus, Ohio (Whetstone), has been named AFCA Division II Coaches' All-American for the 2009 college football season as selected by the American Football Coaches Association. Owusu-Ansah is a All-PSAC West first team return specialist and moves up to first team cornerback after being on the second team last year. He ranks ninth in the nation in kickoff return average at 29.7 and 16th in punt return average at 12.5 while scoring five touchdowns, tied for the most in the country in all divisions. He had punt returns for touchdowns of versus California (53 yards), Edinboro (70) and Lock Haven (55) while scoring on kickoff returns versus Southern Connecticut State (89) and Edinboro (78). In his career, Owusu-Ansah scored a total of nine touchdowns, including four punt returns, three kickoff returns and one interception and one fumble return. Owusu-Ansah holds school records for punt return yards (788), punt return average (11.4) and kickoff return yards (1,282) and is third in kickoff return average (26.2). On defense he made 27 tackles and had two interceptions and broke up four other passes despite opponent's throwing away from his side of the field for the majority of the season. Owusu-Ansah broke onto the national scene a year ago when he intercepted eight passes, including seven over the final four games of the season. - Indiana PA football

11/08/2009 - IUP cornerback Akwasi Owusu-Ansah left the 34-32 win over Kutztown in the third quarter with a shoulder injury (dislocated left shoulder) and did not return. He was reportedly taken to a local hospital for treatment. A scout for the NFL's Green Bay Packers was on hand to watch Owusu-Ansah, who has scored five special teams touchdowns this season on returns. - Matthew Burglund, The Indiana Gazette

10/11/2009 - Akwasi Owusu-Ansah can't do it all himself, although he sure gave it his best try on Saturday. With yet another NFL scout watching from the press box, Owusu-Ansah showed off his skills by returning a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns during the fourth quarter of IUP's 38-24 loss to Edinboro at Miller Stadium. The scores give Owusu-Ansah, a senior from Columbus, Ohio, eight career touchdowns - three on kickoffs, three on punts, one on an interception and one on a fumble return. ``Any time we have the opportunity, our main goal is to score points,'' Owusu-Ansah said, of the Crimson Hawks' special teams unit. ``Thankfully we were able to do that.'' Owusu-Ansah's big day was the only impressive thing about Saturday's game for IUP. The Crimson Hawks' offense mustered only 189 total yards, and the defense couldn't make critical stops on third or fourth downs. ``That's why Akwasi does his thing,'' said IUP quarterback Pat Smith. ``He knows when it's time to step it up.'' A scout from the Cincinnati Bengals was on hand to see the game, and Owusu-Ansah probably made a huge impression. But it's been that way every week, as scouts have flocked to IUP games to get a look at this small-school sensation. ``Akwasi's a playmaker,'' said IUP defensive end Nate George. ``He told us that if we got him the ball, he'd score. And he did. He held up his end of the bargain because he's a big-time player.'' - Matthew Burglund, Indiana Gazette

08/30/2009 - IUP won its fourth straight season opener with a 28-21 victory at Southern Connecticut State in a rare showdown between PSAC and Northeast-10 playoff contenders...IUP had not faced a non-PSAC opponent since a 19-16 overtime win at Catawba in 2005...The Crimson Hawks rallied from an early 14-0 deficit and scored the winning touchdown with 5:21 remaining when Andrew Krewatch found Javon Rowan from 42 yards out...The play extended Krewatch's streak of consecutive games with a touchdown pass to 29, and he became the first quarterback in IUP history to start four season openers...IUP's first two TDs came on defense and special teams, including a 74-yard interception return by Abe Satterfield and an 89-yard kickoff return by All-America cornerback Akwasi Owusu-Ansah to begin the second half...Owusu-Ansah added an interception late in the game to seal the win, giving him eight picks over his last five games. - PSAC football

08/28/2009 - Dormant for nearly three quarters, the IUP offense came to life with touchdown drives in the third and fourth quarters to finish off a 28-21 come-from-behind victory over host Southern Connecticut State in the season opener for both teams Friday at Jess Dow Field. The Crimson Hawks trailed 14-0 in the second quarter, used a pair of big plays on defense and special teams to tie the game, and then got a a 42-yard scoring pass from Andrew Krewatch to Javon Rowan to finally put away the Owls and win their fourth straight opening game. The Owls were poised to build an even more commanding lead late in the second quarter, driving to the IUP 35, but Abe Satterfield picked off a pass and raced 74 yards for a touchdown to put IUP on the board and breathe new life into the Crimson Hawks. The momentum carried over after intermission when All-America cornerback Akwasi Owusu-Ansah took the opening kickoff and raced 89 yards for a touchdown to tie the game just 15 seconds into the third quarter. It was the first kickoff return for a touchdown by an IUP player since Anthony Rodriguez did so versus West Chester in the 2007 playoff victory over the Golden Rams. - IUP football