Otito Ogbonnia is a native of Houston, Texas where he was a two-time all-district selection and the No. 44 defensive tackle prospect in the country by ESPN. As a senior playing for James E. Taylor High School, Ogbonnia recorded 68 total tackles, 24 tackles for loss, five sacks, and two forced fumbles.
As a freshman at UCLA, Ogbonnia also participated on the Track & Field team as a shot putter. Some of his highlights while on the T&F team include a win at the USTF U20 Championships and the Pan American U20 Championship held in Costa Rica.
In his first year on the gridiron for the Bruins, Ogbonnia started six games while seeing action in 12 contests.