Murrieta Valley’s Josiah Anyansi was drawn to the defensive side of the ball at an early age.
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One of the top defensive linemen in the Inland area is Murrieta Valley senior Josiah Anyansi in Murrieta on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. He has committed to play at Minnesota. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
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One of the top defensive linemen in the Inland area is Murrieta Valley senior Josiah Anyansi in Murrieta on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. He has committed to play at Minnesota. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
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“I really love the physicality that comes with playing defense,” Anyansi said. “To me, there’s no better feeling than breaking through the line and hitting the quarterback or getting into the backfield and blowing up a run.”
Anyansi is a 6-foot-3, 250-pound senior defensive end who loves creating havoc. He worked he way through Murrieta Valley’s program and finally broke through last season. Anyansi led the team with 13 tackles for loss and helped the Nighthawks advance to the CIF Southern Section Division 2 championship game.
That breakthrough campaign put Anyansi on the radar. In June, he made a commitment to play at Minnesota.
“The first thing that stands out is his raw athleticism,” Murrieta Valley coach George Wilson said. “He has the great combination of speed and athleticism. He has a tremendous first step that makes him tough to handle.”
Anyansi was on the school’s track and field team as a freshman and sophomore. He occasionally competed in throwing events — typical for linemen — but his primary events were the sprints. Anyansi said he got tips from his older sister Taylor, who finished fourth in the 100 meters at last year’s CIF State championship meet.
“She helped me with improving that first step,” Anyansi said of his sister, now a freshman at San Diego State. “We would work together on the track. There’s a lot of similarity to the starting blocks and coming off the line.”
Another important figure in Anyansi’s development has been his father, Tabugbo, a native of Nigeria who also was a handful for offenses during his playing days. Tabugbo was a linebacker at Georgia Tech for four years.
Wilson said Josiah’s talent was obvious from the start, but time was needed for all the pieces to fall into place.
“He just needed to mature as a player,” Wilson said. “You could see he was still trying to figuring some things out when he was a freshman, but he continued to work and grow as a player. I think the moment we saw it all come together last year against Servite. They had a difficult time with him, and he built on that performance.”
Anyansi said he has had plenty of mentors during these years at Murrieta Valley, including former teammates Toetu Faoliu, Gio Monge and Anthony Nava and fellow senior Santana Letua, who plays on the opposite end.
“Those guys have really helped me develop as a player,” Anyansi said. “We all push each other to be better.”
Anyansi holds offers from 16 colleges, including Boise State, Arizona, Cal, Utah and his father’s alma mater. He took his official trip to Minnesota back on June 13 and gave his commitment two days later. Anyansi said a key factor in the decision to commit to the Golden Gophers was defensive line coach Dennis Dottin-Carter.
“It was an amazing experience from start to finish,” Anyansi said of the visit. “It seems like a great fit for me.”
Murrieta Valley came up short in last season’s Division 2 championship game, as Newbury Park pulled out a 31-28 victory over the Nighthawks. That defeat left a bitter taste in the mouths of Anyansi and his teammates.
“We want that get back this season,” he said. “We have been putting in that work to get another opportunity.”
OTHER INLAND DEFENSIVE LINEMEN TO WATCH
Andrew Baldomino, Sr., Chino Hills: Edge rusher recorded 48 tackles (seven for loss) and fours sacks last season.
Andrew Delatorre, Sr., Moreno Valley: Inland Valley League Defensive MVP had 21 tackles for loss and eight sacks.
Kellan Kirkpatrick, Sr., Norco: Transfer was a two-way standout the three season he played at Ontario Christian.
Kevin Mitchell, Jr., Bloomington: Second on the team with five sacks and led the way with four fumble recoveries.
Cody Morin, Sr., Murrieta Mesa: Finished last season with 18 tackles for loss, nine sacks and 21 quarterback hurries.
Kameron Payne, Jr., Chaparral: Rising star in the 2027 class recorded 5 1/2 sacks and eight tackles for loss last year.
Junior Pena, Sr., Rubidoux: Forced a pair of fumbles and recovered another in only six games played last season.
Michael Perez, Jr., Colton: Finished season with 10 1/2 tackles for loss and four sacks and also forced three fumbles.
Roman Ponce, Sr., Upland: Two-way starter finished his junior season with 70 tackles, including nine tackles for loss.
Jayden Porter, Sr., Rancho Cucamonga: Currently holds five college offers, including San Diego State and UNLV.
Kingston “Lucky” Schirmer, Sr., Centennial: Cal commit expected to make impact after transferring from Damien.
Jayden Rivas, Sr., Grand Terrace: Two-way starter earned All-CIF Southern Section honors in Division 11 last year.
Miles Schirmer, Jr., Centennial: Lucky’s younger brother already holds more than a dozen offers from colleges.
Benjamin Tameifuna, Sr., Centennial: Returning starter weighs 310 pounds and is committed to Eastern Washington.
Lala Tauilili, Jr., San Gorgonio: Had a breakthrough sophomore season and again will start on both sides of the ball.
King Tivao, Sr., San Jacinto: Two-way starter is the eldest of three brothers (Kingston and Kingslee) on the roster.
Dekoven Washington, Sr., Perris: Led the Panthers with 28 tackles for loss, 16 sacks and 32 quarterback pressures.
