Former BGSU football player Odieu Hiliare gets a hug from his family during a Family Weekend celebration at the University. (BGSU photo)
By Michael Bratton
Special to the Sentinel-Tribune
As the NFL Draft got underway Thursday in Detroit, prospects with dreams of playing professional football will eagerly wait with hopes of getting a call from one of the league’s 32 teams for the opportunity to further their athletic aspirations.
It’s unlikely any of them carries the same weight on their shoulders as Odieu Hiliare ‘23, the former Bowling Green State University wide receiver who desires to help his family, both here in America and those back in Haiti.
Hiliare, whose family emigrated to the U.S. from Haiti before he was born, said his commitment to the intense six-days-a-week workouts and maintaining a laser focus on his draft preparation is anchored deep in his soul. He also wants to be an example to those in his hometown of Belle Glade, Florida, that chasing a dream is a passion worth pursuing.
Hiliare, who graduated from BGSU in December 2023 with a marketing degree, watched his parents toil in the fields for many years as migrant farm workers, just to give him and his siblings a chance at a new opportunity-filled life in America. Opportunity is what he found when he transferred to BGSU to pursue a marketing degree from the Schmidhorst College of Business.
Now, Hiliare said he wants to be able to lift his parents up as a pro in the NFL. It might seem like an unbearable pressure-laden burden for someone to carry as the pro scouts routinely scrutinize each prospect, assessing their speed, size, agility, pass-catching skills and football acumen.
“I don’t see it as a burden at all. It is a badge of honor for me,” said Hiliare. “It’s not pressure – it’s a privilege. If I make it to the NFL, it will mean everything to my family, my culture, and my people. Everything I do is for them.”
Hiliare said he is deeply concerned about his extended family and relatives living in Haiti, where crime, chaos, crumbling infrastructure and corruption have been a constant and made life and mere survival an extreme challenge.
“Haiti is in shambles right now, with no government, no jobs and really no future,” he said. “It is really bad down there, and I am concerned about my family in Haiti. It is hard for them to even get something as simple as clean water. I want to be able to help them, too.”
The competition to be selected in the NFL Draft is intense. There will be many prospects who are more physically imposing than the 6-foot, 185-pound Hiliare, and some will be faster, but he is convinced that no one will match his drive.
“I am blessed to be in this position, to maybe be able to provide for a lot of people – that is what it is about for me,” he said. “I also want to show the younger kids that even if you come from a place like Haiti, you can dream big and you can make it. It doesn’t have to be as a ball player – you can dream big and make anything happen.”
Hiliare played in 26 games for the Falcons and finished his BGSU career with 103 receptions, 1,279 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. He likely caught the attention of NFL scouts with his performance in the 2022 win over rival Toledo when Hiliare had one of the best games of anyone in college football that season with 246 receiving yards, tied for the second-best receiving game nationally.
“I feel like God graced me with the opportunity to do what I had prepared for, just to go out there and be myself,” he said. “And I believe that night did a lot to get my name out there in the football world. I hope they remember that when the draft happens.”
If Hiliare’s name isn’t called during this year’s NFL Draft, he still has other options, particularly with his BGSU degree and connections gained through his education.
For now, he’s continuing with the intense workouts, refusing to acknowledge the sweat, the burning muscles and the fatigue that accompany the fierce level of his preparation.
“I watched my parents sacrifice every day for me, working 12-hour days in the fields in all of the heat and humidity, so I can’t complain,” he said. “They did everything to provide for their family, so I can’t be anything but the hardest worker. I am willing to endure this and more.”
