Ifeadi Odenigbo admits that he used to get nervous. He worried that, as one of the highest-rated recruits ever to sign with Northwestern, he would never live up to the hype. That he would let everyone down.

Even through the first four games of this season, his redshirt senior campaign, Odenigbo didn’t like how things were going. He’d finally become a full-time starter at defensive end, but he had registered just one sack. The Wildcats owned a disappointing 1-3 record.

That’s when Odenigbo decided to do something different. He decided to start “playing mad,” as he put it.

He’s been all the rage ever since.

Beginning with an Oct. 1 win over Iowa, in which he broke a single-game school record with four sacks, Odenigbo has become the most dominant pass-rusher in the Big Ten. He has seven sacks in his past four games and now is tied for third in the FBS in that category.

“I’ve found a way to turn the switch on,” Odenigbo says.

How did he do it? Start with some not-so-gentle prodding by his coaches. Throw in some advice from former teammates. And then add a dash of Kanye West.

That’s right, Kanye. It’s not natural for Odenigbo, an easygoing, sometimes overly introspective economics major, to get in the angry headspace that has helped him raise his performance. Kanye West helps. Odenigbo has been listening to West’s newest album, “The Life of Pablo,” over and over again before recent games and practices.

“I call it my Yeezy mode,” he said. “As soon as I wake up, I’m playing music, and when Kanye comes on, I’m like, ‘OK, Ifeadi. Today’s the day you go off.’”

Maybe it’s the rapper’s over-the-top bravado that has eliminated Odenigbo’s self-doubt. This is finally the player Northwestern thought it had landed, perhaps minus the soundtrack, when it signed Odenigbo out of Centerville, Ohio, in 2012. ESPN rated him as the No. 51 overall recruit in that class, making him the second-highest-ranked prospect to enter a Big Ten program that season.

Odenigbo had just started playing football as a sophomore in high school, and the son of Nigerian immigrants was athletic, but raw. He was fast enough to chase down Braxton Miller in a high school game, but he said he arrived in Evanston weighing just 205 pounds on his 6-foot-3 frame. He was one of the rare true freshmen to play under Pat Fitzgerald. But in his first game, he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.

“Everybody had such big expectations for me,” he said. “I kind of bought into it and tried to play that first year. But I thought, ‘I’m pretty small.’”

In the following seasons, Northwestern used him as a pass-rushing specialist, where he showed glimpses of his talent. He had 5.5 sacks as a redshirt freshman. In 2014, he forced three fumbles against Western Illinois. Last season he added five more sacks, finishing second on the team.

But Odenigbo remained in that specialty role until this season. He’s packed more than 60 pounds on his body since that first year and now can hold up better against the run. But he admits his plan during the first half of the season was “lackadaisical” at times. That prompted some pointed conversations in late September from Fitzgerald and defensive line coach Marty Long.

“We told him it was a competitive situation to play here, let alone be a starter,” Fitzgerald said. “And he had better get that figured out if he had any dream of playing on Sundays.”

Odenigbo sought advice from former Wildcats defensive linemen Corey Wooton and Dean Lowry. Wooton, who retired this summer from the NFL, told him to send his five best and five worst plays from each game for coaching tips. Lowry, a second-team All-Big Ten defensive end last season who’s now with the Green Bay Packers, encouraged Odenigbo to keep fighting.

Mostly, though, Odenigbo had to unlock his potential himself.

“I told myself, ‘I’m a better football player than this,’” he said.

Coaches and teammates saw a different player and persona during that four-sack performance at Iowa. He didn’t have time to joke around on the sideline. He was focused and furious.

They liked him when he was angry.

So those around him worked to keep a chip on his shoulder. Fitzgerald told him after the game, “It’s about damn time you played like an All-Big Ten player” and publicly called Odenigbo “a one-hit wonder” before the next game at Michigan State. Fitzgerald and others egged him on that week in practice, betting him he wouldn’t have another big game.

Odenigbo got two more sacks in a victory over the Spartans, including one in the final two minutes when Michigan State was in the red zone.

“Ifeadi’s stamina is a lot better now,” Long said. “Some of the best pass-rushers in the game, like [Denver Broncos star] Von Miller, the majority of their sacks are late in game, in the fourth quarter. That’s when you need those guys to show up.”

This week, Odenigbo returns to his home state for his only career game in the Horseshoe. He grew up, he says, “brainwashed that Ohio State is king, Ohio State is life.” The Buckeyes recruited him, but the pursuit fell apart after Jim Tressel resigned in May 2011. Odenigbo can’t wait to get a crack at Ohio State, which struggled mightily to contain pressure in last Saturday's loss at Penn State.

The prodigal son is coming back to his home state to finish what he started

— Ifeadi Odenigbo (@IfeadiOdenigbo) October 24, 2016

The Wildcats are a heavy underdog heading to Columbus, where they haven’t won since 1971. To have any chance, they’ll need Odenigbo at his angriest. Full Yeezy mode.

Odenigbo isn’t worried about letting people down anymore. He’s trying to bring the Wildcats up with his ferocious play.

“Now I’m like, ‘Yeah, I am that guy,’” Odenigbo said. “I’ve kind of embraced it with open arms. Just bring it on.”