ExtremeRavens Posted August 20 Posted August 20 As C.J. Okoye was about to be interviewed, a couple of his teammates talked about him becoming the next “Nigerian Nightmare.” But Okoye is close to fulfilling an American dream. He probably won’t make the Ravens’ initial 53-man roster, which will be set next Tuesday, but the team will probably put him on the 16-player practice squad for the 2025 season as he attempts to become one of the top run stoppers in the NFL. With size there is always potential, and Okoye (pronounced ah-KOY-ay) is 6 feet 6 and weighs 370 pounds. The 23-year-old is perhaps the biggest player on the roster, bigger than 341-pound nose guard Travis Jones and offensive guard Ben Cleveland, who weighs only a measly 355. Right guard Daniel Faalele, who has lost about about 20 pounds this offseason from his listed 6-8, 370-pound frame, is the only one who comes close. Okoye could have as strong a presence for the Ravens’ defense as other former star tackles such as Sam Adams, Haloti Ngata and the late Tony Siragusa. But that probably won’t happen this season. Despite his incredible size, Okoye is still a project because he never played college football. He might be a year or two away, but he is like a fast-moving train: He’s coming. “He’s really learning,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “He is making good use of all that size, and he has come light-years.” Okoye is already a success story. A lot of players dream of playing in the NFL and don’t make it despite successful high school and college careers. Okoye was born in Agbogugu, Nigeria, and played mostly basketball and soccer while growing up. At one time, he hoped to earn a college scholarship to play basketball. He played center in the Nigerian big leagues until he was noticed and scouted by Ejike Ugboaja, a 2006 draft pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Ugboaja and a friend of Okoye’s suggested that he should try out for the UpRise football camp hosted by Osi Umenyiora, a former NFL player and two-time Super Bowl champion as a defensive end with the New York Giants. Okoye reportedly struggled at the camp, but Umenyiora thought that he did well enough to take a shot on him and invited Okoye to the 2022 NFL African camp in Ghana. Okoye eventually went through two more camps before being one of 13 players selected to the NFL’s International Pathway Program in 2023 and trained at the IMG Academy in Florida. After that, he was one of eight players to be allocated to a team, and he signed with the Los Angeles Chargers in May 2023. He was waived in August that year, but later re-signed with the practice squad. He spent another season on the Chargers’ practice squad before he signed a reserve/future contract with the Ravens in January. “He is more of a nose guard, probably,” Harbaugh said. “I think he could play three-technique a little bit, or he can play over the guard. You talk about a head-up, two technique [player], but he’s really more of an A-gap player, probably. He is really learning how to come out of his hips and strike and shed, stay square in there and play the run. He’s gotten some push in pass rush.” Okoye, who started as an offensive lineman before switching to the defensive side, is still young in terms of learning the game. “The truth is, I started learning from YouTube until I came out here,” a smiling Okoye said. “I didn’t know most of the things I was doing. International Pathway, that’s when I started learning. All the pass rushing stuff I learned on Instagram.” Okoye has always been big and tall, which is why he played basketball and hung around his older brother’s friends. There was something about football that jazzed him, something he swears that made him run to the sport. “I’m still learning how to play because I'm still new in this game, so I'm playing catch-up,” Ravens defensive lineman C.J. Okoye said. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Here in Baltimore, he has noticed the difference in the hot, humid conditions, which he says will prepare him for games but also improve his work ethic. It’s stronger with the Ravens than with the Chargers, even though John’s younger brother, Jim, is the coach in Los Angeles. “I didn’t know I was going to get signed by the Ravens, or anywhere else,” Okoye said. “I was just hoping to get a chance to play this game I love. So when my agent told me the Ravens wanted to sign me, I came running because I know they are the best organization in the league. “It’s a blessing in disguise because now I know if you can play here in this weather, you can whoop anybody’s [butt] anywhere. If you love working, there’s a place for you, and you work here. If you don’t like working, you’re going to be exposed.” It’s easy to see Okoye’s energy. He is always one of the first on the field, usually doing some extra pounding on the sled. The only player who might hit it harder is Jones, the 2022 third-round pick, but both deliver fierce, steel-rattling blows. In the Ravens’ preseason opener against Indianapolis, Okoye had three tackles and a quarterback hit. On Saturday against Dallas, he had only one tackle, but that’s not the main focus of a nose guard. They need to stay square, keep their pads down, take on double teams and not relinquish any ground in the middle. Mission accomplished. “I’m still learning how to play because I’m still new in this game, so I’m playing catch-up,” Okoye said. “I feel like I need to clear my head and learn the proper way to play the physical and mental part of the game. That’s why I talk to my coach, and he tells me what I need to improve on.” C.J. Okoye is always one of the first on the field, usually doing some extra pounding on the sled. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Okoye has also had to learn a new culture. He said that Nigerians never look people in the eyes and always look away. In America, it’s different, a sign of being straightforward and honest. There was also getting used to new foods. Nigerians love jollof rice, suya, egusi soup and pounded yams. Okoye has fallen in love with steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, and chicken and waffles. He also misses his family back home in Nigeria. But Okoye has plans. If the Ravens go to the Super Bowl in San Francisco, he plans on flying them to the game. But he has to make the team first. “I felt like everything was pouring out to me at once,” Okoye said. “I needed to learn how to talk to people, I needed to learn about the culture, the food, learn people’s names and how to play this game. There was a lot to listen to and make adjustments. “But if all goes well, and I pray to God that it does, I’m planning on having them come over and watch when we go to the Super Bowl. I don’t know anything about making the roster, I’m just hoping and praying to God.” Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.