Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Young Romeo Okwara Is Wise Beyond Years FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY WES MORGAN R language and American culture when he moved with his family from Ni- geria to North Carolina when he was just 10 years old. He was a year, in some cases two, younger than most his classmates. He was just 5-7, 150 pounds in eighth grade, the year he was cut from the middle school foot- ball team. "I haven't talked to him since," Okwara, 16, said of the coach that omeo Okwara had to learn to fa- miliarize himself with the English made what now seems like a laugh- able mistake. But the outside linebacker, a stu- dent-athlete at Ardrey Kell High in Charlotte, N.C., that is widely ad- mired by his schoolmates, still isn't laughing. "I just took it as motivation," Ok- wara said. It helped that he grew six inches the summer between eighth grade and his freshman year, when he tried out for the junior varsity squad as a receiver, but was moved to the defensive line. In two varsity seasons, he registered OLB ROMEO OKWARA sixth-grader … From the same high school as junior-to-be outside linebacker Prince Shembo … Runs a 4.7-second 40- yard dash, bench presses 330 pounds and squats 605, and has a vertical leap of 36 inches … Boasts a 3.5 grade-point average. 6-4 · 240 · Ardrey Kell H.S. · Charlotte, N.C. Notable: Born on June 17, 1995 … Moved to United States from Nigeria as a the No. 13 player in North Carolina and the No. 22 weakside defensive end in the country by 247Sports … The No. 15 player in the state according to Super- Prep … Ranked the No. 19 prospect in the state by Rivals.com … Tabbed as the No. 65 overall defensive end in the na- tion by Scout.com … Listed as the 32nd- best recruit in North Carolina by ESPNU. Statistics: Registered 87 tackles, 27 Rankings: Rated as a four-star recruit, but he plays well. He fits the kind of guys they've been getting from North Carolina and South Carolina that are good athletes, not yet impact players. He's got a good body. He could turn out to be a surprise." Recruitment: Recruited by special Tom Lemming Of Prep Football Report: "He's not an impact player yet, 157 tackles and 24 sacks as a defensive end. But it wasn't just his athleticism that Notre Dame and other major pro- grams found so attractive. "If you get to meet him, you'll see that Romeo is Romeo," Ardrey Kell head coach Adam Hastings said. "He's not the kind of person that's go- ing to do what's cool; he's going to do what Romeo wants to do. He knows the right thing to do and does it. "I never thought he had to change who he is for other people. He listens to country music. He's not afraid to be who he is." ✦ teams coordinator and defensive line coach Mike Elston … Verbally committed July 10 … Made official visit Jan. 20 and was able to watch the Irish men's bas- ketball team topple No. 1-ranked Syra- cuse … Had offers from Clemson, Geor- gia Tech, Illinois, Miami, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, among others. Favorite Part Of Notre Dame Visit: tackles for loss, 15 sacks, three pass deflections, two forced fumbles and a blocked field goal as a senior … Recorded 70 tackles, nine sacks, two forced fum- bles and a blocked field goal during his junior campaign. Honors: Selected as a first-team defen- the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas Jan. 5 … Attended a number of Nike summer camps. Brian Kelly's Comments: "Here's a sive lineman on the All-Observer squad by the Charlotte Observer … Two-time all-county selection by the Charlotte Ob- server … Named an all-league performer in 2010. All-Star Games And Camps: Played in "Bonding with all the players throughout the weekend [of visit], and especially the recruits, was the best part of the trip." Why He Chose Notre Dame: "Coach [Brian] Kelly and I have a good rela- tionship, and getting on campus for a full weekend made me sure that Notre Dame is the perfect place for me. The people were very welcoming and the basketball game was really fun. It showed me that Notre Dame takes pride in all of their sports, which is re- ally good." Person He Admires Most And Why: Okwara, a four-star prospect and the country's No. 22 weakside defensive end according to 247Sports, recorded 87 tackles, 27 stops behind the line of scrimmage, 15 sacks, three pass deflections and two forced fumbles as a senior. young man that just started playing the game a few years ago. He's going to continue to get bigger. He's our one big skill player in this group that re- ally will impact this football team. We'll expect him to compete right away." Ardrey Kell Head Coach Adam Hastings' Comments: "They're getting PHOTO COURTESY 247SPORTS somebody that the sky is really the limit with because of his potential. He's only going to get bigger. He has such a great attitude. He's a very quiet kid, but he has such a great attitude and such a great work ethic. If you were to watch him work out, you'd never know he was a big-time college recruit. He never took anything for granted; he worked like he was always behind the eight ball." 38 MARCH 2012 off of the ball quickly and uses hands well to create an edge on the blocker and stay on a straight course to the quarterback … Keeps momentum going forward and makes contact through the ball carrier … Has large frame that has endless potential size-wise, and his hand may have not have seen the ground for the last time. 2012 Projection: Early contributions would probably be on special teams, "Probably Julius Peppers [Chicago Bears defensive end]. I really like the way he plays and his motor when he comes off the ball and how aggressive he is." Scouting Report: Looks faster on film than recorded 40-yard dash time … Gets but he is a candidate to line up on the edge on passing downs similar to former Irish outside linebacker Darius Fleming or current player Prince Shembo. BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED