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At 6-foot-1 and 315 pounds, Amobi Okoye blends into a crowded field of gridiron players. He’s a steady defensive tackle and a familiar face in the Cardinal program, starting almost every game the past three years.But what sets this senior captain apart from the rest of the pack is his youth – Okoye is only 19 years old.Okoye tested into the ninth grade as a 12-year-old when his family moved from Nigeria to Huntsville, Ala. A year later, Okoye took up football, starting 13 games on the defensive line at Lee High School.With over 60 recorded tackles and nine sacks, Okoye had a stellar high school football record and received All-State honors his senior year. Former U of L football coach John L. Smith recruited him, and at age 16, Okoye signed with the Cards. “I came [to Louisville] for camp every year when I was in high school, and I just got used to it,” Okoye said of signing with U of L. “It just felt like home.”At the time, being 16 years old, he was the youngest player to ever play Division I college football.”[At first] I heard a lot of ‘hey you’re the young one’ and stuff, but after the game the opponents would come up to me and told me how they thought I’d play and most of it was positive stuff.”But don’t let his young age fool you; Okoye is a veteran senior starter, playing in 35 games at U of L. (He missed a game his sophomore year and another his junior year due to injury.) Over the past three years, he has accumulated 66 tackles and three fumble recoveries and plans to add more to his already impressive stat sheet. “The potential [of the Defensive Line] is really high this year, we are looking really good and hopefully we will keep on coming out and getting better every day,” Okoye said. “I know we have the potential of going all the way.” While Okoye is one of the stars on the Cards’ defense, there are others who will also hold the spotlight. With the return of senior starters Nate Harris, Abe Brown, William Gay and Brandon Sharp, this year’s defense is poised to take on the toughest competition in the nation.”We spend a lot of time together, we’re a lot like a real close family,” Okoye said of his fellow defensive players. But Okoye’s real family doesn’t seem to understand his dedication to football and his football family.”My dad doesn’t even know how much time I spend doing football,” Okoye said. “I mean it’s better now, but my family still hasn’t grasped the whole concept. They thought that I was coming home for the summer.”Okoye is a majoring in Psychology and enjoys a variety of activities off the football field, including X-Box and Madden 2007.”I enjoy working out and hanging out and socializing because I’m a big social person,” Okoye said. “I even hang out with my little sister.”Okoye has two sisters and a brother, and he said his family, who still lives in Alabama, plans to attend all of the home games and most, if not all, of the away games this season.
Okoye Fast FactsDefensive TackleSenior CaptainStarted as youngest NCAA athlete at the age of 16 in 2003Started in 11 games last seasonHas played in 35 games at U of L66 career tacklesRecovered three fumbles last seasonPsychology majorOriginally from Anambra, NigeriaEnjoys X-BoxCalls his house “The Temple”
