OU defensive end Danny Okoye stepped up against Tennessee in latest sign of growth
NORMAN — Oklahoma’s depth at defensive end was tested early in last week’s win at Tennessee.
R Mason Thomas returned a fumble for a 71-yard touchdown in the first quarter, a pivotal play that tied the game at 7-7. But Thomas injured his quad during the return and missed the remainder of the game.
Defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis asked everybody to step up. That included redshirt freshman Danny Okoye.
The second-year player made an immediate impact in Thomas’ absence. After that scoop-and-score touchdown, Okoye came up with a sack on the ensuing drive that forced the Volunteers to kick a field goal.
Okoye finished with a sack and a tackle for loss in his 11 snaps against the Vols.
“I felt like it really spoke to our mindset going into that game, having that road dog mentality, going out and attacking,” Okoye said. “We didn’t play perfect. We had a lot of mistakes and errors that we could have improved. We did enough to go out there and get the win.”
It was a handful of snaps, but Okoye showed his ability to make plays in a hostile road enviornment.
Okoye’s path to consistent snaps has been difficult in a defensive end group that includes several veterans like Marvin Jones Jr., Adepoju Adebawore, Taylor Wein and Thomas. However, he’s found a way to make his snaps count. He’s appeared in seven games — including every SEC contest ‚ and played 67 snaps, recording five tackles, two sacks and two TFLs. He has the fifth-best defense grade (80.0), the fourth-best tackling grade (79.7) and the fifth-best pass-rush grade (78.2), per Pro Football Focus.
For Okoye, it’s been about learning from the older guys.
“Just try to be a sponge,” Okoye told OUInsider. “Absorb as much as possible. You’ve got guys like R Mason and guys like Marvin, PJ. PJ’s been a program guy. T-Wein’s been in the playbook like crazy. You’ve seen the progression he’s made just by prioritizing the investment. I’m trying to do the same thing.”
Even when everybody’s healthy, Okoye has carved out a small role on OU’s elite defensive line. He’s gonna be asked to contribute during the homestretch of the Sooners’ season, which continues next weekend at No. 4 Alabama (2:30 p.m. Saturday, ABC). But Okoye has also seen that the coaching staff will call his number when needed.
“We have a lot of talented guys on the defensive side of the ball, especially on the d-line,” Okoye said. “Even the secondary. Everybody we have on the team, I feel like we have depth everywhere we need it. Especially on the d-line, being able to look around and have a bunch of talented guys to learn from and gaining experience from practice and on gamedays, it’s really a great thing to have.”
While this year has mostly been about growth, Okoye has also shown flashes of being a key cog in the future.
“I feel like I’ve made improvement all around,” Okoye said. “We all have improvement we need to make. I don’t feel like anybody is really exactly where they want to be yet. But seeing myself improve in multiple areas, not just one, and even sometimes having improvement in areas that you’re not prioritizing, you just see the payoff of your work in the dark coming out in the light. It’s a great experience.”
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