Michigan football EDGE Eyabi Okie enters NCAA transfer portal
Michigan Wolverines football graduate EDGE Eyabi Okie, who transferred into the program shortly before the 2022 campaign, has entered the NCAA transfer portal, TheWolverine.com has learned. Okie has one year of eligibility remaining. It appears he intends on using it, but not in Ann Arbor.
Okie played high school football under Biff Poggi at Baltimore St. Frances. Poggi, Michigan’s former associate head coach, took the Charlotte head-coaching job last month. The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman reports that Okie will likely end up with the 49ers.
The 6-5, 244-pounder has had quite the journey in college football. A former five-star recruit, Okie began his career at Alabama in 2018, where he was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team, before moving on to Houston, playing at UT-Martin and eventually making the move to Ann Arbor.
He compiled 36 tackles, including 9.5 stops for loss and 6 sacks, in with the Skyhawks during the 2021 FCS season. It took some time to get up to speed and earn more playing time for Michigan in 2022, but he chipped in with 12 tackles, 3.5 stops for loss, 2.5 sacks, 2 pass breakups and 3 quarterback hurries. His 24 pressures ranked fourth on the Michigan defense.
Ahead of the 2022 season, PFF named Okie a top-10 edge rusher prospect for the 2023 NFL Draft, despite him being in the FCS at the time.
“[Okie] simply needs to play football at this point,” the site’s Michael Renner wrote. “Remember, he’s been playing football for only six years now. He needs the reps. With an unbelievable get-off for a man his size, he doesn’t need much coaching to make an impact.”
Okie received some needed playing experience in 2022, but still ranked 15th on the Michigan team in defensive snaps (292). It appears he’d like to showcase his skills elsewhere in 2022.
“You earn your time in practice,” Okie said in October. “You show over time that you can be trusted in practice and in the games they will throw you out there. It’s up to me to perform.”
He’s already on the NFL radar and should be a draft pick next season.
“Okie is a more traditional-sized outsider linebacker, and has one of the best first steps we’ve seen in this draft class,” Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy said this season. “He’s been extremely disruptive with 4.0 TFL and 2.5 sacks considering his low snap count so far this season. Both have been graded as ‘arrow-up’ players by our Midwest scout.”
