Emmanuel Okoye goes from Nigeria to NFL Academy to Vols commit - ESPN

Emmanuel Okoye, who grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, and was most recently a part of the NFL Academy program in England, said Wednesday that he plans to play college football at Tennessee.

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Okoye said USC and Texas Tech were his other finalists. He also had offers from several other Power 5 schools, including Georgia.

Okoye plans to enroll at Tennessee this summer and would be eligible to play in 2023.

He played in three games last fall for the NFL Academy team — his first and only game experience in organized football — and saw time at defensive end and on special teams. The Volunteers think he could develop into a tight end.

Okoye, 18, grew up playing soccer in the streets of Nigeria and later fell in love with basketball as a teenager. He didn't know much about football until he was discovered last year by two-time Super Bowl champion Osi Umenyiora's «The Uprise» program and scouts, who invited him to attend a talent identification camp in Abuja, Nigeria. He impressed enough to be invited to NFL Africa's talent identification camp in Ghana in the summer.

His showing there earned him a spot at the NFL Academy — an elite player pathway program that opened in September 2019 and aims to use football to create life-changing opportunities for young people around the world — and he moved to the United Kingdom.

Naturally raw as a football player, Okoye showcased amazing athleticism at the NFL Academy combine. He recorded a 45.5-inch vertical leap and an 11-foot, 3-inch broad jump — both of which would NFL combine records for defensive ends. Okoye also has a 72-inch wingspan.

«I am thankful for all the support from everyone who is part of the NFL Academy program, my mentor Osi Umenyiora and all those who have