by Bill Seals
Although he’s only played football for a short time, a Class of 2021 defensive end from the Kansas City (Mo.) area has already secured a pair of Power-5 offers. His second and most recent came from Iowa State during a game day visit this past Saturday.
Lincoln College Prep junior Tobechi Okoli said the Cyclones started expressing interest only recently, but moved quickly as they got him on campus for a game.
“Coach (Derek) Hoodjer reached out to me on Twitter and invited me to a game, so I came up for the game against Texas,” said Okoli. “When I got there, I met him and he gave me a tour of the facilities, the weight room, team meeting rooms. After that, we measured my height, weight and wingspan. Then, we went down the field complex to get registered and ate.”
“Afterwards, I met (former player) D’Andre Payne who told me a lot about what it was like to be a player at Iowa State and answered a lot of my questions. Then they took us up to one of the offices where we met and talked to the head coach, Matt Campbell.”
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Okoli played this season at his new school Lincoln College Prep. He didn’t play as a sophomore, following a freshman campaign competing with the Kansas City Lions, a home school team that plays eight-man football.
It’s been a remarkable ascent for Okoli, who last month added an offer from Kansas State.
“Coach Campbell said he likes how hard I play and how much room I have for improvement, since I just started playing football,” Okoli said. “He said I would be a good fit for their defensive line.”
As for the visit itself, Okoli said the Cyclones made a good first impression on him.
“I really liked the sense of community and family, I felt like the coaches really cared about their players as people and not just football players,” he said. “The stadium and facilities are great, in that they’re really big and advanced. As for the fans, they seem like that have a great passionate fan base and they’re all really good people.”
Okoli said members of the ISU staff are planning to visit him at school over the next few months and he’s planning a return trip to Ames.
Although he’s only played football for a short time, a Class of 2021 defensive end from the Kansas City (Mo.) area has already secured a pair of Power-5 offers. His second and most recent came from Iowa State during a game day visit this past Saturday.
Lincoln College Prep junior Tobechi Okoli said the Cyclones started expressing interest only recently, but moved quickly as they got him on campus for a game.
“Coach (Derek) Hoodjer reached out to me on Twitter and invited me to a game, so I came up for the game against Texas,” said Okoli. “When I got there, I met him and he gave me a tour of the facilities, the weight room, team meeting rooms. After that, we measured my height, weight and wingspan. Then, we went down the field complex to get registered and ate.”
“Afterwards, I met (former player) D’Andre Payne who told me a lot about what it was like to be a player at Iowa State and answered a lot of my questions. Then they took us up to one of the offices where we met and talked to the head coach, Matt Campbell.”
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Okoli played this season at his new school Lincoln College Prep. He didn’t play as a sophomore, following a freshman campaign competing with the Kansas City Lions, a home school team that plays eight-man football.
It’s been a remarkable ascent for Okoli, who last month added an offer from Kansas State.
“Coach Campbell said he likes how hard I play and how much room I have for improvement, since I just started playing football,” Okoli said. “He said I would be a good fit for their defensive line.”
As for the visit itself, Okoli said the Cyclones made a good first impression on him.
“I really liked the sense of community and family, I felt like the coaches really cared about their players as people and not just football players,” he said. “The stadium and facilities are great, in that they’re really big and advanced. As for the fans, they seem like that have a great passionate fan base and they’re all really good people.”
Okoli said members of the ISU staff are planning to visit him at school over the next few months and he’s planning a return trip to Ames.
