Eyabi Okie
Okie with the Michigan Wolverines in 2022
Charlotte 49ers – No. 18
PositionDefensive end
ClassGraduate student
Personal information
Born: (1999-06-07) June 7, 1999
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight244 lb (111 kg)
Career history
College
High schoolSt. Frances Academy (MD)
Career highlights and awards

Eyabi Okie (born June 7, 1999), formerly known as Eyabi Anoma, is an American football defensive end for the Charlotte 49ers. He previously played for Alabama (2018), UT Martin (2021), and Michigan (2023). He was also one of the highest rated recruits in the 2018 college football recruiting class, ranked No. 3 nationally by USA Today and No. 4 by 247Sports.

Early years and high school career

Okie attended Saint Frances Academy in Baltimore. He was selected by The Baltimore Sun as its Defensive Player of the Year in December 2017.[1] He was also one of the highest rated recruits in the 2018 college football recruiting class, ranked No. 3 nationally by USA Today,[2] No. 4 by 247Sports,[3] and No. 7 by Rivals.com.[4]

College career

Alabama

Okie committed to Alabama in December 2017.[5] He starred at the Under Armour All-America Game, tallying two sacks.[6] He played at the linebacker position for Alabama in 2018 and received SEC All-Freshmen honors at the end of the season.[7] In July 2019, Alabama newspapers reported that Okie was not attending classes, jeopardizing his ability to participate in the team's preseason training camp.[8] In August, head coach Nick Saban announced that Okie had been dismissed from the university but refused to elaborate further on the reason for the dismissal.[9]

Houston

During the 2020 season, Okie redshirted for Houston. He was unable to play due to NCAA transfer rules.[10] He was dismissed from the Houston program due to "off-field problems."[11]

UT Martin

Okie then joined UT Martin in 2021. After tallying eight tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks and blocking a potential game-winning field goal attempt against Austin Peay, he received multiple honors as the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Defensive Player of the Week and Newcomer of the Week,[12] and FCS National Defensive Player of the Week.[10] He helped lead the 2021 UT Martin Skyhawks football team to the OVC championship and the second round of the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs. At the end of the season, he was selected to the OVC All-Newcomer team at the outside linebacker position.[13] He received a degree in interdisciplinary studies from UT Martin.[14]

Michigan

In August 2022, Okie transferred to Michigan,[15][16] enrolling as a graduate student at the university's School of Social Work.[14]

After the death of his grandmother early in the summer of 2022, Okie rededicated himself and was inspired to transfer to Michigan.[17][11] Early in the 2022 season, he changed his surname from "Anoma" to "Okie",[18] intending to recognize his mother who lives in Africa.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "Defensive Player of the Year: Eyabi Anoma St. Frances". The Baltimore Sun. December 15, 2017. p. D7 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "USA Today Sports' 2018 Composite Football Player Recruiting rankings". USA Today. February 7, 2018.
  3. ↑ "2018 Top Football Recruits". 247Sports. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Rivals 250". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  5. ↑ Katherine Dunn (December 21, 2017). "Anoma is bound for 'Bama: Nation's No. 7 recruit picks Crimson Tide over Terps". The Baltimore Sun. pp. D1, D4 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "St. Frances DE stars in All-America Game". The Baltimore Sun. January 6, 2018. p. D2 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Gamecocks' Horn, Wonnum earn SEC All-Freshmen honors". The State. December 7, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Alex Byington (July 27, 2019). "Alabama's Anoma could miss start of camp: Linebacker 'currently not attending classes'". Montgomery Advertiser. p. C2 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ John Zenor (August 4, 2019). "Saban denies job offer to ex-Ohio State assistant". Ledger-Enquirer. p. B4 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. 1 2 "Eyabi Anoma". UT Martin. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  11. 1 2 3 Angelique S. Chengelis (October 5, 2022). "Inspired by late grandmother, Eyabi Okie driven to change his narrative at Michigan". The Detroit News.
  12. ↑ "Eyabi Anoma Claims OVC Defensive Player and Newcomer of the Week Honors". UT Martin. October 31, 2021.
  13. ↑ "All-Newcomer team". The Leaf-Chronicle. December 1, 2021. p. B3 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. 1 2 "Eyabi Okie". University of Michigan. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  15. ↑ Ryan Zuke (August 20, 2022). "Michigan football players welcome Alabama transfer Eyabi Anoma 'with open arms'". Ann Arbor News.
  16. ↑ Aaron McMann (October 5, 2022). "At Michigan, Eyabi Okie is out to change the narrative about him". Mlive.com.
  17. ↑ Josh Taubman (October 4, 2022). "How Eyabi Okie's grandmother helped revitalize his career". The Michigan Daily.
  18. ↑ "A bigger role is coming for Michigan EDGE Eyabi Okie (don't call him Anoma)". Mlive.com. September 27, 2022.
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