I-State lands long-coveted DE as SEC transfer
Although they didn't secure a commitment the first time around, the Cyclones were happy to get a promising Kansas City (Mo.) area defensive lineman out of the portal.
Former Lincoln College Prep standout Tobechi Okoli announced his commitment to Iowa State on Sunday afternoon and will join a program that once attempted to recruit him heavily as a 2021 high school product.
Contacted shortly after announcing the news on Twitter, Okoli declined an interview request, saying only that he's excited to be reporting to Iowa State next week to get started with summer conditioning.
The 6-foot-5, 272-pound Okoli starred on the same high school team as now-former Cyclone defensive lineman Howard Brown, who was also the squad's quarterback, and Arkansas signing Jeremaine Hamilton-Jordan, who is now bouncing back at a Kansas junior college.
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Iowa State recruited and offered all three, and now ends up landing Okoli, who will have three seasons of eligibility remaining. He also enters a defensive line mix in Ames now without the likes of Will McDonald and MJ Anderson.
The defensive staff in Ames, much of which remains intact, hosted Okoli on a visit in March of 2020. The Missouri prospect had positive things to say then during an in-school interview with CycloneReport.com about the experience.
“What really stuck out was the sense of family that you get when you’re at Iowa State,” he said. “Everybody genuinely cares about you. They showed me a lot about the academics and the campus was really nice. I want to get into Engineering and they showed me a lot about it. I saw the really big building that they have completely dedicated to Engineering.
“There are a lot of players that are in Engineering, so I like that a lot. In addition to talking to all the coaches, I’ve talked to one of the tight ends there, Charlie Kolar. He’s talked to me about the day-to-day life and how he’s balanced his football life with the education.”
Okoli played in one non-conference game while redshirting in 2021 and didn't see any game action this past season. He will have three seasons of eligibility remaining.
