Disruptive by Name

Ogbonnia Okoronkwo didn't grow up playing football. With his parents preferring him to focus on academic pursuits, OU's redshirt junior outside linebacker only picked up the game as a junior in high school. But once he got going, it quickly became apparent that, with his level of talent, the sky was the limit.

Even with only two years of high school tape, Okoronkwo, whose full name is pronounced "o-BO-ny-uh o-kor-RON-kwo," caught the eye of Division I programs. He was rated a three-star prospect by recruiting services and fielded offers from Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and West Virginia, among others. Born in Gainesville, Fla., and raised in Houston, Texas, Okoronkwo originally committed to the Cowboys. Had it not been for a late visit to Oklahoma, he could have played his college ball decked out in orange and black.

"I was originally committed to Oklahoma State," Okoronkwo explained. "That was one of my early offers. Later in my recruiting process I started to get more offers and OU was one of them. When I took my visit here and I saw all of the history ? I already knew about OU as a kid watching college football ? but to see it all here it gave me goosebumps, and I wanted to be part of this."

With so little experience, it is more than understandable that Okoronkwo, who is affectionately called "Ogbo" (O-bo) by his friends, teammates and family, arrived in Norman with work to be done as far as acclimating to the college game. A redshirt year in 2013 provided him with time to get familiar with complex defensive concepts and allowed him to learn what it takes to play at the highest level of Power Five football.

"I knew when it was my time to play I was going to have to take it as serious as [Devante Bond and Eric Striker] did if I wanted to have the same production that they were having."

"It was hard," Okoronkwo recalled. "There were a lot of concepts that I didn't understand that were simple to everybody else but were complex to me. I always felt like I was a step behind as far as learning the playbook. Over time it got better and I started understanding more concepts."

Okoronkwo played extensively on special teams during the 2014 and 2015 seasons and earned some defensive snaps as well. At 6-foot-2 and 245 pounds, Okoronkwo boasts an impressive frame and has speed and quickness that make him deadly as a pass rusher. Playing sparingly on passing downs, he logged four total sacks and five tackles for loss in his redshirt freshman and sophomore campaigns combined.

The departure of starting outside linebackers Eric Striker and Devante Bond to the NFL left the 2016 Sooners looking to replace 26 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks from the 2015 squad that made the College Football Playoff. It was time for Okoronkwo to take a major step forward.

Having started every game at outside linebacker so far this year, Okoronkwo indeed taken that big step. As Oklahoma rotates its fourth linebacker in and out with a nickel back, Okoronkwo stays on the field, anchoring one side of the defense. Head coach Bob Stoops noted in his weekly press conference on Monday that Okoronkwo played 94 snaps against Texas. He has become a cornerstone for the Sooners.

Ogbo had a team-high 11 tackles and a forced fumble last week vs. Texas.

Third on the team with 33 total tackles, Okoronkwo has been perhaps the Sooners' most disruptive force on the line of scrimmage, notching team highs in sacks (5.0 for 33 yards) and tackles for loss (6.5 for 38 yards). His sack number is the second highest in the Big 12 and just one off first place.

Perhaps one reason for his productive start is the time he put in behind Bond and behind Striker, the Sooners' all-time leading sacker among linebackers.

"Watching how guys last year prepared, like Devante Bond and Eric Striker, they watched a lot of film," Okoronkwo said. "They never went into the game with any questions. They knew exactly what was going to happen. Watching them do that, I knew when it was my time to play I was going to have to take it as serious as they did if I wanted to have the same production that they were having."

You don't emulate someone's habits just by observing them. Okoronkwo put in the hard work right alongside his teammates, even when he wasn't playing a consistent role on defense.

"I decided to buy in," Okoronkwo stated. "I realized it was just so much easier when you do everything right. Nobody is hounding you to do this or do that, because everybody knows you are going to be where you say you are going to be."

With hard work and study, Okoronkwo has put himself in a position to let his innate physical gifts intersect with preparation. That combination has led to his early production and has earned him the trust of his coaches.

"I don't ever want to do anything and not try to be great at it."

"It feels good because this time last year it was a whole different story," Okoronkwo explained. "I feel like I've come a long way as far as our trust. I really like playing, and I really like Coach Stoops a lot, so for him to rely on me that means a lot to me. I try to go out there and play hard for him every game because I know what his expectations are.

"Now it's just like an expectation for me to play well. He doesn't tell me good game anymore. Now that is just what he expects every game. Game in and game out."

That trust comes with added responsibility, but if the weight of that reality is weighing heavy on Okoronkwo he certainly isn't showing it.

"I don't shy away from anything," he said. "I like it. I know that there are a lot of guys that are on the field that are relied upon to make plays week in and week out and they do it. So why can't I?"

Oklahoma entered the 2016 season with a big question mark at outside linebacker. Five games into the season it appears that Okoronkwo is ready to assert himself as the answer.

"I'm going to keep learning and we'll see. Hopefully I can be a really great player here and that's my goal ? to leave some type of legacy that I was here. I don't ever want to do anything and not try to be great at it. I just want to keep bringing the energy so that everybody can play as hard as they can. For us, we want to win the Big 12. That's our vision and our goal right now. Whatever I can do to be a part of that, I'll do it."

Oklahoma has turned to Okoronkwo to be one of the leaders of the defense.

Players Mentioned

Devante Bond

Eric Striker

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics