'12 NC DE Romeo Okwara (Notre Dame Signed LOI)

[BGIF]

Weakside DE (ND OLB)
Charlotte, NC Ardrey Kell

Ht: 6-4
Wt: 235
40: 4.7
GPA: 3.5
Test:
Bench: 330
Squat: 605

STATS
'11: 76 Tackles, 27 TFLs, 14 Sacks, 18 QBHs, 3 PBUs, 1 Forced Fumble, 1 Blocked FG
'10: 70 Tackles, 9 Sacks, 2 Forced Fumbles, 1 Blocked FG

RANKINGS
Rivals: #36 WDE, Rating 5.7
Scout: #61 DE
ESPN: #94 DE, Grade 77
247: , NR WDE, Rating 90

OFFERS
Notre Dame (OV 1/20/12)
Clemson
Duke
Georgia Tech
Illinois
Louisville
Maryland
Miami
Minnesota
North Carolina
North Carolina St
Pittsburgh
South Florida
Vanderbilt
Virginia
Virginia Tech
Wake Forest
West Virginia

ND RECRUITER: Mike Elston

DECISION: 7/9/11 Notre Dame Verbal

 

[BGIF]

The first video is listed as 3:21 in length but has no video after about 2:50. This video also doesn't identify him with an arrow or highlight. He's #33 usually on the left side with his hand on the ground. The second video identifies him with an arrow.

1. Romeo Okwara - 6'5 225 DE 2010 Jr. Highlight #33 - Ardrey Kell High School

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2. Romeo Okwara (Football Recruiting Video)

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[NYIrish14]

ill take another shembo

 

[BGIF]

Despite a bunch of regional offers, Okwara's is under most of the recruiting services radar.

ESPN has no evaluation or schools listed

Scout has a profile with one article and they haven't even opened Schools of Interest.

247 gives him a 90 which is the bottom of their 4 Star range.

Rivals lists measureables, offers, and stats.

 

[IrishInColumbus]

With a name like that, Notre Dame needs this guy just so I can say it for the next four years.

 

[BGIF]

Interesting Measurables

Interesting Measurables

'12 NC DE Romeo Okwara (Offer)
Ht: 6-4
Wt: 230
40: 4.7
Bench: 330
Squate: 605
----------------------------------

'11 GA DE Stephon Tuitt (Signed Notre Dame LOI)
Ht: 6-5
Wt: 260
40: 4.8
Bench: 325
Squat: 425
----------------------------------

'11 FL DE Aaron Lynch (Signed Notre Dame LOI-EE)
Ht: 6-6
Wt: 271
40: 4.66
Bench: 315
Squat: 425
----------------------------------

Keep in mind Okwara's numbers are for a HS Jr. while Tuitt and Lynch were a year older. I'm not attempting to contrast their football skills, just noting the measureables listed in profiles.

I believe according to Mama Lynch that Aaron gained 30 or 40 pounds after this Senior season. If this kid has or can develop that "first step", wow. He's close to Div 1 OLB size now and could grow into a DE or DT.

I hope he makes some camps to see what he's got running against the big boys.

 

[jason_h537]

He goes to the same school as Shembo right?

If this is the guy i am thinking of, he said that ND's offer vaulted them to the top

 

[BGIF]

He goes to the same school as Shembo right?

If this is the guy i am thinking of, he said that ND's offer vaulted them to the top

Same HS, Ardry Kell.

I'll move ND to the top of his offer list.

 

[Old Man Mike]

An elite squat for a 300 lb man is 570. I wonder about typo on that number of 605. If true, the guy is essentially immovable at the first collision. And, if he gets under you = decleater. If you need your car placed back rightside up, he's your guy. Will carry all the girl cheerleaders in a new halftime entertainment display [he might like that one almost as much as the decleating].

p.s. Tuitt is only trying to get to 580 right now at the end of his May workouts goals. [and may well have not made that rare air].

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

I feel bad for the right tackle on the green team. He made the highlight reel twice, and at the :49 sec mark he got blasted.

 

[beryirish]

This kids lower body must be huge if he is squatting near 200lbs more than Tuitt and Lynch!

ISD Premium

http://www.irishsportsdaily.com/recruiting/premium-football-recruiting

Up to 16-17 offers. Likes the ND offer.
Likes their academics and the fact that they've been successful at football for awhile, especially last year. (I'm guessing he's talking about tradition).
Plays fast and angry.
Plans to take his time with recruiting and do his due diligence.
Wants to take a few visits before he starts to trim down the list.
Criteria for school: Will have to be an academic school. A place where he can fit in. A place where he could potentially get some EPT.
Coaches Elston and Diaco came by a couple weeks ago to visit.
Would like to visit in the summer but nothing concrete.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

I'm with OMM. Very skeptical of his listed squat max, given his current weight and his under-the-radar status.

605 is herculean.

 

[BeauBenken]

Just to speak on ridiculous squat numbers, I actually go to school with a guy who will probably end up a D1 fullback due to his size.

He's maybe 5' 10". Tips the scales probably around 250-260. He says he's been timed in the 4.5s (non-electronic, I'm sure, but he did have his times taken at D1 camps so who knows) my personal guess would be 4.7 something electronic though.

He max benches pretty well over 300, but what's freaky is his max squat that's well over 600. He's about to become our school's first 1000-pound club member. Saying something considering Ryan Kerrigan went there.

Anyways, there's bound to be other freakish squat kids out there. His numbers may be legit.

 

[RyCo1983]

Just to speak on ridiculous squat numbers, I actually go to school with a guy who will probably end up a D1 fullback due to his size.

He's maybe 5' 10". Tips the scales probably around 250-260. He says he's been timed in the 4.5s (non-electronic, I'm sure, but he did have his times taken at D1 camps so who knows) my personal guess would be 4.7 something electronic though.

He max benches pretty well over 300, but what's freaky is his max squat that's well over 600. He's about to become our school's first 1000-pound club member. Saying something considering Ryan Kerrigan went there.

Anyways, there's bound to be other freakish squat kids out there. His numbers may be legit.

1000 pound clubs are generally squat,bench, and clean all added up in my experience...no huge feat for probably nearly every member of the Irish squad who doesn't play WR or DB...
but for anyone to touch 1000 without counting the clean....is INSANITY.

If it's not a typo we need to get this one!

 

[Old Man Mike]

One of my weightlifting brothers was in town today. I asked him about the 600 lb squats. He said sure, there are a few high school athletes who have been training for several years who get to that level, so it's not impossible at all. But he also warned that many people mark successful squat numbers but in fact have not actually completed the lift properly [easiest way to say it is they haven't taken the weight all the way down]. He said that he'd like to see the technique used before going ga-ga.

On the other hand, just to tell an "amusing" story: there was a weight-lifter who showed up at a workout with a lot of athletes and football players, who didn't know him. One smart-*** asked him what he squatted. He said "400". The guy laughed and said 400 lbs was nothing. The lifter apologized: I was talking about kilos.

That ended the discussion.

 

[BeauBenken]

1000 pound clubs are generally squat,bench, and clean all added up in my experience...no huge feat for probably nearly every member of the Irish squad who doesn't play WR or DB...
but for anyone to touch 1000 without counting the clean....is INSANITY.

If it's not a typo we need to get this one!

lol Yea, it's just bench and squat at our school.

 

[RyCo1983]

lol Yea, it's just bench and squat at our school.

BADASS
haha
That's a super exclusive club

 

[BeauBenken]

BADASS
haha
That's a super exclusive club

Indeed. He's the second ever 900-pound club member. If coaches ever decided to recruit a FB, I think I'd be able to help recruit him. haha I should be coaching him up this summer and possibly this fall.

 

[RyCo1983]

Indeed. He's the second ever 900-pound club member. If coaches ever decided to recruit a FB, I think I'd be able to help recruit him. haha I should be coaching him up this summer and possibly this fall.

FULLBACK! DAS BRUTALZ!

I'd like to see some of that.

 

[Ironman8]

ISDUpdate Irish Sports Daily

NC DE Romeo Okwara currently at ND on unofficial visit. Has offers from ND, Clemson, Duke, GT, MIA, UNC, NC ST, Pitt, UVA & VT among others.

 

[BeauBenken]

How high is this guy on the staff's list?

 

[BGIF]

Profile Updated

Profile Updated

RANKINGS
Rivals: #33 WDE, Rating 5.7
Scout: NA
ESPN: #86 DE, Grade 77
247: , NR WDE, Rating 90


Don't know where he is on ND's board but he's all over the recruiting service's boards from a 4 Star to Not Evaluated.

 

[BGIF]

Found a 2 month old article on Okwara from couchfire.com (only in Morgantown could they be so proud {sorry OMM}).

... WVU’s offer came this past weekend just after UNC offered the youngster.

The kid is talented… and by kid I mean KID… He’s just 15 years old as he enters his senior season. ...

Romeo Okwara | Couch Fire Sports | WVU Sports Blog

 

[BGIF]

From TarHeelIllustrated

From TarHeelIllustrated

@HeelIllustrated
Adam Powell Charlotte DE Romeo Okwara has made it to Chapel Hill Friday am
10 Jun via txt

 

[PANDFAN]

just to add to the squat #'s ....i am a bodybuilder and many people will put a lot more weight on a bar than what they can do properly...going down 3-4inches is nothing...atg is known as *** to grass which is a proper squat...most people would have to drop 1/2 the weight....however there are those freaks of nature so who knows

 

[Old Man Mike]

BGIF: We in WV have been used to it so water on a duck's back. Our two lead coaches [Huggins and Holgerson] are known to be too interested in the Moonshine and partying, but they sober up for the work and terrorize most of the opposition. [a LOT of people are worrying in the BIG EAST as to what Holgerson is going to turn WVU into].

WVU is actually a lot less like "Rube City" than you think. Heck, dshans would be proud to know that my brother and assorted hundreds even got tear-gassed during the "sixties". Seemed to be in touch with the modern world way back then.

Their recruitment of Okwara [as published] dates from a bad time [rumors about Stewart vs Holgerson flying], but that's settled now, so they are a recruiting threat again with certain types of players. Holgerson's reputation as the air-circus guru will draw athletes to the place like the old Richrod Lightning Attack drew in White, Slayton, Devine et all --- and the DC [Jeff Casteel] remains, constructing one of the most unique Ds in the country. I wouldn't underestimate WVU., particularly after Holgerson gets a year in.

 

[BGIF]

Okwara wants another ND look

Okwara wants another ND look

by Pete Sampson
July 9

Okwara wants another ND look

Premium

Romeo Okwara saw enough of Notre Dame this week to know he wants to see more. The summer stop in South Bend made the linebacker pencil the Irish in for a future official visit

 

[ohara831]

I'd love to see him come to ND. But we are gonna have to work hard to keep him away from Butch at UNC and Dabo at Clemson. Those 2 are terrific at recruiting NC kids. I know UNC got gut punched with what happened to them last year losing several as ineligible. But I have no idea what Dabo is selling these kids. I live only 1.5 hours from Clemson. South Carolina Gamecock fans swear on their mother's graves that Dabo is dirty, but I have not heard anything whatsoever of anything improper. Kids just love the party atmosphere in Clemson and the school doesn't press hard on the academics of their "student" athletes.

 

[BeauBenken]

just to add to the squat #'s ....i am a bodybuilder and many people will put a lot more weight on a bar than what they can do properly...going down 3-4inches is nothing...atg is known as *** to grass which is a proper squat...most people would have to drop 1/2 the weight....however there are those freaks of nature so who knows

I grew up on the parallel or 90 degrees teaching. Knees should be at (or past) 90 degrees.

As for the fact the kid is only 15...what in world? Is he extremely smart for a NC kid or something? That definitely raises his potential bar though. He'll graduate 2 years younger than most seniors. He has lots of growing to still do. Sign 'em up.

 

[RyCo1983]

I grew up on the parallel or 90 degrees teaching. Knees should be at (or past) 90 degrees.

As for the fact the kid is only 15...what in world? Is he extremely smart for a NC kid or something? That definitely raises his potential bar though. He'll graduate 2 years younger than most seniors. He has lots of growing to still do. Sign 'em up.

This is the proper way to do it.
90 degrees.