Why Oklahoma DE Coach Miguel Chavis Believes Danny Okoye Can Become 'Household Name'

Over the summer, defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis walked into the weight room to find Okoye’s lifting group howling. 

“Coyote, that's his nickname,” Chaivs said. “Coach Schmitty (Jerry Schmidt) gave him the nickname coyote, I think because it sounds like Okoye, I don't know… Those don't even sound the same.”

While Chavis himself was confused about how Okoye came to be known as Coyote, he’s confident his pupil will announce himself to the SEC sooner rather than later. 

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Okoye appeared in just two games last year, maintaining his redshirt, as he adjusted to life with Chavis in Venables’ complicated scheme. 

The former 4-star recruit was named to the SEC Academic honor roll, showing he had no problem taking care of his non-football responsibilities off the field, and Chavis has loved getting to watch Okoye grow throughout his second offseason with the Sooners. 

“(It’s been) freaking awesome… He's a madman,” Chavis said. “When he knows what he's doing, he's playing really fast.”

Okoye’s athleticism gets his teammates excited, too. 

At 6-foot-3 and 251 pounds, he has the speed and bend to become a real force hunting down quarterbacks off the edge.

"Danny has all of it. So when Danny gets this defense down and uses his skillset, it's gonna be even crazier,” R Mason Thomas said. “Imagine what I just said, PJ (Adebawore), (Taylor) Wein, then you've got Danny, Marvin Jones, it's like we've got experience altogether. So our D-line is just cold."

Coming Alive in Year 2

Okoye and interior defensive lineman David Stone watched their classmate, Jayden Jackson, establish himself as a key piece to the defense in Year 1. 

Now, with another year of experience under their belts, Venables believes Okoye and Stone are in line for more snaps. 

“Yeah, again, talked about both of those guys several times about the improvement that they both made, the talent they possess and then their commitment level,” Venables said. “I think that’s always important —  it takes a lot more than just talent. 

“… That means showing up every day with an elite championship-type of mindset and wanting to do the work without having to have certain kind of results. 

“You show up every day, this is how you do it, there’s only one way, it’s the right way, it’s the hard way. So they have to show that willingness to commit to that. I’ve bragged on both of those guys. They both have tremendous talent and ability.”

Venables said he has no concerns about Okoye and Stone’s work ethic, as they’ve both lived at the facility all throughout the summer. 

“I love where they are at right now, from a competitive toughness and a competitive character,” Venables said. “They let you coach them hard and they’ve got incredibly high standards. They understand that there’s great competition at their positions and neither one of them wants to take a backseat to the guys that they’re competing with. So, that gets me excited.”

Chavis believes OU fans won’t have to wait long to see the fruits of Okoye’s offseason efforts. 

“Just an unbelievable young man… As likable and as talented as he is, he's a better person,” Chavis said. “It's a joy coaching him. He's going to be a household name pretty soon. I mean that."