Emmanual Okoye, who is from Nigeria, has committed to an SEC football program.
Okoye announced on Wednesday that he will play at the University of Tennessee. It comes after he was part of the NFL Academy program in England.
He had USC and Texas Tech as his other two finalists but said that the education factor was the big sticking point.
“I am excited to join the University of Tennessee and to continue to develop as a player and a young man. I hope I will make my family proud, and that starts with an elite education — which was key to my decision-making — and I can’t wait to take this opportunity and give it everything I have,” Okoye said, via ESPN.
Emmanuel Okoye has committed to Tennessee!
The 4⭐️ EDGE defender hails from ENGLAND and plays at the NFL Academy in London.
Cheerio!
(Edit via @Hayesfawcett3) pic.twitter.com/5Bk0uNNOpA
— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) May 17, 2023
Okoye will be enrolling at the school this summer and will be eligible to play this upcoming season.
During his time at the academy, he saw time on special teams and at defensive end. It’s currently unknown what position he’ll be in once he gets to Knoxville but tight end could also be an option.