Frank Okam
Franklin Nonyelu Okam, Jr. (born October 16, 1985) is an American football coach and former defensive tackle who is the assistant defensive line coach for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for Rice and Baylor.[1] Okam played college football at Texas and was drafted by the Houston Texans in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He also was a member of the Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Omaha Nighthawks and New York Giants
 Frank Okam at Houston Texans training camp in 2010. | |||||||||||
| Carolina Panthers | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Assistant defensive line coach | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | October 16, 1985 Pine Bluff, Arkansas | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 350 lb (159 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Lake Highlands (Dallas, Texas) | ||||||||||
| College: | Texas | ||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2008 / Round: 5 / Pick: 151 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| As player: | |||||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||
| As coach: | |||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||
Early years
Of Nigerian descent, Okam attended Lake Highlands High School in Dallas, Texas, where he competed in football where he was an all-district, all-area, & all-state. He also competed in basketball where his team finished as Region II semifinalists. Okam also competed in track & field where was a state finalist in discus, all while holding a 3.9 GPA. As a senior at Lake Highlands, Okam achieved a 345 lb (156 kg) bench max, 500 lb (230 kg) squat max, 29 inch vertical, and an impressive 4.9 40-yard dash for a man of his size. He weighed in at 300 pounds (140 kg) on a 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) frame. Okam was highly recruited as the second ranked defensive tackle in the nation, Okam received scholarship offers from Florida, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Stanford among other universities. He played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and the Oil Bowl in which he got Defensive MVP following his senior season.
Playing career
College
Okam accepted a scholarship to the University of Texas at Austin, where he played defensive tackle for the Texas Longhorns football team from 2004 to 2007. Okam contributed immediately as a true freshman, earning first-team Freshman All-America honors from Sporting News.
As a sophomore, he started all 13 games at nose tackle and earned second-team All-Big 12 honors from the league's coaches. He made five tackles, including his first sack of the season, in Texas' 41–38 victory over USC for the 2005–06 National Championship.
As a junior, he started 11 games and earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors from the Associated Press, and he made the 2006 ESPN first-team All-American squad.[2]
In their 2007-season preview magazine, CBS Sportsline.com said, "Frank Okam should be one of the top players in the country" during his senior season with the 2007 Texas Longhorns football team.[3]
After a stellar senior season, Okam finished his career at the University of Texas with 160 total tackles, 81 solo tackles with 28 tackles for a loss. In addition, Okam finished his career with 10 sacks, a forced fumble, 5 recovered fumbles, and 12 deflected passes.
Houston Texans
| Height | Weight | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3⁄8 in (1.84 m) |
347 lb (157 kg) |
5.36 s | 1.84 s | 3.09 s | 4.95 s | 8.07 s | 23 in (0.58 m) | 8 ft 8 in (2.64 m) | 32 reps | |||
| All values from NFL Combine 2008.[4] | ||||||||||||
Okam was drafted by the Houston Texans in the fifth round (151st overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft.
He was waived on October 25, 2010.
Seattle Seahawks
Okam signed with the Seattle Seahawks on November 2, 2010. He was cut shortly thereafter.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Okam as a free agent after he was cut by the Seattle Seahawks. He was waived on November 22, 2011, and re-signed to the team's practice squad the following day.
He was then cut again by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Aug 31, 2012.
New York Giants
He was signed by the New York Giants on May 11, 2013 after a veteran tryout at the rookie minicamp. On August 25, 2013, he was cut by the Giants.[5]
Coaching career
Rice University
In 2014, Okam began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Rice University. In 2016, he was promoted to defensive line coach.
Baylor University
In 2018, Okam was hired as the defensive line coach at Baylor University.
Carolina Panthers
On January 20, 2020, Okam was hired by the Carolina Panthers as their assistant defensive line coach, reuniting with head coach Matt Rhule.
References
- https://baylorbears.com/coaches.aspx?rc=87&path=football
- "2006 All American Team". ESPN. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
- College Football – 2007 Season Preview. CBS Sportsline.com. 2007. p. 40.
- http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=33733&draftyear=2008&genpos=DT
- Eisen, Michael (August 26, 2013). "LB Aaron Curry among players released". Giants.com. Archived from the original on August 29, 2013. Retrieved September 4, 2013.