COSTA MESA, Calif. (AP) — Imagine never having played cricket before and then taking a wicket in an Indian Premier League match your first time out, or never seeing a rugby match in person and scoring a try in Australia’s National Rugby League.
That might give you a better understanding of what CJ Okoye did Saturday night.
The 21-year-old defensive lineman from Nigeria recorded a sack in his first organized football game at any level during the Los Angeles Chargers’ 34-17 victory over the Rams. Okoye chased down Stetson Bennett for a 16-yard loss late in the fourth quarter.
“It was an amazing moment for me,” Okoye said. “It was amazing seeing my teammates and my D-line room go crazy like that. I wish to go back there again.”
Okoye came to the Chargers this year through the NFL’s International Pathway Program, which was established in 2017 to increase the number of international players in the league.
While he had shown enough to be allocated to an NFL team, he hadn’t played organized football before.
Okoye didn’t even know he recorded a sack until a teammate told him. He broke out his version of a sack dance as the Chargers sideline celebrated the moment.
Okoye also received a game ball from coach Brandon Staley in the locker room after the game.
“Just to see how he’s been working, it brought me back to when I first started playing and was kind of green to the game, back in my senior year of high school,” offensive guard Zion Johnson said. “Those moments are what craft you and push you forward to want to become a better player.”
The sack was even more impressive because it didn’t come on a straight rush but a stunt. Bennett eluded pressure from defensive tackle Jerrod Clark in the pocket before Okoye chased him down.
“It was the play we normally run, so we just need to run and twist,” Okoye said. “We communicated, and (Clark) said, ‘I’m going in. You just wrap around.’ He did a good job. I just needed to finish it.”
Before arriving in the NFL, the 6-foot-6, 315-pound Okoye had played basketball in a local league in Nigeria.
Ejike Ugboaja, drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2006, was scouting one of the games and asked Okoye about trying out for Osi Umenyiora’s Uprise football camp.
Umenyiora, who was born in London to Nigerian parents, has been at the forefront of football development efforts in Africa.
Even though Okoye struggled during his tryout, he showed Umenyiora enough to take a chance on him.
Okoye was initially projected to be an offensive tackle and showed enough potential to be named the Offensive MVP during the first NFL Africa camp held in Ghana last year.
From there, Okoye was one of 38 players from 13 countries to participate in last year’s NFL International Combine in London.
