by Ball State redshirt freshman George Okorie texts his father, Emmanuel Okorie, every day.
Whether he’s feeling sad or has one of the best days of his life, he always reaches for the phone to let his old man know what’s going on.
“Whenever I do something wrong or I can’t say the truth to somebody real quick, I just say everything to my dad and it releases a whole load off of me,” George said. “At least someone knows how I see it.”
But the Cardinals’ defensive end never receives a response.
Emmanuel has been gone for 14 years. He died in a car accident June 3, 2011, George’s ninth birthday.
Though the messages will never be answered, they remind him of how far he’s come.
“I try to make him as proud as possible,” he said.
“Bro, is this good?”
Born in Nigeria, George was introduced to sports from a young age. Emmanuel was a professional soccer player for the Nigerian team. George the most athletic child out of three — his older brother, Emmanuel, and sister, Golfer — his parents wanted him to have the best opportunities.
Before his passing, Emmanuel told George’s mother, Helen, he wanted one of his kids to play professional sports. George wanted to turn that dream into a reality.
With that dream in mind, George moved multiple times with his family. After moving to France, then Dubai, they ended up in the U.K. This is where George’s ability to play soccer picked up as he suited up for Western United’s professional under-16 team.
But with his father gone, George’s love for soccer faded. Having also played basketball, he decided to keep his focus on the court. He drew interest and had Division II offers, but an Achilles tendon tear put another roadblock in his path.
Already devastated, he was told his basketball days could be over. He then received advice from a random stranger when he was down.
“She said I had a very bright future ahead of me,” George said. “(She said to)‘Hold God closer and I promise you, you’ll benefit from there.’”
The woman then handed him a cross, which he puts on his pillow every night before he goes to bed.
After healing his leg, George was living in Vancouver when he attended a local junior-level football game in 2023. Following the contest, he went on the field and ran some routes as a receiver.
Making some receptions, the coaches noticed and spoke with him. Soon after, he was playing the sport for the Vancouver Island Raiders of the Canadian Junior Football League.
“They said, ‘Come here,”’ George said. “‘You want to come play football?’ It’s like a movie, literally.”
But he had no idea what he was doing.
“I started practice as a wide receiver. They told me to run a hook [route],” he said. “Huh? What’s a hook?’ And then they just told me to run.”
After realizing there was more to it than just catching the ball, he questioned if he should even try. But his coaches didn’t want to waste his talent. He was then asked to play edge on defense. The staff used his basketball background to teach him the new role.
“[The] tackle is your defender, okay,” George said. “‘The quarterback is the hoop. Go dunk it.’”
Though he thought he fit this role better than receiver, he didn’t play in his first game. He never saw the field. He was devastated and remembers crying that night.
“I’m like ‘why do I care this much about a sport I just started,’” he said.
A conversation with one of his coaches redirected his focus. It is still one of the focal points of his young football career.
“He said, ‘Hey, buddy. I saw you for a reason. I promise you, focus on this sport and it’s going to get you really far,’” George said.
His second game echoed that statement. After the first and second string edge rushers were injured, George heard his last name called.
He was going in.
“Everybody looked down [the bench] at me,” George said. “I had goosebumps all over my body … It was loud outside, but it was so loud [in my head].”
On his first play of real football, George beat the tackle and sacked the quarterback. Two plays later, another sack.
He finished the game with four total sacks, a single-game record for the Raiders. The next day, he had offers from most universities in Canada. While he thought about playing Canadian college football, a coach advised him to post the game film on X (formerly Twitter).
He made an account and released it.
When he woke up the next day, he had around 1,000 followers. Multiple schools, including the University of Alabama and Auburn University, were on that list. But he didn’t know if that was a positive sign or not.
“I showed my friends who played football,” George said. “I’m like, ‘Bro, is this good?”’
‘Respect your last name’
Following the record-breaking performance, George went all in on football. From working 10-hour shifts at Foot Locker to loading U-Haul trucks, he saved enough money to attend private workouts and began to get better.
Yet, his training did not stop in Vancouver. When George told Helen he wanted to go play in the United States, she wasn’t too sure about the plan. But after thinking about it, she told him it reminded her of Emmanuel.
“She said that decision I made right there is something my dad would do,” George said. “She said she sees a lot of him in me and the way I give to people.”
Once he went all-in on football, he came into contact with former Indianapolis Colts’ player and outside linebacker Eze Obiora.
George then began to train with him and even practiced with the Colts, including the blue and white’s 2024 first-round pick, defensive lineman Laiatu Latu.
Fully diving into college football, George attended Butler Community College (Kansas) and then played spring ball in 2024 before checking out other universities. Some camps he attended included Ohio State and Texas A&M, but ultimately, it was Vanderbilt who took a shot on George.
After committing to Vanderbilt July 29, 2024, George redshirted the 2024 season. After realizing that it wasn’t the right fit, he went into the transfer portal.
He said the biggest draw to Ball State was the coaching staff and committed to the Cardinals May 16. Today, that decision is one that he respects even more.
“They want to coach you, and I’ve seen a pattern. Once we’re on the field, in the weight room, it’s business,” George said. “Outside of that, they treat you like a human being … They make you feel welcome. I feel like that is going to be a big deal this year.”
Besides the coaches, he believes his Cardinal teammates have been important for his development. Ball State redshirt freshman defensive tackle Ameir Glenn has been one of those teammates.
“George and I are a little duo,” Glenn said. “Both of us are young and we’re always there for each other.”
Though he said it’s not common to have an athlete who didn’t play any level of school football on his roster, Ball State defensive line coach Adam Siwicki noted George’s drive alone is more than enough.
“He’s a good teammate and he listens,” Siwicki said. “The veterans have helped show him the way what we’re about … He’s very athletic, a really good pass rusher, great off the ball and those are all the things we look for.”
But the drive his coaches and teammates witness daily isn’t just about football. It goes with his whole life. Following his father’s passing, George wanted to carry on a legacy. He attended boarding school for most of his childhood, and he said that, as an emotional person, it helped him get a handle on grief.
Yet, there are still times the grief rises through the cracks. He doesn’t like to celebrate his birthday and tends to be quiet, and prefers to be alone on that day. But the alone time he wants is a major part of his life.
One of his hobbies is working on lyrics. He sends them to a Canadian artist and has had some of his words a part of songs.
Outside of playing football, there is one thing that keeps him motivated every day. The reason for his drive and his outlook on life is back home.
While Golfer lives in Vancouver with her family, Helen and Emmanuel still live in Nigeria. Due to the potential financial game of his Name, Image and Likeness, George tries to send as much money to the people who raised him.
“That’s one of the things I love about Nigerian tradition,” George said. “Family is really tight. It’s family first. … I send them something because it’s going to help a lot in Nigeria.”
Even if he didn’t send money or try to provide for his family by playing football, there is one thing that he will always do: carry on the Okorie name the correct way.
“You don’t respect your first name, you respect your last name,” George said.
Through everything, there’s one thing that keeps him grounded. Before his passing, Emmanuel only wanted to see George. On his deathbed, he gave his youngest son a message: Go be great.
George writes this on the tape over his wrist before every game he plays in. It reminds him of why he started this ‘crazy’ journey.
“I have that on my hand,” he said. “Every time I’m playing, I look at it and he tells me to go be great.”
Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu, zachcarter039@gmail.com or via X @ZachCarter85.
