Frank Okam
Encyclopedia
Franklin Nonyelu Okam, Jr. (born October 16, 1985) is an American football
defensive tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
. He was drafted by the Houston Texans
in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Texas
.
where he played football
, basketball
, and track & field
along with holding a 3.9 GPA. As a senior at Lake Highlands, Okam achieved a 345 lb (156.5 kg). bench max, 500 lb (226.8 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 (136.1 kg) on a 6 inch 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.
honors from Sporting News.
As a sophomore, he started
all 13 games and earned second-team All-Big 12 honors from the league's coaches. He made two 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.
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 Longhorn football team
.
in the fifth round (151st overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft
.
He was waived on October 25, 2010.
. He was waived on November 22, 2011, and re-signed to the team's practice squad the following day.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
defensive tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
. He was drafted by the Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
.
Early years
Okam attended Lake Highlands High SchoolLake Highlands High School
Lake Highlands High School is a secondary school serving grades 10-12 located in the Lake Highlands area of Dallas, Texas, United States, primarily serving the Lake Highlands community. The school is part of the Richardson Independent School District and is located centrally within Lake Highlands...
where he played football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, and track & field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
along with holding a 3.9 GPA. As a senior at Lake Highlands, Okam achieved a 345 lb (156.5 kg). bench max, 500 lb (226.8 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 (136.1 kg) on a 6 inch 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
U.S. Army All-American Bowl
The U.S. Army All-American Bowl is a high school football all-star game held in early January in San Antonio, Texas. Currently played in the Alamodome, the game brings 90 of the nation's top high school football players in an East versus West matchup. In addition to the Bowl game, there is the U.S...
and the Oil Bowl
Oil Bowl
Oil Bowl was a college football bowl game played at Rice Stadium in Houston, Texas, in 1944, 1946, and 1947. Muddy conditions for the first and freezing temperatures for the third game doomed future contests....
in which he got Defensive MVP following his senior season.
College career
Okam contributed immediately as a true freshman, earning first-team Freshman All-AmericaAll-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
honors from Sporting News.
As a sophomore, he started
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
all 13 games and earned second-team All-Big 12 honors from the league's coaches. He made two tackles
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
, including his first sack
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
of the season, in Texas' 41-38 victory over USC
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
for the 2005-06 National Championship
2005 Texas Longhorn football team
The 2005 Texas Longhorn football team represented the University of Texas at Austin during the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season, winning the Big 12 Conference championship and the national championship. The team was coached by Mack Brown, led on offense by quarterback Vince Young, and played...
.
As a junior, he started 11 games and earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors from the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, and he made the 2006 ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
first-team All-American squad.
In their 2007 season preview magazine, CBS Sportsline.com
CBSSports.com
CBSSports.com was founded in 1994 as SportsLine USA, and today is a CBS-owned website that provides sports scores, news, statistics, live and on-demand video, mobile apps, e-commerce, fantasy sports products, services, and information..Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, CBSSports.com it is...
said, “Frank Okam should be one of the top players in the country” during his senior season with the 2007 Texas Longhorn football team
2007 Texas Longhorn football team
The 2007 Texas Longhorn football team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Mack Brown, who received the 2005 Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year award...
.
Houston Texans
Okam was drafted by the Houston TexansHouston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the fifth round (151st overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...
.
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
Tampa Bay signed Okam as a free agent after he was cut by the Seattle SeahawksSeattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
. He was waived on November 22, 2011, and re-signed to the team's practice squad the following day.