Syracuse Football: Tale of the Tape on Caleb Okechukwu

Here’s the tale of the tape on the latest addition to the Syracuse Football squad. Our recruiting analyst breaks down what this means for the Orange.

Way back on national signing day, February 7th, Syracuse picked up a commitment from 2018 defensive end, Caleb Okechukwu.

Okechukwu spurned the likes of Texas and Oklahoma and decided to commit to Dino Babers and the Orange. Checking in at 6-foot 4 and 240-pounds, Okechukwu is a grown man as a freshman. If nothing else, he provides another big body, and with an edition of five to ten pounds, the D.C native could rotate in as a freshman if he impresses in practice.

According to 247sports.com, Okechukwu is a three star prospect, the 76th best defensive end in the class of ’18 and the 12th best prospect in Washington D.C in his class. A competitor in the Under Armor All-American game, Okechukwu attends St. John’s College High School, the same school as former Syracuse running back Antwan Bailey.

Okechukwu announced his commitment to Syracuse via twitter:

Let’s check out his highlights:

While at the :48 minute mark, Okechukwu shows off his relentless motor and pursuit of the quarterback. He fires off the ball quickly and engages in hand-to-hand combat in the right tackle of the other team. The tackle grabs Okechukwu around the shoulder’s and starts to drag him down, a clear hold. Despite being held like this, the big defensive end motors through the contact and gets to the quarterback, sacking him for a loss in the backfield. This shows off the extreme motor and heart that this kid plays with. He grinds out a sack despite being held by the opposing lineman.

The 2:38 highlight is interesting to me for a couple of reasons. First off, Okechukwu is lined up in the interior position on the defensive line, with his weight he is big enough to do this in high school, but in the college level he is not ready.

However, we have seen Syracuse coaching staffs in the past and present move defensive end recruits like Kenneth Ruff, Josh Black, and even Chris Slayton, who all came to Syracuse as defensive end, converted to defensive tackle. Second, Okechukwu looks pretty adapt in the inside of the defensive line. He fights off his block well, and steps up to drop the running back for a loss in the backfield.

In conclusion…

The final play I want to look at occurs at the 6:52 mark on the highlight tape. At this stage in his career, Okechukwu’s best move is his bull rush combined with his quickness off the ball. However, in this clip the bull rush and quickness do not work, instead, the D.C native sheds the blocker easily to get to the quarterback. Although he doesn’t sack the quarterback he does still get in his face to disrupt the throw. The quarterback then delivers a hurried, bad pass straight to a defensive back on St. John’s College HS and Okechukwu had a huge hand in a big interception.

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Caleb is the only defensive line recruit in the class of 2018 for Syracuse, but don’t be surprised if the Orange look to add some more depth later on before the start of the season.