George Okorie

Comes to Ball State with four years of eligibility after enrolling at Butler Community College in Spring 2024 and Vanderbilt in January 2025 … one of the most raw — and perhaps most exciting — players in this Cardinals class … Nigerian-born athlete never played high school football … attended ADRAO International School in Nigeria before his family relocated to Vancouver, British Columbia, which he now regards as his hometown ... attended Naniamo District Secondary School in British Columbia while playing football at Vancouver Island, a local prep school ... largely flew under the radar in college recruiting, but has the size and athleticism to make an immediate impact. BEFORE BALL STATE: Played with the Vancouver Island Raiders in the Canadian Junior Football League in 2023, when he was discovered by PPI Recruits, an international recruiting service that helped begin his journey into American football ... trained in Indianapolis with Nigerian-born NFL linebacker Eze Obiora, then with the Indianapolis Colts, and began a journey through college evaluation camps ... attended Butler (Kansas) Community College and participated in 2024 spring ball before attending a series of "offer" camps at Ohio State, Georgia, Texas A&M and Oklahoma, but none of them pulled the trigger … Vanderbilt had Okorie at its camp (July 26, 2024), and he committed on July 29 ahead of other offers from Charlotte, Florida Atlantic and Western Kentucky … “There’s just so much potential there. When [Okorie] camped with us, it was so clear [how significant] his physical tools [were],” said Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea … earned a redshirt during the 2024 season prior to enrollment at Vandy … rated the top Nigerian recruit in the 2024 class by 247Sports … slotted as the No. 65 edge defender in the signing class by 247Sports.