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How Confidence, Self-Awareness and Miguel Chavis Helped Get Danny Okoye to Oklahoma

The Sooners' defensive ends coach was "just another guy" at first, but became a beloved mentor to the top-rated player in the state, who says he's always been an underdog.
John E. Hoover|
How Confidence, Self-Awareness and Miguel Chavis Helped Get Danny Okoye to Oklahoma
How Confidence, Self-Awareness and Miguel Chavis Helped Get Danny Okoye to Oklahoma

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Oklahoma Sooners

NORMAN — When Danny Okoye’s recruiting process began, Oklahoma assistant Miguel Chavis seemed like nothing particularly special.

But that perception changed drastically over time in Okoye’s recruitment, and Chavis became one of the main reasons the state’s top player signed with the Sooners on Wednesday.

“It started off with him just being another recruiter,” Okoye told AllSooners. “I was going through that process, talking to a bunch of different schools multiple times a day, and he was just another guy.

“And as time went on, as I started to really do my homework on the program and Coach (Brent) Venables and coach Chave and Coach (Todd) Bates, I started seeing the potential that was there. I started to see maybe there was more to it than met the eye.”

Chavis, 35, a former edge rusher himself at Clemson who spent a little time in the NFL and was only elevated to full-time assistant coach when he joined Venables at Oklahoma for the 2022 season, has an outgoing and engaging personality. He’s thoroughly likable, intensely goofy, highly emotional, deeply insightful — the full spectrum — and his players adore him. Venables said the recruiting element comes easy to him.

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“He’s a very relational person,” Venables said. “He’s got a big personality. But he’s got a lot to him just as a human being. He’s got a unique background certainly as a former collegiate player. Played professionally as well. But he’s got a great testimony and people are attracted to that. He sees the best in people and he’s passionate. So people are connected to a lot of the endearing qualities that he has.

“He’s a humble guy, but he’s outgoing. And he loves his job and it’s evident. People again are attracted to people that have a lot of passion that just flows into every part of their life. So whether he’s a husband or a father, he loves his players. And he’s genuine. And so those are all great traits to have in the recruiting business.”

Okoye learned that quickly about the Sooners’ defensive ends coach.

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“As we built on the communication and we started talking more and conversing more, it became pretty obvious to me that there was a lot there,” Okoye said. “He’s gone from being just another recruiter to someone I can see as a mentor, to be honest with you, just the way he lives his life, the passion he has for the game and the passion he has for his players. It’s not just being another athlete there. He’s really trying to make you the best person you can be, and that’s what I want out of a college football program.”

For the 6-foot-4, 245-pound Okoye, he sees his coming college career — he’ll enroll in January and go through spring practice, he said — as the next major challenge in a football life filled with them.

“Man, I’ve always been doubted,” Okoye said. “I’ve always been the guy that people say, ‘He’s all right, but once he gets to college … ” I’ve heard that so many times at this point. It’s like, I’ll just have to show you what I can do.”

He did exactly that on Monday when he played in the U.S. Army Bowl at The Star in Frisco, TX, and dominated the opposition as his Gold team won 63-27. Okoye was voted a team captain and spent the night in the opposing backfield. He had a sack and a tackle for loss, but his best play was a pressure on the quarterback that resulted in a bad throw, an interception and an easy defensive touchdown for a teammate. Okoye wasn’t named MVP, but many observers feel he should have been.

“It was great, man. It was an amazing game, and the practices leading up to it were great,” Okoye said. “It was really just a nice time to go out there and play football. So I was just trying to soak it in, fly around, do as much as I can and it ended up going the way I wanted it to go. Being able to play against really good competition — some of the best competition in the country — and have the type of game that I had, it was definitely a confidence booster. I really enjoyed it.”

After dominating in a high school All-American game, Okoye posted a tweet that revealed the size of the chip on his shoulder.

“I don’t want to hear no more of that ‘couldn’t play 6A stuff,’ ” he posted on Twitter.

“I’ve had to overcome those type of statements for a long time, ever since I went from 6A football (at Jenks) to homeschool my sophomore year,” Okoye said. “It’s always been, ‘Oh, you’re just a homeschool guy; you’re just a homeschool athlete. You wouldn’t do anything if you moved to 6A.’ I always just laughed it off because I know what I can do. I’ve done it up against 6A guys at camps. I do my thing, so I don’t really care who I go up against as long as I play my hardest, and I’m always gonna do that. That’s all there is to it.”

Venables couldn’t agree more.

“His talent is freakish,” Venables said. “His development is really — they did a nice job at NOAH in getting him to (this) point. And he’s been a guy that’s a football junkie, worked on his craft alone.”

Okoye’s three years in homeschool (the Jaguars won the homeschool national championship his junior season) reflect ability, to be sure. He played defensive end, occasionally slid inside, stepped back for a little linebacker from time to time, and occasionally contributed big plays as a tight end or wide receiver on offense. He also was NOAH’s punter, and frequently delivered 50-yarders that checked up inside the 20.

Freakish, as Venables put it.

But coming out of homeschool as a priority recruit nationally — he chose OU over Texas, Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, LSU, Nebraska, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M and others — also shows a unique patience and supreme confidence.

“He’s got great humility, great self-awareness,” Venables said. “Really intelligent young guy. Has really worked hard at developing his game.”

Okoye said he’ll room with Melissa, TX, defensive end Nigel Smith — another one of Chavis’ “freakish” edge men that may someday form half of a college football tandem of terror.

Someday.

“I’m not crazy enough to think I’m gonna go in there and dominate,” Okoye said, “but I’m definitely gonna do my thing and try my hardest to put on as good a show as possible.

“Man, I’m just looking forward to getting on campus. It’s been a long process and now that it’s finally coming to a close, I can finally just calm down and focus on what’s going on ahead of me instead of what has been going on behind me. It’s been a great time and I’m blessed to go through this process. It’s coming to a close and I can finally look forward to when I’m wearing that Crimson and Cream. It’s gonna be a fun ride.”

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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