Wikipedia

Chigoziem Okonkwo

Chigoziem Charlton "Chig" Okonkwo (born September 8, 1999) is an American professional football tight end and fullback for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins.

Chigoziem Okonkwo
refer to caption
Okonkwo in 2023
No. 85 – Tennessee Titans
Position:Tight end, fullback
Personal information
Born: (1999-09-08) September 8, 1999 (age 25)
Powder Springs, Georgia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:238 lb (108 kg)
Career information
High school:Hillgrove
(Powder Springs, Georgia)
College:Maryland (2018–2021)
NFL draft:2022 / round: 4 / pick: 143
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 12, 2024
Receptions:110
Receiving yards:1,240
Rushing yards:8
Touchdowns:6
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

edit

Okonkwo grew up in Powder Springs, Georgia, and attended Hillgrove High School.[1] He was born to a Nigerian family.[2] As a junior, he caught 48 passes for 907 yards and 12 touchdowns.[3] Okonkwo was rated a three-star recruit and committed to play college football at Maryland over offers from Georgia Tech and Wisconsin.[4]

College career

edit
 
Okonkwo with Maryland in 2021

Okonkwo caught six passes for 69 yards and a touchdown and also rushed three times for 72 yards and a touchdown during his freshman season.[5] As a sophomore, he had 19 receptions for 201 yards and two touchdowns.[6] Okonkwo missed the 2020 season after he developed myocarditis.[7][8] As a senior, Okonkwo caught 52 passes for 447 yards and five touchdowns.[9]

Professional career

edit
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 2+1⁄2 in
(1.89 m) 		238 lb
(108 kg) 		32+3⁄4 in
(0.83 m) 		9+3⁄4 in
(0.25 m)		 4.52 s 1.57 s 2.65 s 4.45 s 7.19 s 35.5 in
(0.90 m)		 9 ft 9 in
(2.97 m)		 13 reps
Sources:[10][11]
 
Okonkwo (#85) playing against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022.

2022 season

edit

Okonkwo was selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft with the 143rd overall pick by the Tennessee Titans.[12] He made his NFL debut in Week 1 against the New York Giants.[13] In Week 4, against the Indianapolis Colts, he scored his first NFL touchdown on an eight-yard reception from Ryan Tannehill.[14] As a rookie, he appeared in all 17 games and started eight. He finished with 32 receptions for 450 receiving yards, 3 rushing attempts for 2 yards, and three receiving touchdowns.[15] He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[16]

2023 season

edit

In the 2023 season, he appeared in all 17 games and made 11 starts. He finished with 54 receptions for 528 receiving yards, two rushing attempts for six yards, and one receiving touchdown.[17]

2024 season

edit

On a Week 12 road game against the Houston Texans, Okonwo caught a career high 70 yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, leading the Titans to a 32–27 upset.[18]

NFL career statistics

edit
Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

edit
Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2022 TEN 17 8 32 450 14.1 48 3 3 2 0.7 6 0 0 0
2023 TEN 17 11 54 528 9.8 39 1 2 6 3.0 4 0 0 0
2024 TEN 11 6 24 262 10.9 70 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 45 25 81 908 11.2 70 6 5 8 1.6 6 0 0 0

References

edit
  1. ^ Simmons, Chad (April 18, 2017). "Chigoziem Okonkwo is looking national and he has a plan". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  2. ^ "Feature Friday | A Football Family | umterps.com". static.umterps.com. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  3. ^ Culpepper, Juliakate E. (August 17, 2017). "Georgia Tech _target and Hillgrove receiver to announce commitment". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  4. ^ Bednarowski, John (August 19, 2017). "Hillgrove pass-catcher Chigoziem Okonkwo commits to Maryland". Marietta Daily Journal. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  5. ^ Markus, Don (October 25, 2019). "Spurred by his father's death, tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo is becoming a man for Maryland offense". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  6. ^ Greene, Scott (July 17, 2020). "Okonkwo named to Mackey Award watch list". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  7. ^ Giambalvo, Emily (April 16, 2021). "Maryland tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo back after myocarditis". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  8. ^ McFadden, Ryan (October 28, 2021). "Terps might have strongest sneaker game in college football thanks to Chigoziem Okonkwo's mysterious hookup". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  9. ^ Brown, Wesley (February 8, 2022). "Former Maryland football standout impressing scouts ahead of NFL Draft". 247Sports.com. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  10. ^ "Chig Okonkwo Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  11. ^ "Chigoziem Okonkwo, Maryland, FB, 2022 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  12. ^ Giambalvo, Emily (April 30, 2022). "Titans select Maryland TE Chigoziem Okonkwo in fourth round of NFL draft". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  13. ^ "New York Giants at Tennessee Titans - September 11th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  14. ^ "Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts - October 2nd, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  15. ^ "Chigoziem Okonkwo 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  16. ^ "2022 NFL All-Rookie Team". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  17. ^ "Chigoziem Okonkwo 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
  18. ^ Brener, Jeremy (November 26, 2024). "Titans Coach Fired Up About Big-Time TD". SI.com. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
edit
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chigoziem Okonkwo.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chigoziem_Okonkwo&oldid=1261751686"
  NODES
Note 1