The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1482097
32 THE WOLVERINE NOVEMBER 2022 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Okie spoke to the media for the first time as a Wolverine on Oct. 4 and was transparent about the volatility in the early stages of his career. His biggest lesson from the process has been the maturity it takes to operate at this level. "It was just a hard time adjusting to not being able to play immediately," Okie said. "You live and you learn. It happened, and I grew from it. I'm here today. "I started football very late and be- came a five-star real late. I was given everything very quickly. "Some of the five-stars were mature — they already knew how to take on [success]. I didn't know how to do it. It was just me by myself, and I've always been raising myself and handling my own thing. "I'm one of those people that burnt his hand on the stove, but I learned from it. Every loss wasn't a loss. It was a lesson. "I've learned from all my mistakes. You can ask my teammates, you can ask every single teammate in every single or- ganization I've been a part of about how I am as a person. "That's the biggest thing. How do people view me? How do my teammates view me? I'm that guy, in the middle of the night, you can call me. If you're hav- ing a bad day, you can call me. "I'm just a real team-oriented type of guy, and I've always been that kind of person. That's the one thing I'm real big on. My character. I really care about my character." Okie credits his late grandmother for getting him on the right path and push- ing him to get a college degree. "I consider my grandma my mom. No one wants to see their son go through their ups and downs. My grandma never turned her back on me. She helped me stay grounded. "It gets me emotional because she's not here. She's literally the reason why I made a whole change." A former UT Martin teammate also told Okie that he was meant for more than playing FCS ball. "I had one player there, Rob Hicks," Okie said. "He and I played in the All- American game together. When Rob transferred over, he was just like, 'Bro, listen, you don't need to be here.' "Rob was the first person to throw that in my ear — you're way better than this. He was a positive influence." U-T Martin coach Jason Simpson held his players to a different standard, which helped Okie. "He didn't let me practice a certain way," the defensive end said. "He didn't let me play down to my competition. He emphasized you've got to get that degree." Okie is focused on staying trustwor- thy and reliable. After receiving a degree in interpersonal studies from UT Mar- tin, he is working on a graduate degree at U-M's School of Social Work. His increased playing time on the field will come soon enough. "I feel like I just have to keep on earn- ing the coaches' trust," Okie said. "I trust Coach [Jesse] Minter, trust Coach Clink [Steve Clinkscale], trust Coach [Dylan] Roney. They're going to put the best players on the field at the right time. "You earn snaps during practice. If I do what I need to do during practice and am consistent, then I should have more snaps. You earn your time in prac- tice. You show over time that you can be trusted in practice, and in the games they will throw you out there. It's up to me to perform." Through seven games, Okie had 10 tackles with 4 for 24 yards in losses, 2.5 sacks, which was tied for second on the team, 2 quarterback hurries and 2 passes broken up. — Anthony Broome Graduate transfer Eyabi Okie (18) joined the Wolverines just prior to the season. He explained his journey and past challenges at other schools by saying, "Every loss wasn't a loss. It was a lesson." PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN