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Baylor Football

Baylor to hire former Texas Longhorn All-American Frank Okam

February 15, 2018
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Baylor head football coach Matt Rhule is set to hire former Texas Longhorn and Rice assistant coach Frank Okam to coach the defensive line, SicEm365 has learned. Okam spent the 2016 and 2017 seasons at Rice in the same position.

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Okam, who was selected by the Houston Texas in the 2008 NFL Draft, was a four-year letterman for the Longhorns from 2004-2007 and was a starter for the 2005 team that went on to win the National Championship over the University of Southern Cal.

Okam finished his undergrad at Texas with a degree in Sport Management while minoring in Business. He was a 2004 graduate of Lake Highlands High School in Dallas where he was a Parade and US Army All-American and graduated in the top 5 percent of his class.

Okam finished his collegiate career with 160 total tackles and 28 tackles for loss.

The hiring of Okam will bring Baylor to the new limit of coaches allowed by the NCAA for the 2018 season at 10. Rhule recently promoted former Director of Player Personnel Evan Cooper to an on-field assistant position and announced the hiring of wide receivers coach Frisman Jackson after the depature of Bob Bicknell to the NFL.

Okam will fill a vacant position left behind by now Texas A&M defensive line coach Elijah Robinson.

Discussion from...

Baylor to hire former Texas Longhorn All-American Frank Okam

20,283 Views | 14 Replies | Last: 6 yr ago by Pale Rider
HuMcK
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12:32p, 2/15/18
Hard to say what his impact was because Rice has been pretty bad lately. That said the stats aren't great but they show some improvement. In 2016 Rice gave up 217 rush yards/game and 5.5yds(!)/rush-attempt, and in 2017 that was down to about 193 rush yards per game and 5.0yds/rush-attempt. 21 sacks in 2016, 28 in 2017. The bad thing is despite improving the numbers in his 2 years at Rice, those numbers rank pretty low in the overall NCAA standings. He'll have a little bit more talent to work with at Baylor than he did at Rice.

Glad to have him on board. He's another coach with local ties, and I imagine his 2005 Natty ring will sell well to the Texas recruits, now let's hope he hits the ground running.
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PartyBear
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In reply to HuMcK • 5:43p, 2/15/18
HuMcK said:
Hard to say what his impact was because Rice has been pretty bad lately. That said the stats aren't great but they show some improvement. In 2016 Rice gave up 217 rush yards/game and 5.5yds(!)/rush-attempt, and in 2017 that was down to about 193 rush yards per game and 5.0yds/rush-attempt. 21 sacks in 2016, 28 in 2017. The bad thing is despite improving the numbers in his 2 years at Rice, those numbers rank pretty low in the overall NCAA standings. He'll have a little bit more talent to work with at Baylor than he did at Rice.

Glad to have him on board. He's another coach with local ties, and I imagine his 2005 Natty ring will sell well to the Texas recruits, now let's hope he hits the ground running.
Especially literal Texas recruits we have in common.
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Steve Taylor
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8:26p, 2/15/18
More good news coming.
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RBW 67
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3:59p, 2/16/18
Frank has traveled to his father's native Nigeria a few times over the last ten years to help establish American football there. Maybe this hire will open up a new recruiting ground that is filled with exceptional athletes.
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MilliVanilli
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6:33p, 2/17/18
We seem to have a pretty young coaching staff overall (minus George on the online).

Lots of 30 somethings, many under 35, comprise the positions coaching slots.
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Pale Rider
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In reply to Steve Taylor • 6:19p, 2/18/18
Steve Taylor said:
More good news coming.
When?
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NoBSU
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In reply to Steve Taylor • 7:32p, 2/18/18
Steve Taylor said:
More good news coming.
But Robe just posted about this today. Surely you aren't trying to scoop him by 5 days.
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Mr Tulip
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12:58p, 2/19/18
Frank was a studious looking guy with the horn rimmed glasses, etc. He just really liked to smash people in the A gaps.

If he's half as good a coach as he was player (I wouldn't be surprised if he were an even better coach), then Baylor's got a good one.
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Golden Helmet
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12:00p, 2/24/18
Time will tell....they guy we lost to ATM was an exceptional teacher, hard nosed in practice and demanded perfection and effort every snap.

I'm optimistic.
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HuMcK
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1:14p, 2/24/18
Listening to this interview gives me some confidence that Okam will do well here, he sounds like a pretty smart guy, and his credentials as a player speak for themselves. I also thought it was interesting that Wetzel was the coach who first reached out to him.

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HuMcK
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9:41p, 2/26/18
Man this guy sounds impressive in interviews, I think we got a good one.

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boognish_bear
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8:50p, 3/2/18
This was one of his guys at Rice...defensive end...got to be very tough on him right now

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boognish_bear
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9:22p, 3/2/18
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Pale Rider
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In reply to HuMcK • 12:19a, 3/3/18
HuMcK said:
Man this guy sounds impressive in interviews, I think we got a good one.

Just got around to watching this, and wow...! Man oh man is he impressive.
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