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Alabama transfer LB Justin Okoronkwo commits to South Carolina football
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- Alabama transfer LB Justin Okoronkwo commits to South Carolina football
An already robust South Carolina defense added a potentially impactful piece Friday.
Justin Okoronkwo , a linebacker who played for Alabama as a true freshman during the 2024 season, has committed to coach Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks, he announced on social media Friday .
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"New Home !!!" he wrote in a post that included an edited photo of him wearing a South Carolina jersey.
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Okoronkwo contributed in his first and ultimately only season with the Crimson Tide , playing in all 13 games and finishing with 14 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss. He had a season-high five tackles in a 34-0 victory against Missouri on Oct. 26.
He was rated as the No. 341 overall prospect and No. 14 linebacker in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports . He's the 11th transfer to commit to the Gamecocks this offseason and the second linebacker, joining Florida State transfer Shawn Murphy.
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For a player like Okoronkwo, who took an unconventional path to the sport, there's just as much excitement over his potential as his production, at least at this early stage in his college career.
Born in Munich, Germany, Okoronkwo grew up playing soccer and doing gymnastics before being introduced to football relatively late in his development. Though he's still refining his instincts, he's an enticing player physically, standing at 6-foot-3 and 228 pounds and with a reported 40-yard dash time of 4.5 seconds.
At South Carolina, he'll join a defense that was No. 12 among 134 FBS teams in scoring defense, allowing just 18.1 points per game during the 2024 season. The Gamecocks also finished tied for No. 10 in sacks (41) and tied for No. 27 in tackles for loss (87).
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Alabama transfer LB Justin Okoronkwo commits to South Carolina football
