Amobi Okoye was born and lived the first twelve years of his life in Anambra, Nigeria. His mother was a school principal there and was forced to take her son to work with her due to her inability to find a suitable daycare for him. When he was 12 years old, Amobi and his family moved to Huntsville, Alabama where his father, Augustine, would own a medical supply business. He wanted to attend the same school as his siblings, both of which were attending Lee High School in Huntsville. Amobi, having already skipped the 6th grade, tested out at 9th grade level and was permitted to enter high school early. The 5-9 185 pound Okoye was convinced to join the football team even though he had no previous knowledge of the sport. He actually learned football by playing playstation video games in his free time. Amobi got some spot starts as a sophomore before taking over as a starter his junior year. He was named honorable mention all-state following his first full season as a starter. He attended football camp at Louisville and was offered a scholarship by the school at age 14. As a senior, Amobi totaled 60 tackles and 9 sacks on his way to first team all-state honors. Following his senior season, the 15 year old Okoye was offered scholarships from Mississippi State, Southern Mississippi, Alabama-Birmingham, Middle Tennessee, Clemson, and West Virginia. He opted to attend Louisville where he already knew the coaches from his days in their football camp. Despite his young age, Amobi decided not to redshirt the 2003 season, making him the youngest player in college football at age 16. He finished the season with 17 tackles and a sack. As a sophomore he saw action in 11 games, missing one game with a shoulder injury. He totaled 26 tackles and a sack on the season. He finished his junior season with 23 tackles and a half sack. Amobi who was elected defensive team captain by his teammates, really developed as a leader his senior year. His senior season was by far the best of his career at Louisiville, as the 19 year old was set to graduate with a degree in Psychology in December.

Amobi Okoye, the youngest player in the NFL draft, has been a consistent contributor on the Louisville defense since coming onto the scene as a 16 year old freshman in 2003. He is an intelligent player who skipped two grades in school is a person of impeccable character. He is a hard worker and a player who developed into a good leader as a senior. He has ideal size and strength for a defensive tackle. He plays low and is able to get good leverage on his opponents. He constantly takes on double-teams, allowing his teammates to make plays, and he is often able to use his strength to fight through those double-teams. He is very strong at the point of attack and has a good bull rush. Amobi is among the best run stoppers in the draft at the defensive tackle position. His biggest weakness has been his inability to get to the quarterback, however, he developed into a fine pass rusher as a senior. Amobi Okoye, a player who didn’t know what football was seven years ago, will be 19 years old on draft day. He is still growing and has as much upside as any player in the draft this year. Amobi has been impressive in workouts. He will be a first round pick and could be selected as high as the top 10 on draft day.