Frank Okam

Franklin Nonyelu Okam, Jr. (born October 16, 1985) is an American football defensive tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas.

Early years
Of Nigerian descent, Okam attended Lake Highlands High School in Dallas, Texas, where he competed in football, basketball, and track & field, while holding a 3.9 GPA. As a senior at Lake Highlands, Okam achieved a 345 lb bench max, 500 lb squat max, 29 inch vertical, and an impressive 4.9 40-yard dash for a man of his size. He weighed in at 300 lb on a 6 ft frame. Okam was highly recruited as the second ranked defensive tackle in the nation, Okam received scholarship offers from Florida, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Stanford among other universities. He played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and the Oil Bowl in which he got Defensive MVP following his senior season.

College career
Okam contributed immediately as a true freshman, earning first-team Freshman All-America honors from Sporting News.

As a sophomore, he started all 13 games and earned second-team All-Big 12 honors from the league's coaches. He made two tackles, including his first sack of the season, in Texas' 41-38 victory over USC for the 2005-06 National Championship.

As a junior, he started 11 games and earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors from the Associated Press, and he made the 2006 ESPN first-team All-American squad.

In their 2007 season preview magazine, CBS Sportsline.com said, “Frank Okam should be one of the top players in the country” during his senior season with the 2007 Texas Longhorn football team.

Houston Texans
Okam was drafted by the Houston Texans in the fifth round (151st overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft.

He was waived on October 25, 2010.

Seattle Seahawks
Okam signed with the Seattle Seahawks on November 2, 2010. He was cut shortly thereafter.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay signed Okam as a free agent after he was cut by the Seattle Seahawks. He was waived on November 22, 2011, and re-signed to the team's practice squad the following day.

He was then cut again by the Buccaneers on Aug 31, 2012