Following the 2019 Maryland football season, Terps tight end Chig Okonkwo had extremely high hopes for the 2020 season. He was coming off a season in which he played in eight games and caught 19 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns. His excitement for the 2020 season vanished when he started to feel pain in his chest and was admitted to the hospital.
Okonkwo was diagnosed with myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle typically caused by a viral infection. Doctors believe that this inflammation was caused by COVID-19. Okonkwo was told by the doctors that he would have to miss the 2020 season and maybe hang up the cleats for good. After months of waking up with chest pain, the rest allowed Okonkwo to beat this illness and return to team workouts during the spring of 2021.
The 6-foot-2, 242-pound tight end played in all 13 games as a senior in 2021, catching 52 passes for 447 yards and five touchdowns. A few weeks before the Terps’ Pinstripe Bowl matchup against Virginia Tech, Okonkwo declared for the 2022 NFL Draft.
“Definitely it does,” Okonkwo said on Glenn Clark Radio Feb. 10 when asked if his path has made him more appreciative for the position he is in today. “But I have always expected to be in this situation at the end of my college career. For me it’s what I expected it to be, but I definitely have a more profound appreciation of the game and how I go about my business. “
Okonkwo has the potential to make some noise in the NFL not only because of his talent, but because of his versatility and unique skill set. Brett Kollmann, creator of “The Film Room,” believes that Okonkwo can be the next Kyle Juszczyk.
Juszczyk, a fullback for the San Francisco 49ers, can produce as a runner, receiver and blocker. Okonkwo believes he can do that, too.
“I am definitely probably the most unique tight end prospect in this class,” Okonkwo said. “I have had to play in every single role on offense. I’ve played out wide, I played in the slot, I played with my hand in the dirt, I played at running back, I played on the wing, so I definitely feel like I have those capabilities to definitely play that type of role, but I feel like my best role will still be playing tight end. “
Okonkwo is excited to show the NFL talent evaluators what he can do at the NFL Scouting Combine in early March. Former Terps safety Nick Cross will also be participating at the Combine in Indianapolis.
“My focus is the [40-yard dash], because I know that’s what’s going to make me the money,” Okonkwo said. “I want to show some guys that I am one of the fastest tight ends there, if not the fastest and I feel like I can do that.”
A day in the life training for the Combine is “most chill time of [his] life,” according to Okonkwo.
“I wake up at 6:00 a.m., go get my first session — speed. Come back in the afternoon, hit our weights. Get a massage, PT, stretch, anything you need, and then you go home and you chill,” the tight end said.
As a senior, Okonkwo was part of a program that went to a bowl game for the first time since 2016 and won a bowl game for the first time since 2010. Despite seeing players at other schools sit out their respective bowl games ahead of the draft, Okonkwo played one final game in a Maryland jersey. He caught three passes for 14 yards.
Okonkwo believes that there is a foundation for years to come at the University of Maryland.
“We set the tone for what Maryland football could be over the next few years,” Okonkwo said. “I’m just happy we got to do that. There’s a standard. Now that we got to the bowl game, now every year it should be expected. Every year, everyone should expect that we’re going to a bowl game.
“That should just be the expected. That’s like the bare minimum. Now every single year we’re striving for even better than that. I can’t wait to see what these guys can do over the next few years and I’m going to be watching every single time. I’m excited for them.”
For more from Okonkwo, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox