Michigan football edge rusher Eyabi Okie hits transfer portal ... yet again
Eyabi Okie's nomadic college career is expected to take another turn after the Michigan football edge defender entered the transfer portal Thursday.
Okie, a former five-star recruit in the 2018 class, joined the Wolverines in August as a surprise addition following a peripatetic journey that included stops at three other schools and a sudden descent toward obscurity that left him at Tennessee-Martin.
Undeterred by a checkered past that included a dismissal from Alabama and his subsequent removal from the University of Houston's football team, U-M welcomed Okie while expressing optimism that he could amplify a pass rush no longer propped up by stars Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo.
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But while he flashed in victories over Iowa and Nebraska, Okie never established himself as a consistent producer this past fall. He logged only 30 snaps more than twice while contributing four sacks. Because of his deficiencies in run defense and pass coverage, Okie was seen as a one-dimensional player who couldn't be deployed on a down-to-down basis.
Yet there was hope Okie would grow more comfortable with the scheme and develop under the supervision of Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. Another year at Michigan offered Okie, a grad student, one more chance to claim the stability that has eluded him. But instead Okie is headed for the exit door once again, searching for another landing spot before his itinerant college career comes to a close.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football EDGE Eyabi Okie hits transfer portal ... again
