Caleb Okechukwu Says it's a Mob Mentality Along The Defensive Line

Despite being called the “weak links,” the defensive line is there for a reason.

During SU football’s off-season, many comments circulated around labeling the defensive linemen as the “weak links” of the team. Caleb Okechukwu, a defensive lineman for the team, acknowledges these comments but doesn’t let it get to him or his teammates. 

“Yeah, I can sit here and tell you that I haven't. But I have, of course,” said Okechukwu in response to these negative comments. “We are the youngest group. So I'm not going to shy away from it. But we don't care about that, you know, at the end of the day, they were brought here for a reason - to play this game. And that's the game plan.”

One player in particular has really caught Okechukwu’s attention during training camp. That player is Jatius Geer.  Okechukwu said he has seen a large improvement in growth from Geer in his technique, ability and overall confidence as compared to last year. 

Okechukwu knows his team and said that he thinks playing Louisville week one is a great way to show the fans just the kind of team that they’re going to be this season.

He described Malik Cunningham as a versatile quarterback but has been preparing to play him by watching past footage. Moving forward into the game on Saturday he said that they will just try to keep Cunningham in the pocket as much as possible.

Okechukwu uses one word to describe the defense: a “mob.” He says it’s a nickname that him and Aman Greenwood brought from DC. He now wears a wristband with the word etched onto it to symbolize this meaning.

“That's what we are,” said Okechukwu. “So there's a bunch of guys who play with energy, you know, play in a crazy way. And so, that's what you're gonna see on Saturday night.”

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