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The crowd at Fernandez Stadium stood up for Caleb Okechukwu, St. John’s College (DC) High School’s final senior day honoree. As the leader in sacks among the 2017 Cadets, Okechukwu was about to lead the defensive line against Dematha Catholic High School (MD) for a chance to clinch a playoff berth.

For Okechukwu, there was a greater emotional weight to the pregame ceremony. It was the first time the Okechukwu family had been together at an event in four years since Okechukwu lost his mother, Kate, to breast cancer in 2013.

The family had just started to heal before Senior Day, said Josh, Okechukwu’s older brother. Josh took a year off of community college football to support his family that year. The family dynamic wasn’t the same and his father, Okechukwu Iweogu, needed help raising his five other siblings alone.

Which was why Okechukwu stepping onto the field ahead of St. John’s first win over Dematha in 24 years was a crucial moment for the family. They said a joint prayer before walking Okechukwu onto the field.

“I feel like what God was trying to do was bring the family close,” Josh said. “Everybody that had the Okechukwu last name, just us.”

Playing for St. John’s would not have been possible without the sacrifices Iweogu made. After Kate’s death, Iweogu raised Okechukwu and his five other siblings, battling near-homelessness and financial struggles.

“My dad was just helping me stay grounded in my faith, and just being the man that he is and telling me that everything would be alright,” Okechukwu said. “We would be able to come out of everything.”

Kate always wanted her children to attend St. John’s, Iweogu said. The Okechukwus always passed the campus nestled on a hill over top of Military Rd NW almost every day, seeing the plaque with the school’s name and admiring its prestige.

The same year Okechukwu applied to St. John’s was the same year Kate died, making his desire to attend the school even greater, Iweogu said. After spending a month away from DC at a cousin’s house in East Orange, New Jersey, the Okechukwu family returned to a large stack of mail, finding a letter with the school’s signature SJC Family branding on it.

Okechukwu’s younger brother, David, saw his brother’s smiling face as he read the letter. Only seconds later, Okechukwu’s smile faded and his eyes began to water. Before Okechukwu was finished reading the rejection note, he stood up and went into the bathroom.

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Okechukwu joined Josh at Woodrow Wilson (DC) High School, a public school, where Josh was a senior at the time. He still wanted to attend St. John’s, who were in contact with his middle school coaches. Okechukwu also had a one-on-one interview with then-head coach Patrick Ward.

Iweogu wanted Josh to surprise Okechukwu about his acceptance. Josh had just left Wilson’s campus during his free period, but returned to the school at 1 p.m. to deliver the news.

Okechukwu was playing basketball in physical education class when Josh approached him. He immediately stopped playing, broke down in tears and celebrated with his brother.

“It was a win for everybody when Caleb got into St. John’s just because we all saw the pain when he didn’t get in the first time,” Josh said.

But St. John’s did not initially give Okechukwu any scholarship funds. When they eventually did, Iweogu still had to pay $500 a month, which led to small sacrifices, he said.

At first, Iweogu couldn’t pay for Okechukwu’s lunch, instead packing him a lunch of apples and pastries. He was teased by fellow classmates, Iweogu said. Okechukwu ate lunch off campus sometimes as well, prompting the coaching staff to help cover meals moving forward.

Still, Iweogu had to even spare some of the family’s apartment rent money on those dues. Eviction notices were posted regularly on their door and Iweogu had to constantly find housing arrangements for his children while he looked for new apartments.

“As a matter of fact we were homeless,” Iweogu said. “My children didn’t even know, I stayed in the office while I had to find places for them to stay.”

Once the coaching staff realized this, they cut Okechukwu’s monthly dues in half. But Okechukwu also had to break into the Cadets’ nationally ranked varsity team. He played on the JV team as a sophomore with multiple Division I prospects like Terrell Lewis, who now plays for the Los Angeles Rams, ahead of him.

But what assured St. John’s defensive coordinator Rashod Gillespie that Okechukwu would eventually become a starter was his approach to training during the offseason. At St. John’s, summer workouts would begin at 6:45 a.m from Monday through Thursday.

In the evenings, Okechukwu went to Gillespie’s private training sessions at Emory Recreation Center in Northeast DC. Especially during the Okechukwus’ biggest hardships, Gillespie was always there for Okechukwu.

“I don’t consider myself just a coach, more like a mentor and family,” Gillespie said.

When Iweogu spent an extended amount of time in Africa due to a death in the family, Gillespie took Okechukwu to visit Texas, Syracuse and Arkansas within a two-week span starting in January 2018. Okechukwu became highly sought after earlier that month, Gillespie said. After being a late addition to the 2018 Under Armour All-American game, Okechukwu attracted recruiters during the week’s practices.

“His practice week, he was playing as good as anybody in the trenches,” Gillespie said. “And he didn’t look like he was out of place, he looked like he belonged.”

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Gillespie had previously coached former Syracuse running back Antwon Bailey — SU’s record-holder for receptions by a running back — at St. John’s. Gillespie urged Okechukwu to join the Orange.

With Okechukwu now at SU, David routinely called him over FaceTime, but he noticed something was off after his redshirt freshman season. Okechukwu hadn’t propped up his phone for David to see his full background. All David could see was his older brother’s face from the mouth up. A week later, David found out Okechukwu was in a hospital bed during that call.

Josh initially thought Okechukwu was suffering from mild muscle cramps. But his injury was more serious. Okechukwu suffered from rhabdomyolysis, which occurs when damaged muscle tissue releases its proteins and electrolytes into the blood.

Okechukwu was in the hospital for three weeks straight. But after he was released, he had lost 40 pounds and initially needed a walker. There was a possibility he couldn’t play football again.

“I come from a spiritual family, so them just keeping me grounded in my faith and keeping my mind off football … kept me at peace,” Okechukwu said.

Okechukwu’s first appearance for Syracuse was delayed until 2020. Since then, he’s never missed a game.

As the Orange led by three midway through the fourth quarter against Purdue, quarterback Aidan O’Connell stood deep in the pocket, only to be pressured suddenly by Jatius Geer, who wrapped his arms around O’Connell. The quarterback blindly threw the ball to avoid the lost yardage, leading it fell into the hands of Okechukwu, who ran into the right corner of the end zone and celebrated.

For Josh, it was Okechukwu’s full circle moment. It meant that all the family’s struggles had paid off. Josh watched that play with some of his teammates at Fort Hays State in a hotel room before their game against Lincoln University (MO).

“Everybody’s like, woah that’s your bro, but me, I was emotional because I remember those moments where it could’ve been over with,” Josh said. “I feel like everything for Caleb molded him to where he is now.”

Published on October 13, 2022 at 12:07 am

Contact Alex: ahcirino@syr.edu