From Germany to Tuscaloosa, Justin Okoronkwo marks new recruiting territory for

A life-changing moment still hasn’t quite sunk in for Justin Okoronkwo. He was in his hotel room in late June when he received a text message from his trainer Brandon Collier, six words that any amateur football player would want to hear: “Alabama is about to offer you.”

Collier arrived a few minutes later, handed Okoronkwo his phone and told him to call linebackers coach Robert Bala. Then the moment arrived. A few weeks later, on July 9, he committed to join the Crimson Tide’s 2024 recruiting class.

“He said we really liked your performance at camp and we want to offer you (a scholarship),” Okoronkwo said. “It felt like a dream. It was unbelievable.”

Okoronkwo is like many prep athletes who attend camps during the summer to work out in front of college coaching staffs in hopes of getting noticed. To earn an offer from a program like Alabama is rare in itself, but Okoronkwo’s journey is especially uncommon. Head coach Nick Saban has recruited just about every type of athlete but almost none like Okoronkwo.

He has never played a down of football on American soil. He was born in Munich, Germany, and has only been playing football for a little over three years. Now, he’s a part of what will be another top-ranked Alabama recruiting class.

“I think I realize (now) how big it is,” Okoronkwo said. “I’ve been on Instagram and everyone’s wishing me best of luck, there’s random people saying, ‘Wow, it’s crazy what you’ve accomplished’. (Collier) said that this is big for the culture.”

Okoronkwo, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound linebacker, is rated as a three-star recruit and the No. 1 player in Germany by the leading recruiting services. In his home country, where American football’s popularity is booming, his commitment is a significant moment for the sport’s trajectory.

“If a European player can play in Germany, develop there and get a scholarship to Alabama, it should let (younger players) know that they can do it too,” said Josh Alaeze, coach of Okoronkwo’s Nurnberg Rams team.

Finding football abroad

Naturally, Okoronkwo’s first sport was soccer, where he played goalkeeper; he also participated in gymnastics until he was 16. A conversation with a friend in 2020 changed the course of his athletic future.

“He hit me up and said I have to build to play, come and try it out,” Okoronkwo said. “I tried it, went to a training session and fell in love with the sport.”

In 2021 Okoronkwo met Alaeze, who invited him to join his football program after scouting him at a local game. At the time, Okoronkwo was a 187-pound safety, but Alaeze knew his future on the field was at linebacker.

“He was a young, hungry kid who just wanted to develop,” Alaeze said. “He joined us in 2021 and we’ve been going at it ever since.”

Alaeze is a Baltimore, Md., native who played college…