Tennessee football lands No. 1 recruit in England, 4-star edge rusher Emmanuel Okoye

Tennessee football earned an international recruiting victory by landing Emmanuel Okoye, the No. 1 prospect in England.

Okoye, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound edge rusher, is a 4-star recruit, according to 247Sports Composite ratings. He is originally from Nigeria but played at the NFL Academy in London.

Notably, Okoye will arrive at Tennessee soon. He initially was part of the 2024 recruiting class. But he has reclassified as part of the 2023 class to enroll at UT this summer and be eligible to play this season.

"The (Tennessee) environment was a good place for me to be," Okoye said in a video released by the NFL. "I prayed throughout my decision making for God to direct me to the right one. He led my heart to Tennessee, so I'm grateful for that."

UT football announced it had added Okoye via Twitter on Wednesday. A university spokesperson confirmed that Okoye had signed a financial aid agreement.

In April, Okoye traveled to the United States to take official visits to Tennessee, Southern Cal, Texas Tech and Vanderbilt. He was on campus during the Orange and White spring game.

He chose Tennessee after receiving scholarship offers from 17 FBS schools, including Georgia and Ole Miss from the SEC.

Okoye is ranked the No. 43 edge rusher and No. 441 prospect overall in the 2023 class by 247Sports Composite. He could play edge rusher or tight end in college, but UT is only identifying him as an athlete for now.

Early in his career, Okoye likely will be a developmental player. He initially played soccer and basketball in Nigeria and was discovered at an NFL Africa camp.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. Twitter @AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.  

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football lands Emmanuel Okoye, No. 1 recruit in England