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Pirates get a 'steal' in sack artist Olenga Recruiting Class of 2015 Thumbnail Sketches... By
Sammy Batten Emmanuel Olenga is short on football experience, but long on talent and potential. And, oh yeah, he's 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds of talent and potential. That was more than enough to create a ripple of excitement in the East Carolina football program on December 22 when Olenga made a verbal commitment to play for the Pirates. Olenga became the 13th player to join ECU's recruiting Class of 2015 and is the second defensive lineman along with tackle Justin Brown from Ayden, NC, who was the first to made a pledge to the Pirates last March. Olenga chose ECU over offers from Charlotte, Illinois, Indiana, Miami (Ohio), Old Dominion and Towson. Playing defensive end at Olympic High School in Charlotte this season, Olenga was a dominant force. He collected 105 total tackles, made 16.5 quarterback sacks and forced five fumbles. The performance earned Olenga first-team All-So-Meck 8 4-A Conference and All-Charlotte Observer honors in his first year back on the football field after sitting out the 2013 season. “This was really his first year of varsity (football) experience,'' Olympic's first-year head coach Keith Wilkes said. “So, ability-wise he's green right now because he hasn't played a lot in high school. But once he learns to play the game and gets into a strong weight training program, it's unlimited as to what he'll be able to do. I see this young man as a future pro.'' Wilkes knows a thing or two about football talent. Formerly the head coach at Charlotte Vance and Winston-Salem's Carver high schools, he's helped develop major college players like Larenz Bryant (South Carolina), Matthew Brim (Wake Forest), Isaiah Thomas (North Carolina) and current ECU linebacker Kirk Donaldson. Olenga's path to college football has been significantly different than most of Wilkes' former protegees. Born in the southern African nation of Congo, Olenga moved to the United States at the age of 6. He was first exposed to the sport of football a couple of years later during a sleepover at a cousin's house. That cousin, Prince Shembo, would go on to star at Charlotte Ardrey Kell High School and earned a scholarship to play linebacker at Notre Dame. Shembo was taken in the fourth round of last year's NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons and appeared in all 16 regular-season games this season. Olenga played football in middle school. But when he enrolled at Olympic as a freshman he opted instead to play football for the Airborne for Christ Rangers, which consists mainly of home-schooled players. Olenga dominated at that level, averaging 2.3 sacks and eight tackles a game. The following season Olenga joined the Olympic varsity football team where he played opposite future North Carolina signee Robert Dinkins on the defensive line. Later that year, Olenga also played a role on Olympic's basketball team that went 30-0 and defeated Raleigh Broughton 56-53 for the state championship. Wilkes said Olenga didn't suit up for either team as as junior, but returned to the gridiron as a senior. He made a clear impression on Wilkes upon their first meeting. “He didn't play for Olympic last year … he played for one of the other teams around Charlotte,'' Wilkes said. “But when I got here and saw him, you could see he's a thoroughbred. He looked like a grown man. I wasn't letting nothing that big and pretty walk around the school and not play football.'' Wilkes directed Olympic to a 5-7 record in his first season and Olenga played a major role. Perhaps the highlight of Olenga's season occurred back in September in a 33-14 victory against Providence. Olenga produced a season-best 16 tackles and two quarterback sacks in the game. “He's probably one of the better athletes I've had, and I've had a lot of boys who have signed college scholarships,'' Wilkes said. “I wish I had another year to work with him. If I did, he'd probably have been a national recruit.'' Tennessee was an early player for Olenga's services and actually offered a scholarship last March. But Wilkes said because Olenga didn't commit fast enough, “they gave his scholarship to someone else.'' East Carolina's involvement began last September, but really intensified over the past few months. “About a month or so they (ECU) started talking to him really hard,'' Wilkes said. “I think he got real comfortable with (ECU receivers) Coach (Donnie) Kirkpatrick and (head) Coach (Ruffin) McNeill. He was really comfortable at East Carolina and wanted to stay close to home so his parents can see him play. “I'm thinking they got a real steal with him. And he's not just a great athlete. He's one of our team leaders. Before every game he was the person who led us in a team prayer. He has a lot of potential, but will be a good team player immediately.'' PAGE UPDATED 01/08/15 04:49 AM. |
