Not if there is already an agreement that he will get a scholarship after he redshirts.
Wrangor, have you seen any recent tape on Okeke? The most recent I've seen is a short clip from July. Whether he redshirts or not, we know not to expect much until at least his second year in the program. He has the raw potential to be an ACC contributor.
Nothing recent. What I saw he looks raw and stiff but strong. Definitely a project, which explains why he is coming to Manning. If Manning is truly a big man whisperer, and you have the means to make it happen, why not send your son to a coach at a great academic institution and see if he can turn him into a Wiffey, Aldrich, Darnell Jackson, Sausha Kaun, or Wayne Simien. Clearly they can afford it.
I doubt that the young man has been guaranteed a scholly (he doesn't look like that kind of talent), but it wouldn't shock me if at some point he earned one. Manning may also have stated that if WFU ever has an empty scholly then he will get it for that year (but won't be guaranteed to keep it if Wake needs it the following year). Okeke's presence is going to be very impactful during practice. It isn't often you have someone with that size and mobility that is able to prepare the starters for the upcoming game.
On a side note..regarding Manning as a coach. I think he still has a lot of flaws (clearly in his late game execution), however one of the very appealing parts of Manning as a coach is that he is able to appeal to a wide variety of players. He isnt guard or big man centric in his offense. If you are a shooter, there is a place for you. If you are a penetrator, he has a place for you. If you are a traditional post, he has a place for you. Last year we targeted two massive targets that ended up going to our rivals (Dennis Smith to NC State and Harry Giles to Duke). Looking back I think you can make a very easy case that if both had committed to Wake Forest they would be in a much better position when you combine short term success of the team and long term career viability. Dennis Smith and Giles would be joined by Crawford, Woods, and Collins to form one of the most athletic best shooting starting lineups in the country. We would be at least 3-4 wins better than we are now (if not more). I like our ability to use those examples in the future about how we are truly the better option when in recruiting battles against our ACC rivals. Our team would be better, and both Smith and Giles would individually be in better places. Smith wouldn't be asking out of basketball games, Giles would actually be getting in basketball games, and instead of 6-7, we would be 9-4 or 10-3 in conference with a top 20 ranking.
This should help in the future when we make our pitch.
