Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah Has Eye-Opening NFL Preseason Debut
Former Notre Dame linebacker racked up 8 tackles, a sack, and 2 TFL in preseason debut
Former Notre Dame linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah inexplicably fell to the Cleveland Browns in the 2nd round of the NFL Draft earlier this year. In his preseason debut on Saturday, he likely made more than one NFL GM regret letting the uber-athletic linebacker fall so far. JOK was all over the field earning rave reviews from the Cleveland and national media.
First up, we have JOK blitzing and picking up the sack early on in the game.
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah living in the backfield ?@NDFootball
— PFF College (@PFF_College) August 15, 2021
pic.twitter.com/UlX4JkJrjM
Later on, JOK reads the screen coming and absolutely blows up the running back.
The local Cleveland media has taken notice of the linebacker that Notre Dame fans became used to seeing fly all over the field for the last 4 years.
He made his first appearance at linebacker with 8:36 left in the second quarter and collected his first sack two plays later against quarterback Gardner Minshew II, cleaning up the play after defensive end Joe Jackson staggered Minshew. The Jaguars had a mix of first and second-team O-linemen on the field for the play.
Owusu-Koramoah came close to blocking a Jaguars punt in the first half, too, and ran untouched through the line of scrimmage in the third quarter to tackle running back Dare Ogunbowale for a two-yard loss, showing the athleticism the Browns coveted when they traded up for him.
Cleveland.com – 8/15/2021
JOK missed some time in camp due to COVID protocols which caused some to lower their expectations for him. It sounds like those expectations are on the rise after his pre-season debut.
Owusu-Koramoah finished with eight tackles, including a sack and another two for loss.
Owusu-Koramoah missed the first five practices of training camp with COVID-19 and had not threatened Wilson’s starting status through the club’s first 13 full-squad practices.
So expectations for Owusu-Koramoah’s rookie season were adjusted.
Well, those expectations ought to be reset again because Owusu-Koramoah made his presence felt in Jacksonville, and it’s likely the start of a serious push for the starting job, especially if Mack is sidelined for a while.
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah shines, Mack Wilson hurt in preseason opener – 8/15/21
Frank Vitovitch has been Co-Owner and Editor in Chief of UHND.com since joining forces with Kyle Flavin in 1999. Since that time, he has written over 2,000 articles covering Notre Dame football, recruiting, and basketball. He also works with all staff and external writers on all articles published on UHND.com. Frank's love for Notre Dame football started at a young age watching Rocket Ismail give opposing coaches ulcers in the late 1980's. By day Frank works in marketing and holds a degree in Digital Media from Drexel University. Frank's work has been cited by online/print editions of NBC Sports, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated and has been quoted on air by ESPN's Collin Cowherd. He's conducted interviews with Notre Dame legends Rocket Ismail, Randy Kinder, Lee Becton, Reggie Brooks, Michael Stonebreaker, and Ned Bolcar among others over his 20+ years of covering Notre Dame football. He's also been published in the print edition of USA Today Sports Weekly and the USA Today College Football Preview multiple times. Other Published Works/Citations for Frank Three Reasons Notre Dame Will Beat Alabama - USA Today Notre Dame Suspends WR Kevin Stepherson, RB C.J. Holmes Indefinitely - Bleacher Report Notre Dame / Ohio State Fiesta Bowl Preview - Eleven Warriors Brace Yourself: The Fighting Irish are Relevant Again - Sports on Earth Interviews with the Enemy: A Q&A with Frank Vitovitch of UHND - Yahoo! Sports Five Good Minutes: Notre Dame Football Preview With UHND.com - BC Interruption Vicious Electronic Questioning with UHND - MGO Blog
If I recal correctly, it wasn’t “inexplicable” why he was passed over. There was a medical concern.