Roster Notes: Osei In, Orakpo Out?

A follower on twitter brought it to my attention this morning that LB Mike Orakpo, whose transfer from Colorado State to Baylor last month caused much consternation both within ODB and without, is no longer on the latest updated roster. I know for a fact that he was on the roster when I wrote my defensive review last week, so this is a bit of a surprise.

If his omission is due to some kind of punishment, Orakpo would actually be the fourth player this fall to be "removed" in one way or another from the team. Three other players, CB Tyler Stephenson, LB Devante Davis, and RB B.J. Allen were all at some point "off the team" for one reason or another. Before you ask, I don't know what those reasons are. I can tell you that all three are either back now or expected to be very shortly. My hope is that those three players have sorted out whatever problems forced their separation from the program and can contribute in due time. Stephenson, in particular, was expected to see time this season (he's now a junior) in the rotation at cornerback. The timetable for that may be delayed due to missing a large portion, if not all, of the summer.

One addition to the roster in the last few days is Jason Osei, the 24/25-year-old Englishmen who will join Baylor's program this season with 4 years of immediate eligibility. The roster lists him as a 6-4, 310 pound defensive tackle. I don't want to get ahead of myself considering he's A) never played football in the United States, and B) is "only" a freshman, but he's not exactly your normal freshman, either. I just don't know enough about European club football to say what kind of competition he faced. I assume that he will need time to get used to the speed of the game and the complexity of schemes used.

I'll try to figure out what happened with Orakpo if possible. As of right now, I have to say that I don't know anything more than anybody else.