Brian Orakpo was one of the nation’s premier defensive players during his collegiate career at Texas from 2005 through 2008. As a senior, he took home the Nagurski Trophy (nation’s top defensive player), Lombardi Award (nation’s top lineman), and the Hendricks Award (nation’s top defensive end). He was selected by Washington with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft and played 10 pro seasons with Washington and the Tennessee Titans.
Earlier this week, Orakpo spoke with Longhorns Wire about myriad topics involving his alma mater while making the rounds to promote his involvement with the NFLPA’s “Pitch Day,” a virtual event similar to ABC’s “Shark Tank” which gives women and minority-led startups the chance to compete for business funding and mentorship.
Orakpo served as one of the judges for the fifth annual “Pitch Day” event, which was hosted by basketball legend and entrepreneur Magic Johnson. (You can watch the complete video of this year’s “Pitch Day” at the bottom of this article.) Six fledgling companies presented their business plan to Orakpo and fellow judges Nneka Ogwumike (WNBA All-Star), Golden Tate (New York Giants wide receiver) and Sydney Colson (WNBA veteran).
“The experience was awesome, and it gives me an opportunity to look at different ideas and people thinking outside the box,” Orakpo said. “I’m an entrepreneur myself, so I know what that’s all about when you’re up and starting and have a great business in mind, and you want to get the ball rolling.”
In addition to the Nagurski, Lombardi and Hendricks awards, Orakpo was a member of the 2005 Longhorns BCS national championship team as a freshman and was named to four Pro Bowls during his NFL career. Needless to say, he knows a thing or two about what it takes to be successful, and he senses similar traits in new Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian.
“My initial thought was a winner,” Orakpo said of the hire. “I’m thinking more current with his success at Alabama and being able to shape that offense with the talent that he’s produced — including one of his players winning the Heisman — that’s what I’m looking forward to.”
Orakpo recently witnessed Sarkisian’s energy and vision for the Texas program firsthand.
“I actually had a Zoom call with myself and a few other Texas alumni guys with coach Sark — his energy, passion, and plan for greatness to come back to the University of Texas … I’m on board,” Orakpo said. “It’s been a long time since we’ve been on the national stage, and he has the willpower and a great coaching staff that he’s hired. He has the motivation that I think will get us over the top and a great plan to get Texas back to where it needs to be.”
One of Orakpo’s former Texas teammates, Blake Gideon, was recently hired by Sarkisian as safeties coach. Although Orakpo couldn’t have predicted that Gideon would land a coaching job of this caliber at this point in his career, he always believed Gideon possessed the traits needed to succeed as a coach.
Just 31, Gideon already boasts college coaching experience at Ole Miss, Houston, Georgia State, Western Carolina, Auburn and Florida.
“Honestly, Blake was destined to be in some type of motivational position,” Orakpo said. “I didn’t think it would be this soon, if I could be quite honest, because it’s overwhelming for the success that he has had with his coaching career. It’s tremendous, for him to have that opportunity to come back to the Forty Acres. It has to be a dream come true for him, but also for the guys that played with him, because we know Blake like the back of our hand.”
Orakpo raved about Gideon’s work ethic.
“He’s a competitor, and he’s going to be the first-one-in-and-last-one-out type of guy with no excuses. We all love his passion, and he’s a great family man. He has all the intangibles to be a great coach, which you’ve seen at a very young age. Once he got hired and we saw his name on the dotted line, I knew that the secondary would get back to being DBU, and Texas would get that title back.”
If the coaching staff performs as well as Orakpo believes it can, Texas fans are in for a wild ride.
Watch Brian Orakpo judge in this year’s edition of the NFLPA’s “Pitch Day” below, and be sure to check Longhorns Wire in the coming days for more installments of our interview with him.
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