Before he made the Seattle Seahawks’ 53-man roster last week, before his diving, one-handed interception went No. 1 on the “SportsCenter Top 10,” Ty Okada was once a junior headed back to the East Ridge JV.

Growing up in Woodbury, Okada was an all-state wrestler at 120 pounds and an undersized quarterback.

As a sophomore at East Ridge, Okada was behind starting QB Seth Green. As a junior, Okada got beat out for the starting job by a transfer from North Carolina.

“I was contemplating switching positions,” Okada told the Minnesota Star Tribune this week. “I just really wanted to be out there and play in any type of capacity that I could.”

It finally happened his senior year, when he won the quarterback job and was named the district’s offensive player of the year.

“He’s the hardest-working kid you can ever imagine,” longtime East Ridge coach Dan Fritze said. “Phenomenal leader, phenomenal person and totally embodies everything that we stand for at East Ridge.”

Leaving high school, Okada had a Division II scholarship offer from Southwest Minnesota State but no D-I offers. He finally walked on at Montana State, where he converted to defensive back and became a special teams force.

His parents, Chris and Michelle, were plenty proud already.

“We never had a conversation with him about, ‘Oh, what’s your backup plan?’ ” Michelle said. “He was a very bright student. He has the benefit of speaking another language, going through Spanish immersion. We knew that no matter what direction he chose, he was going to be successful.”

The Bobcats awarded him a scholarship, and he continued blossoming from there, earning a business degree and a graduate degree in finance.

He also received second-team All-Big Sky honors his final two seasons. Montana State was an FCS semifinalist in 2022, his final season.

Seattle signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2023, and he spent two seasons on the practice squad, setting the stage for these recent developments. He saw time in four games in 2024, primarily on special teams.

He’s the third East Ridge grad to make the NFL, behind offensive lineman J.C. Hassenauer and Green, who switched to tight end.

On Aug. 23, Seattle played its final preseason game at Green Bay. Okada had friends and family settling into their seats at Lambeau Field.

Packers QB Malik Willis took a shot on the game’s third play, heaving a pass that looked too long for everyone. But No. 39 in the blue jersey kept sprinting and somehow made the interception.

“We went absolutely bananas,” Michelle said.

The Green Bay fans sitting nearby soon realized that this was the cheering section for the guy who had just made the spectacular catch.

“They were celebrating with us,” Michelle said. “Our phones were blowing up with excitement.”

ESPN called it the play of the day, and Okada credited former Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier, now Seahawks assistant head coach.

“What’s funny about it is we actually work one-handed catches all the time,” Okada said. “He’s an awesome, awesome coach. We work all different types of interceptions.”

When the Seahawks put Okada on the 53-man roster, they weren’t just rewarding him for one highlight reel play. He had quietly turned in three good training camps in a row. No longer undersized, he’s listed at 5-11, 193 pounds.

The NFL’s minimum salary this year is $840,000. From the 53-man roster, 48 can dress for each game. The Seahawks open Sunday with a visit from the San Francisco 49ers.

“It’s the same mentality that’s gotten me to this point,” Okada said. “As great of a feeling that it is to make it onto the 53, it’s kind of, ‘It’s on to the next goal for me.’ I see myself as a starter in the NFL, and I’m going to continue to push and strive to achieve that.”

The family already has one key perk. Okada’s older brother, MJ, works as a pilot for a commercial airline, and the parents are on the airline’s pass list.

“We are able to get to a lot of games, and that is just an amazing thing,” Michelle said. “So we will be there on Sunday and looking forward to it.”