How did Daniel Akinkunmi land with OU football from England after barely playing sport?

Daniel Akinkunmi used to stroll into Southgate College in North London carrying massive lunch boxes filled with chicken and rice.

He transported the food three hours each morning by train from North England to stay on top of his diet and then carried them home each evening to be refilled the next day. When he arrived on campus in the mornings for the year in which he made that commute, the food was still hot.

Akinkunmi’s offensive line coach at the NFL Academy at Southgate, Gavin Collins, finally asked him one day, “How the hell do you heat this up?” There were no microwaves at the school.

It turns out Akinkunmi had searched online and bought a portable microwave, which he trekked on the trains each day to keep his food warm. Collins, a lover of food, had never heard of such a thing and was impressed.

That was the moment Collins knew Akinkunmi was as dedicated as any player who had come through the academy, which the NFL created in 2019 to expand the United States’ most popular sport internationally.

Fast forward a few years and Akinkunmi, who has only been playing offensive line for just over two years, has settled in at left guard for OU’s football team the ahead of spring practice, which begins March 11. Not only does Akinkunmi stand out for his unorthodox path to playing major college football and being a British-born player playing in Oklahoma, but his drive — showcased by the six-hour-a-day commutes he used to get here — is second to none.

With the Sooners’ offensive line depth depleted this offseason, Akinkunmi is the type of player who could turn heads with his preparation and maturity. As a 6-foot-4, 310-pound prospect, Akinkunmi jumped off the tape and shined at camps, piquing OU offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh’s interest and leading to an eventual bond between the two.

“What a tremendous…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/did-daniel-akinkunmi-land-ou-114508018.html

Author : The Oklahoman

Publish date : 2024-03-06 11:45:08

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