Ghana native Collins Acheampong still learning about recruiting process

Anaheim (Calif.) Fairmont Academy EDGE Collins Acheampong will graduate from high school next year having played only one season of varsity football — three years ago.

The 6-foot-8, 230-pounder moved to the United States from Ghana in 2019 to pursue a basketball career. He landed at Fairmont Academy, where there were already two centers ahead of him on the roster. As a way to get him acclimated to sports in the States, his basketball coach suggested football.

“The coach put me in football because I was fast and strong, and I could get more reps in multiple sports to get used it,” Acheampong told On3’s Chad Simmons on Sunday. “That’s when I started playing football and I developed a love for the game.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, though, Fairmont Academy had to shutter its football program permanently. Instead of transferring to another local school, Acheampong stayed on and has continued with solely basketball for the better part of three years. But the potential he showed as a high school freshman on the football field has carried his recruitment to the point where he holds nine Division I offers despite not playing since the fall of 2019.

Among the programs pursuing him are Utah, UCLA, USC, Cal, Washington State, Colorado, and Oregon. The Bruins were the first to offer in November, and since then, numerous other programs have taken notice. What he lacks in on-field experience, Acheampong makes up for in physical stature and athleticism. He stands 6’6 — 6’8 with cleats on — and a lean 230 pounds. College coaches see his body — and who he is as a person and student — as very moldable.

“I think it’s more about my frame, first of all,” Acheampong said. “And then me as a person. If a person is very coachable, it makes it easier to learn. My grades are also good, and I think my speed is, too. I’ve grown to 6’7 — 6-foot-8 with shoes on. That and how I can move, I think that’s the biggest reason why I’m getting looks.”

Collins Acheampong has been limited to in-state visits

With his family back home in Ghana and funds somewhat limited, Acheampong has only been able to see schools within driving distance. He has been to Cal a few times, tripped to UCLA in November and is coming off a visit to USC this weekend. The Trojans’ offer was a big one, and he was surprised by how different — in a good way — the visit was than what he expected.

“It was great. They’re really nice people,” he said of the USC staff. “You see them on TV and then see them in person, and it’s different. In person, you can build a personal relationship with them. I had a lot of questions. I asked them, they answered.”

USC’s academics stand out first and foremost, as Acheampong says that is his No. 1 priority. But the USC name — as he learned more about the program — also stands out.

UCLA made a big early impression

The first program to offer him, UCLA, has stayed as one of his top schools because of their choice to recruit him when no one else really was.

“First of all, the people,” Acheampong said of why he likes the Bruins. “Them being the first school to take a chance on someone who hasn’t played football in two years, it’s really a big one. I’m just looking for a school that will take a chance not because they’ve seen my videos right now of how I can move on the football field because I feel like I can still go out and dominate, but if they see my basketball film and see my freshman film, they feel like that’s a blank slate. Zero idea of what he’s doing, but he has a good frame that we can build on. If a school has that mindset and sees how well I work out and how I’m developing, that’s a bonus. I want a school to take a chance on me because I’m a blank slate.”

Despite not growing up around the game or having any real knowledge of college athletics — especially football — when he arrived in the U.S., Acheampong says the game appealed to him quickly.

“I’m from West Africa, and we are naturally big and fast,” he said. “Jumping into football, it came naturally. And the first time I ever had to chase a quarterback and see the fear in their eyes, that’s what I fell in love with.”

If he has the chance, Collins Acheampong says he would like to visit as many schools as possible outside of California, and he named Oregon, Miami, and Oklahoma as intriguing possibilities. At this point, no school is off limits.

“Any school I have the chance to see, I want to go see it.”

For more on Acheampong’s journey to the U.S. and his life since, read WeAreSC’s story from Eric McKinney.