Sooners Ready for an English Invasion
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – It may never have been said before that ‘All-American’ wouldn’t be a title befitting a player at the Under Armour All-American bowl. However, that’s the reality for London’s own Daniel Akinkunmi. The Sooners, now, freshman offensive tackle talked with SCOOPHD about his journey and what he expected life to be like in Norman.
Akinkunmi may not be an American, and has only played in two competitive football games in his career, but he is confident in how he can help the Sooners. From early on Akinkunmi has said he wants to come in and be an impact player for Oklahoma. For him, it’s all about having the proper mindset and not just speaking things into existence but working them into it.
“I think ever since I’ve started this, I’ve realized I haven’t been playing football for a long time. As soon as I realized I wanted to be great at it. I had to tell myself to act like a pro before I’m a pro,” Akinkunmi said of where he gets his confidence. “Everything I do I have an NFL mindset. I have to make sure I’m on time, I have a notebook, I have to make sure I know anything [I can] before I walk in the room. Have to ask questions in and out of the room, I have to make sure I do all the right things.
“I can’t be a kid no more I have to be a grown adult who is already in the NFL – that’s my mindset to everything.”
But even as an individual Akinkunmi enjoyed the camaraderie he immediately found with his fellow All-Americans.
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“It’s been amazing, when I first walked in I didn’t know everyone. Everyone was talking to each other, I came in and had to introduce my own self. [I asked] their names, what schools they go to, who they are committed to. And since then the rumors spread around and it’s ‘oh my god you’re the guy from the UK, you’re the guy from the UK’,” he said. “I didn’t expect guys to be so nice about it and coming up to me saying ‘well done for making it’ and ‘you’re putting the UK and NFL Academy on the map’. It shows a lot of compassion for why I’m here.”
Sooners Building a Bond with Akinkunmi
Oklahoma’s pursuit of Akinkunmi always seemed like an almost separate recruitment. His situation was so unique and he had almost no relationship with the rest of the Sooners class. Over time that has, of course, changed and his time in Orlando exemplified that. But even as he befriends players like Davon Mitchell and David Stone he still found a way to get his work in.
“It’s been amazing. Von came to our room last night and watched film. And he decided to stay in our room instead of going to his own room and going to bed,” he laughed. “We were watching film for like two hours just trying to make sure we know everything and getting ready. We’re already like that, it already feels like we’re brothers.”
