Chasing adrenaline-fueled decisions

A cool air whisps through the opening of his helmet. His sweat-drenched uniform brings shivers to his overheated body. The football field lights beam onto the players as the scoreboard clock counts down the final minutes as they pass. His cleats grip the turf, this is his home terrain and he relishes the game to the crowd’s cheers as they chant their school’s fight song.

Three.

Two.

One.

Game.

“It’s just everything, I like the adrenaline and action and everything that comes with it,” senior Emmanuel AD Adebayo said. “Without football I wouldn’t be here today. My brother played football here too, and I just fell in love with the sport and the brotherhood aspect of it once I got to know about it.”

At the age of 12, entering seventh grade, Adebayo moved to Texas from Nigeria with his mother and five siblings. The following year, he joined his middle school’s football team as he learned more about the sport from his older brother.

As an immigrant to the United States, Adebayo did not have a large group of friends, until he joined his school’s football program and broke out of his shell. With the newfound limelight, he quickly found a circle of friends and became accustomed to life in America.

“[Football has] impacted my life a lot,” Adebayo said. “I came a long way from a kid my freshman year. [Now] my body is different and my attitude is different because the coaches really pour a lot into you. They try to make make me a better man and better person going into college.”

After entering high school, he grew as a player on the freshman A team. Adebayo quickly found his new passion and made it his goal to become the best he could be. After five years of dedication and developing his skills, Adebayo plans to continue his athletic journey into college and the rest of his life.

“I first met him freshman year off-season,” senior David Oraphunum said. “I kind of figured he was one of the top performers for our football program, so I looked up to him. [He’s] very competitive. He’s the type of athlete that will rock you, if he sees an obstacle he’s going to do everything he can to overcome it.”

As with any team, a major source of motivation comes from the coaches. Without strong leadership, students feel lost and unsure of their direction; Adebayo believes he lucked out because he formed a strong relationship with his coaches and teammates.

“I go to my coaches for life advice and football advice,” Adebayo said. “That’s why you have coaches, they really know how to talk to you and they know what to say.”

The coaches also share enjoyment and gratitude for their athletes; one of Adebayo’s closest confidants is a football coach he met at the beginning of his high school career.

“AD is a very hard-working, driven individual,” football coach and social studies teacher Jeremy Wiseman said. “He doesn’t allow anything to distract him when he is trying to accomplish a goal.”

At the start of his budding football career Adebayo knew that an athletic future was not guaranteed, so he prepared for the possibility by enrolling in heavy coursework.

“I’m a science person,” Adebayo said. “I took all the APs: Biology, Chemistry and Physics. I take a lot of AP classes because it keeps me busy, If I took regular classes I would slack off. I’m just trying to finish strong and go to college.”

While an avid athlete on the field, he doubles as a hidden scholar who is equally able to conquer academics in the same way as a football game; he strategizes the order of completing his assignments and seeks joy in excelling in his classes.

“Most people wouldn’t know it by looking at this tall, strong football player, but he is a true poet at heart,” AP English teacher Amber Counts said. “His depth of life experience, compassion, and ability to capture the human condition in writing are impressive.”

Outside of the persona he’s built for himself as a competitive athlete and an academic, Adebayo still strives to fulfill his lifetime goal of becoming a professional football player.

“I want to go to the NFL so bad,” Adebayo said. “But I’m gonna be realistic, I see myself as a nurse. [I plan on] getting out of school, [and] taking a break before I go to medical school if the NFL doesn’t workout.”

The medical field has intrigued Adebayo since he was gifted a book that focused on a surgeon as a child, so growing up he planned on entering a similar occupation. It wasn’t until he realized football could be a lifelong career that he started to fantasize about the career choice. Adebayo received more than 12 offers and ultimately decided to attend the University of Northern Colorado.

“I want to study nursing in college also, so it kind of depends how football plays in there,” Adebayo said. “It came down to the last minute to choose Colorado. I went on a visit up there and just fell in love with Colorado itself. I like the coaching staff and just everything that comes with it. [Plus] they offered me a full ride scholarship and everything just seemed perfect so I made that choice to leave Texas.”