Sept. 20, 2010
By: Adam HicksMedia Relations Intern
Football terminology can be a language in and of itself, so add it to the list of languages that USD cornerback
Al-Rilwan Adeyemi speaks fluently. Adeyemi's football skills, on the other hand, speak for themselves- he was named 2008 Pioneer Football League freshman defensive player of the year, second-team All-PFL, and USD's most outstanding first-year player. The junior captain anchors the Torero defense, recording a team-high 20 tackles and two interceptions this season, but his talents stretch far beyond the playing field.
Adeyemi, who was born in Nigeria, is fluent in Yoruba, a native West African language, in addition to English. He learned French in school growing up in Nigeria, a customary piece of the childhood curriculum due to the historical ties with French colonization in many West African countries. He is also currently learning Arabic at USD, taking Arabic 3 this semester. Adeyemi hopes that these skills, along with his Political Science major and Marketing minor, will make him a unique commodity in the job market when he graduates next fall, hopefully attracting the interest of the CIA or FBI, which Adeyemi says he would like to work for. His success on the field is all the more impressive when you realize that he is going to be receiving his diploma after only three and a half years at USD.
The determined attitude and well-rounded personality that Adeyemi displays is proof that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Adeyemi's father originally moved to southern California in the 1980s, while Adeyemi and his mother remained in Nigeria. At age five, given the choice, Adeyemi decided to stay in Nigeria to be with his friends rather than move to the States. So, Adeyemi lived with aunts and uncles until he made the move to the Los Angeles area at age 10. Upon arriving in the U.S. Adeyemi was placed in the fifth grade due to his age, even though he was academically advanced enough to be in a higher grade level.
A decade later Adeyemi is earning his college degree, his father operates a non-profit organization called Dignity in Care, which provides in-home assistance to the elderly, his mother and older sister are both nurses, and his youngest sister, who's in middle school, says she wants to follow her brother's footsteps to USD eventually. Adeyemi understands that he is a product of his parents' influential work ethic.
"Humility and hard work," Adeyemi says of the two most important traits he has taken from his parents. "My priorities go: family, humility, and hard work. You have to be humble in whatever you do. You can't be overly flashy, that's just not the right way to do things."
Adeyemi's habit of doing things the right way as a high school standout at Santa Monica High School helped him get on the recruiting radar of some national football powers, including Nebraska and Oregon State. Adeyemi had his sights fixed on Lincoln before the Cornhuskers underwent a coaching change that resulted in Adeyemi being more of an afterthought than a priority to the new staff.
So, Adeyemi grew interested in joining one of his best friends at Oregon State before a Beaver assistant told him that he didn't have the size to compete in the Pac-10. Still looking for an opportunity to continue his playing career, Adeyemi eventually approached the USD coaching staff on his own while attending the UCLA player combine one offseason. There he was pleased with the way the Torero coaches welcomed his initiative by inviting him out to campus and later offering him a spot on the team. So, as the adage goes, one man's loss is another's gain, and USD certainly gained an outstanding talent in the process.
Even though he has been a standout on the field for the Toreros, Adeyemi models himself after another very successful football player who competes on a bigger stage but maintains a similar mindset.
"If you look at the Indianapolis Colts organization, it starts at the top with their president and carries down to their captain, Peyton Manning. You see the way he carries himself on the football field, that's the kind of player I want to be. He's a MVP but he's also one of the most caring guys. He demands a lot out of his teammates but he doesn't put them down."
The innate leadership qualities that Manning exemplifies are certainly a standard for any person or player to strive for and Adeyemi is conscious of his role on the team as one of the Torero's leaders on and off the field. In his unassuming manner Adeyemi has grown into his position as a mentor to his teammates, which of course is easy to do when you have produced on the field the way he has over his first two years at USD- starting every game of his career, averaging over 40 tackles each season, and intercepting eight passes. His performance is his way of showing how it's done.
"It's important for me that I lead by example. I'm not a very vocal person but sometimes I have to let my teammates know that I have their back and we're in this together. I'm a young leader as a junior so it's important for me that I don't overstep my bounds but also know that I have a strong voice on this team."
His humble leadership style also falls in line with the values he has adopted from his family. Adeyemi comes from a family of caregivers and his own caring side comes out in the way he deals with his teammates, especially the younger ones. Adeyemi takes it upon himself to welcome the newcomers into the USD football brotherhood.
"It starts with camp. A lot of the young players don't know anybody so you want to make them feel like a family. So it takes simple things like sitting with them at dinner, talking with them, getting to know them. You realize that not only are they great football players, but they're great kids also."
If it seems like Adeyemi is not your typical egocentric jock, it's probably because he brings so many different skills and qualities to the table that one doesn't generally find. His maturity, ambition, and all around affability reflect the even-keeled way he approaches his job locking down opposing defenders.
"You have to have a balance between getting pumped up and being focused. At my position if you're overly pumped up and you make a mistake it can be huge, so you have to find that balance."
Adeyemi finds his balance by listening to classical music as he's mentally preparing for a game, only to turn on something harder right before kickoff. As one might expect, Adeyemi sees his role on the defense as one piece of a bigger machine and not an individual deciding an outcome on his own.
"Win your one-on-one battles," Adeyemi states about what he and his teammates need to do to be successful. "If I can do a good job and take care of that receiver in front of me I feel like I'll give my team a better shot to win. If all 11 guys on defense win their one on one battles, that will translate into a `W'."
You can bet that Adeyemi will be doing his part to ensure his teammates are on top of their game when they take on Butler this Saturday at Torero Stadium. And for anyone watching Torero football the past two years one thing is for sure: Al-Rilwan Adeyemi's talents need no translation.
