Daniel Akinkunmi Interview 12-29-23
Oklahoma offensive line signee Daniel Akinkunmi speaks to the media at Under Armor All-American Game Media Day on Dec. 29, 2023.
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00:00 Just kind of watching it
00:02 Obviously you're supposed to win a football game by the end of the day
00:06 Turn of the ball six times you can't win a football game when you turn of the ball that many times
00:10 It's always about coming back
00:13 It's all about having a positive mindset and doing the next thing because the game is a game you have a win or lose and you're on to the next
00:18 How motivated are you though that you can get there and kind of protect the moral that kind of stuff?
00:23 Oh, I'm
00:24 Motivated than ever like motivation is not even a word like I'm willing to put my body on the line my life on the line to
00:29 Protect my teammates to protect my quarterback
00:31 And I feel like that's something a lot of guys don't do they don't they're not willing to put their life on the line
00:36 They're willing to be in it
00:37 But I'm willing to put my whole life on the line to protect my teammates and help the team win
00:41 What's it like to be in this position growing? Kind of walk me through your process of growing up and then coming here
00:46 Yeah, so me coming from the UK
00:48 It's been kind of hard because obviously I'm not here not here to talk to coaches go to visits really easily
00:54 So I have to make sure I build a big social media presence to make sure I get recruits to make sure I get eyes
00:59 on me to say
01:01 So the whole journey has been hard like any time I come to the US very long travel like it was like 20 hours for today
01:06 The whole travel day so I came in with all the captains because of how long my travel was because it was basically a whole
01:12 Day is worth of travel just to get here. So I'm it's crazy
01:15 But what's the most amazing? It was just shows I have other people on my back
01:20 Who's willing to put things on me and have a some type of like pressure to say?
01:25 For me to make it because I'm probably a couple there's a couple of us here not a lot of us
01:31 But how does that structure work though in the UK because you don't have like seven camps
01:36 Yeah, so the structure in the UK is we finish all our course 16 you guys finish with your core at age of 18
01:41 So after we finish our core in Europe or outside of the US you have two three years of some called college
01:47 What is not university boys like a your first year of university here to sing in America?
01:53 I mean doing a couple courses or like
01:55 University school related courses and then you go to university. So within those two three years
02:01 We have to learn football and based the whole game in that short amount of time. I don't do the small course. So it's a lot
02:07 How long have you been playing football?
02:10 To the to the pinpoint it will probably be a year
02:16 Probably be a year and nine months or close to going two years now
02:19 And then how did how did it become Oklahoma like there's many schools and where where schools are don't really matter to you
02:28 Yeah
02:29 I just feel like the school gave me the best opportunity to
02:32 Help me to prepare for next level because I'm too raw to say I haven't be playing a sport for long
02:38 It's a good thing because I can learn I'm willing to learn I love to learn
02:43 So I feel like it's gonna come to a place like Oklahoma has coached me. No, but he's been there for 13 years
02:48 I knew that he was never gonna leave Norman like he told me like he's turned down multiple opportunities from the NFL from other schools
02:56 Just to stay at normal because he loves Norman his whole family's at Norman
03:00 He said he's never gonna leave unless he's gonna get fired and let's be real
03:03 We're his type of talent to produce is not gonna get fired
03:05 So that's a ability in my coach really made me happy to like commit to the school
03:10 Coach was an amazing job of defense of the program and it's proven massively and we're going to the SEC
03:15 You're going to the biggest and baddest league
03:17 What other schools really kind of impressed you along the way?
03:20 Probably have Miami probably have Penn State
03:26 Old Miss Baylor
03:29 Georgia Georgia really impressed me
03:32 Clemson as well. Those are like couple schools really impressed me
03:37 I mean the biggest guy in the UK
03:39 Have you ever seen or are there guys just your size?
03:41 Nah there's guys just my size
03:43 I'm not the only one
03:45 I think it's an untapped place of right now
03:47 Yeah of talent like there's a bunch of guys there
03:51 I'll especially say for Lyman we have a lot of guys who are big and can move
03:54 Yeah, obviously because the type of sports we play with soccer or rugby
03:57 So we have a lot of big guys who can move and we were quick and agile on the feet
04:01 So I feel like as soon as that place starts to get tapped to full potential
04:04 We're going to see a lot of guys coming from the UK from the NFL Academy all over the world
04:08 Has Coach Beanbott talked about redshirting just because you haven't played that much
04:11 Or is that not really enough?
04:13 No, I'm not redshirting my first year
04:15 I feel like the misunderstanding is I'm coming from the UK
04:19 I don't know a lot about football but I actually do quite a lot
04:21 Because I knew I was from the UK I knew I had to work 10 times harder than everyone else
04:25 To make sure I act like a pro before I am a pro
04:28 So I've always talked to NFL players
04:31 I'm always sat in a room with them
04:33 I've talked to film, football so I can make sure my level of IQ and knowledge is really high
04:38 I already know the full playbook of Oklahoma
04:40 After signing there I made sure I got access to the playbook
04:44 I was there ready to work, I already know the whole playbook
04:46 Now the only thing is to get up to game speed
04:49 Yeah, perfect, great talking to you
04:51 Thank you
04:52 Are you heading straight to Norman from here in Orlando?
04:54 Yes, so all my suitcases are packed in one bag
04:56 Everything from the UK is actually packed in one single suitcase
05:00 And straight off I'm going to Oklahoma to work
05:03 I get there before everyone else because everyone gets there around the 14th of Jan
05:06 I'm the first one there
05:08 So I can't wait to go there and just ball out
05:10 So how does that feel to have your whole life in your suitcase
05:15 Ready to take that next step and move on to the next chapter?
05:17 It feels amazing, I've been waiting 3 years for this, 2 years for this
05:20 Ever since I got my first 8, my first sophomore year
05:24 So I'm over the moon, now it's time to actually do the work
05:27 It's time to get on the field and start doing the grind
05:29 Doing the normal day to day thing
05:31 Doing the extra work and work my way back to the top
05:34 So before you get to Norman, the competition out here
05:37 Is that exciting for you to get to play against?
05:40 Being from London, you get to play against a lot of the top players from America this week
05:43 Yeah, 100%
05:44 It's now time for me to showcase what I can do
05:47 And see me going up against top recruits
05:49 Because I'm also going up against some guys
05:51 Who are in IMG varsity and other guys
05:53 I'm going up against the top of the top, as people say
05:55 So it's nice to come out here and be able to show people what I can do
05:58 And it's not just, we think, I'm not sure, so and so
06:01 And it's time to actually prove
06:03 And what's it like to get to be out here with some of your future OU teammates?
06:07 Oh it feels amazing, I can't wait
06:09 I'm waiting for David Stone to arrive, I'm waiting for Vaughn to arrive
06:12 I'm waiting for Brooks to arrive, we're all in a group chat
06:15 We're waiting for each other to get here
06:17 All those guys finish and arrive at 11, 12ish
06:20 So I can't wait to meet up with those guys, connect
06:22 And just have fun
06:24 I think you and Eugene Brooks are on the same team, right?
06:27 Yeah, me, Eugene Brooks and David Stone are on the same team
06:30 Vaughn is the only one who's on Team Fire, but Team Astro is on top
06:33 So getting to work next to Eugene
06:36 How is that going to help you guys as you head into Norman?
06:39 Oh it will be amazing, it will help us have an understanding of how we bond together
06:43 How we communicate on the field
06:45 And to get that in beforehand is a very important thing
06:47 Especially with that type of position
06:49 You need to be able to communicate freely and know each other
06:51 Like the back of your hand
06:53 So getting that in beforehand really helps
06:55 Do you know who you're going to room with in Norman yet?
06:57 Yes, I'm actually rooming with Joshua Sosa
06:59 And then actually my roommate for this trip is David Stone