Timi Oke’s journey from South London to Northwestern football

Under the Loughborough University floodlights, with unforgiving winter winds whipping across the English countryside, no coaches or scouts had traversed the NFL Academy’s manicured training grounds.

Before the sun began its ascent, 6-foot-1 defensive back Timi Oke found his usual spot on the pitch. Alongside Boise State committed defensive end Lopez Sanusi, the South London native executed his daily drills — little steps that marked an almost 3,900-mile journey from humble beginnings to the Big Ten.

For a newly minted international American football player who played his country’s version of football for more than a decade, he found himself in a pool of more than 100,000 Division I hopefuls with years of game experience. Timi Oke had less than a year to beat his competitors out.

“We knew that everyone else would be sleeping, so we’ll be getting the upper hand,” Timi Oke said. “We wanted to make sure we were working twice as hard as others.”

From the age of five, Timi Oke poured everything into soccer. Playing a bevy of backline roles for the Whitgift School, a South Croydon talent factory that produced Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala and Nottingham Forest’s Callum Hudson-Odoi, he dreamed of reaching the professional ranks.

The sport was long ingrained in his family. His mother, Shola Oke, said she always possessed a “good eye” for talent and helped media-train young players in Nigeria. Timi Oke’s ability drew interest from the highest level at 15 — English Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion were paying attention — though nothing concrete materialized.

However, his mother came to a game-changing realization. She approached her son and told him he’d be hanging up his boots for good.

“I couldn’t see that spark where he would be a great footballer. There are footballers, and there are people like Ronaldo … like Messi, who are great,” Shola Oke said. “That’s always been my ambition for my children. If you’re gonna thrive in a particular profession, thrive to greatness.”

After much thought and prayer, the answer reached the doting mother in a dream. She saw her son shining in a packed stadium of shouting spectators, playing American football.

Soon, Shola Oke presented a new plan to her then-18-year-old son. The two looked for local teams to join, and Timi Oke took the shift in stride. As fate would have it, his mother found an advertisement for a trial day at the NFL Academy — a UK based football development program and school for student athletes aged 16-19.

Packed with immense raw potential, his athleticism swiftly turned heads. He set an academy record in the 40-yard dash, displaying speed that made him a 100-meter hurdle champion.

Although he possessed limited football experience, the NFL Academy coaches took a chance on Timi Oke.

“When I joined the academy, they told me I could only be (there) for one year,” Timi Oke said. “I had one year to learn a new sport and pick up Division I offers, otherwise I would have to stay here and look for alternative paths.”

Just one year after he took a boundless leap of faith, Timi Oke committed to Northwestern in November 2023. One month later, he put pen to paper on his national letter of intent, officially turning his lofty dream into a reality.

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With consistent work outside of team practices, the defensive back saw significant improvement and climbed the academy ranks past more experienced players. More than a decade of quick direction changes, in addition to speed and discipline on the soccer pitch made him a natural secondary stalwart.

Coaches told Shola Oke that they were cognizant of her son’s training habits, and that he’d be atop the list of players slated to attend American collegiate camps.

For former NFL cornerback Jason Bell, Timi Oke’s work ethic quickly caught his attention at an academy practice. Bell said he possessed a well-rounded skill set with traits that make an ideal corner. Once the two spoke, Bell was convinced that the speedster was “different.”

“It’s just the thirst for it — you either have it, or you don’t,” Bell said. “I see it by the way he works, his intense focus when he’s out there. He’s listening, he’s engaged and when I tell him to do something, he’s locked in. When I give him tips and tricks, it’s almost like he’s writing it down in his head.”

This past summer, the time came for Timi Oke and his peers to showcase their talents to collegiate coaches. An ocean away from home, Timi Oke had a coveted shot at his dream.

It wasn’t enough to put on a solid display. The defensive back said he had one goal on his mind — dominate.

“Being an international player, you’re already at a disadvantage, so you have to work twice as hard to show coaches in the states why they should take you over a player that’s 10 miles down the road,” Timi Oke said.

Following confidence-building performances at the University of Georgia and Clemson University’s camps, the Londoner lined up between a pair of faded orange cones on Mercer University’s turf.

Dozens of Division I hopefuls spanned the SOCON squad’s surface, with scores of scouts analyzing their every move. But all that mattered was Timi Oke and the clock. With a quick burst, he was off. Forty yards later, the camp coaches’ stopwatches displayed a blistering 4.3-figure.

With a verified 40-yard dash time of 4.38 seconds and an impressive showing in position drills, Timi Oke picked up his first Division I offer from UConn. As he called home to tell his mother the news, his academy neighbor Sanusi beamed with pride.

“Timi was dominating — just seeing him ball out was very crazy for me,” Sanusi said. “Him getting that offer from UConn felt like I got an offer. I was on the verge of tears because I knew how hard we worked to get to that.”

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By summer’s end, Timi Oke garnered several scholarship offers and significant buzz in his local community, including personal trainer Malachi Rivet-Leigertwood.

Rivet-Leigertwood had never trained an American football player, but he took a great interest in the sport. Seeing an opportunity to help a promising athlete and improve his coaching ability, Rivet-Leigertwood reached out to Timi Oke.

They hit the ground running in the fall, working on the defensive back’s biomechanics, mobility and strength.

Although Rivet-Leigertwood said it was clear that Timi Oke hadn’t spent as much time in the gym as athletes of a similar age, he quickly adapted and rapidly progressed.

“He’s incredibly coachable — everything I’m saying I can see him listening to attentively,” Rivet-Leigertwood said. “His athleticism (and) just his reactive strength has gone through the roof. His jumping ability — he’s getting off the ground really quick.”

While Timi Oke put in countless hours in the gym and trained with several coaches and mentors, he got in contact with a school he highlighted early in his process as an ideal fit.

Northwestern Director of Recruiting Bryan Payton messaged the defensive back on X, formerly known as Twitter. They soon spoke on the phone, before Timi Oke connected with cornerbacks coach LaMarcus Hicks and head coach David Braun.

Around three weeks after Payton first contacted him, Braun extended a scholarship offer to join the Wildcats. After an October official visit, Timi Oke made his decision.

“You see all the beautiful facilities, beautiful campus, beautiful people… and I said ‘look, this is where I want to go,’” Timi Oke said.

With the commitment process to NU ramping up, the three-star recruit began preparing a personal video. He said he didn’t want to post a graphic or hat selection, as his story could inspire future international players.

For Rivet-Leigertwood, an American football wave possesses transcendent potential in the United Kingdom.

“Seeing people from a similar demographic doing these big things that you didn’t think were attainable is a massive thing,” he said. “We’re a massive footballing country, (and) if you don’t get into football, or you’re not the best academically, everyone feels like ‘maybe this is it.’”

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Braun said he holds a vision of turning the ‘Cats into one of the nation’s top developmental programs. In a modern landscape that values transfer portal additions, he emphasizes signing and developing high school recruits.

When they came across the Londoner’s tape, Braun and his staff saw proven straight-line speed, agility and a competitive fire.

“We see a young man that if he was living in the suburbs of Chicago, he may have every offer in the country,” Braun said. “His length, some verified speed from camps — the game of football is new to Timi, but he loves football, he wants to be pushed, he wants to be developed.”

With depth at the corner position and the new Big Ten gauntlet, Braun said his new defensive back likely won’t be ready to play as a true freshman.

Akin to his fundamental goals of player development, Braun said he and his staff are playing the long game.

“I can’t wait to be talking about Timi Oke with people outside and inside our program two years from now about the young man he is, and what he’s developed into,” Braun said.

While Timi Oke looks to get settled at NU, he said he knows many back home see him as a role model.

Though it’s immense pressure for an incoming college student, he’s already proven his potential as a diamond in the rough.

“I am proud of where I’ve come, but there’s still such a long way to go,” Timi Oke said. “This is only the first step in a very long process. … In my head, I haven’t done anything yet. I’ve gotten myself through the door, but it’s time to stay in that building.”

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @jakeepste1n

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