No. 1-ranked OT Samson Okunlola will soon join brother in DI football
BROCKTON, Mass. (BVM) — When most people think of high school football, the state of Massachusetts does not typically come to mind. The Okunlola family is trying to change that narrative.
If you attend a football game, wrestling match or track and field event at Thayer Academy in Brockton, Massachusetts, one athlete will stand out due to his behemoth stature.
That young man is Samson Okunlola.
Good wrestler = Good lineman
— Samson Okunlola 鈥�23 (@SAMSONOKUNLOLA_)
Standing at 6-foot-6, 295 pounds, Samson makes his presence known no matter the sport, but football in particular. A high school junior, Samson is as the No. 1 player in the state and is a top-30 player in the country according to .
The offensive tackle has earned the nickname 鈥淧ancake Honcho鈥� by virtue of his raw strength and high motor.
Body update 6鈥�6 295lbs
— Samson Okunlola 鈥�23 (@SAMSONOKUNLOLA_)
Outside of size, his precision and the desire to be great is what makes Samson so highly touted.
鈥淚鈥檓 a technician in the sense of wanting to learn more about the game,鈥� Samson said. 鈥淓ven if I win a rep, I want to be perfect.鈥�
Samson was not the only dominant Okunlola for the Tigers this past season. His brother, Samuel, is just as physically imposing.
Samuel, one year elder to Samson, is now an early enrollee at the University of Pittsburgh after graduating early. Already having gone through the recruiting process, Samuel has been able to give his brother some guidance on how to choose the right school.
鈥淢ake sure they see you as more than an athlete,鈥� Samson said his brother told him. 鈥淩eally just get to know the coaches.鈥�
With Samson holding 54 offers from schools around the country, player development will be a big priority. But outside of that, one of the biggest factors will be the one thing that was preached in the Okunlola household growing up: education.
With his parents originally from Nigeria, they wanted Samson and his siblings to have access to American education, giving them more opportunities than they had growing up.
鈥淚t was very strict in the sense of grades,鈥� Samson said. 鈥淭hey showed us the importance of our grades early on.鈥�
Thanks to the game of football, Samson will be able to choose from some of the best learning environments in the United States.
鈥淥ne of my biggest achievements is having the opportunity to go to college for free right now,鈥� Samson said. 鈥淏efore football, I wasn鈥檛 too serious about anything else. I didn鈥檛 really know what I wanted to do. It just put me on a focused path. Now athletics are carrying me on to become a better student and giving me an overall better life.鈥�
Possessing an unlimited future on the field and off, he will look to maximize himself as a scholar and as a football player.
鈥淢y biggest goal is to achieve the best of myself,鈥� Samson said. 鈥淚 just have to keep on grinding and put my head down to keep succeeding.鈥�
If Samson can do that, the expectation will be for him to excel in the classroom throughout the week and be a dominant force on the gridiron on Saturdays.