Cornerback Timi Oke of the NFL Academy announced Wednesday that he would be attending Northwestern University next year. He is a local of London, England, who at one point was receiving media attention in a different sport. A former right back and footballer, Oke gained notice from football club Brighton & Hove Albion before he decided to change his path.
He was thrown into the position of cornerback as it was similar to the role he played in his previous sport. He has just as much brains as speed, receiving a 4.0 GPA in high school while also running track. Eight schools put in a bid for Oke, after a remarkable 40-yard dash time of 4.38 seconds, but ultimately his decision was made.
The decision to commit to Northwestern was a “no brainer,” Oke said, after touring the campus in October and realizing that is where he wanted to be. With his decision, he understands the difference in culture, size, and popularity between college in the United States and the United Kingdom, especially in American Football. Plenty of new traditions will also be coming his way, as Northwestern and its opponents are some of the country’s top schools.
Although he has currently been playing against people involved with American football their entire lives, Oke has only competed in the sport for a year. While he thanks his current coaches for guiding him to a quick development as a strong player, Oke looks forward to what his coaches at Northwestern can do for him. He wants to become one of the greats in the NFL and that starts by becoming great at Northwestern within three to four years he said.
Cornerbacks amongst the NFL have become known for their trash talk, but Oke is no stranger to this after competing as a footballer. “It’s part of the competition at the end of the day,” Oke said. He feels the right to jeer is earned, as he plans to stay humble and prove himself first, but also cannot wait to be a part of an aspect that adds entertainment to the sport.
The largest crowd Oke has played in front of is nearly 1,000 people which at the time he thought was “quite a few people,” he said. Playing against schools like Michigan and Ohio State, Oke and his Northwestern team are set to compete in front of up to 100,000 fans at once. The noise of even the 45,000 fans that can be held at Northwestern’s Ryan Field is still hard for him to imagine he added.
When it comes to aggression and trash talk, Oke likes to model his game around Dolphins’ cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Players like Sauce Gardner of the New York Jets, Trevon Diggs from Dallas, and former NFL cornerback Patrick Surtain are some of his favorites. At the end of the day, Oke wants to become the “best version of himself,” he said, and make an international name in countries like Nigeria and the United Kingdom in doing so. After looking up to other players, he wants those in the future to look up to him in the same way.
If the NFL does lie in Oki’s future after Northwestern, he is not too picky about where he lands, as playing for any team in the league would be a privilege he said. Whatever a team’s goal may be, he wants to help it the most he can with the hopes of becoming its best cornerback. Not only does Oki want to help his team, he would like to make a name for international players everywhere.
Oke is excited to represent the United Kingdom in his ventures. Although this year’s college football season is nearing its close, viewers can catch Oke in action on Sky Sports next season. Fans can follow him on the following social media platforms below:
- Instagram: @_timioke
- TikTok: @timzooo1
- X/Twitter: @timioke28
