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 pic.twitter.com/BSK5bPLtHF
— Samson Okunlola ‘23 (@SAMSONOKUNLOLA_) April 4, 2022
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 ranked by Rivals as the No. 1 player in the state and is a top-30 player in the country according to 247Sports.
The offensive tackle has earned the nickname “Pancake Honcho” by virtue of his raw strength and high motor.
Body update 6’6 295lbs #PANCAKEHONCHO #OLINE pic.twitter.com/GsWzjoDHPy
— Samson Okunlola ‘23 (@SAMSONOKUNLOLA_) August 29, 2021
Outside of size, his precision and the desire to be great is what makes Samson so highly touted.
“I’m a technician in the sense of wanting to learn more about the game,” Samson said. “Even if I win a rep, I want to be perfect.”
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.
“Make sure they see you as more than an athlete,” Samson said his brother told him. “Really just get to know the coaches.”
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.
“It was very strict in the sense of grades,” Samson said. “They showed us the importance of our grades early on.”
Thanks to the game of football, Samson will be able to choose from some of the best learning environments in the United States.
“One of my biggest achievements is having the opportunity to go to college for free right now,” Samson said. “Before football, I wasn’t too serious about anything else. I didn’t 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.”
Possessing an unlimited future on the field and off, he will look to maximize himself as a scholar and as a football player.
“My biggest goal is to achieve the best of myself,” Samson said. “I just have to keep on grinding and put my head down to keep succeeding.”
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.