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player ready...Kiran Amegadjie’s college football debut has to wait at least a few months. The only sure thing is he’ll be ready once it happens.
That’s all the recent Hinsdale Central graduate knows. Like most area athletes, Amegadjie has been adjusting to a virtual life as an incoming freshman at Yale. He described the past few months as “really chaotic.”
That feeling intensified last week when the Ivy League ruled out sports through the end of the calendar year, the first Division I conference to make such a declaration.
Any other year, Amegadjie would have spent the Fourth of July weekend on campus with his Yale teammates. But his work has not stopped.
“There are still so many moving pieces,” Amegadjie said. “You have to manage working out at home, team meetings, studying the playbook, getting ready for freshman year of college and working to make some money for school.”
Amegadjie, a 6-foot-6, 297-pound offensive lineman, committed to Yale in August 2019, before he was named to the Pioneer Press all-area first team. He’s been involved with the Bulldogs remotely since January.
“We’ve actually been ahead of the curve on this,” Amegadjie said. “We’ve been on something called Team Builder since January. It’s where they put personalized plans together for each person. You report the weight you did, how many reps you did for each exercise. We’re constantly in contact and didn’t really have to change our offseason plans too much.”
Amegadjie doesn’t have to declare a major until after his sophomore year; he intends to focus on economics. But his primary goal is to reach the NFL. With Amegadjie’s size, strength and intelligence, Hinsdale Central coach Brian Griffin doesn’t rule anything out.
“What’s really marked him during his time with us has been his growth,” Griffin said. “When you’re younger, you can just push people around because you’re bigger. But then when everyone around you gets stronger, using that size can be very difficult.
“Developing the edge to become a truly effective player is not an easy thing to do, and he’s worked at it. He’s much better at it and has improved every year. I expect that growth to continue.”
Griffin’s recent conversations with coaches only confirm Amegadjie’s continued development and dedication.
“When I talk to the Yale coaches, they talk very highly about his work and what he’s contributed,” Griffin said. “I think the sky is the limit in terms of what his next steps will be. He’s just an all-around quality kid whose character and integrity also go into what makes him such a good football player.”
Amegadjie said he knew he wanted to commit to Yale after his first visit in March 2019. His mother recommended that he continue his visits and weigh all possible options, but the decision was made on the spot.
A delayed debut does nothing to damper Amegadjie’s excitement.
“The family they built in the program is something I’ve never seen before,” he said. “I have a big family. I’m a family person. So I know I’ll be valued there. I think it’s the best choice for me. I’ll be the happiest there.”
Rich Mayor is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.