MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama football running back Dami Ayoola recently sat down with USAJaguars.com to discuss what he likes about playing in the Jaguar offense, how he ended up at South Alabama and what he wants to do once his football career is over, among other things.
Ayoola, a senior from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., has been a member of the South Alabama roster since transferring from Arizona Western Community College prior to the start of the 2015 season. Last season, he saw action in all 12 games his first year as a Jaguar and ran for 107 yards on 38 carries, while making one catch out of the backfield.
How has your previous experience prepared you for this season?
"Last season was kind of an under-achieving year for me. I left the season with a bad taste in my mouth. Us just missing a bowl game was really hurtful and not representative of the kind of team we were. We felt that we under-achieved at that really set the tone for us this spring and summer in our training and our attitude."
What do you like about playing in offensive coordinator Bryant Vincent's scheme?
"I like that he gets you out in space. He gives you a chance to make plays when it's time to make them. He's a guy that sticks to his word. He likes to spread the ball around. As you can see, we have a lot of guys touching it and making plays. It's an exciting offense. He finds ways to get people the ball and put them in positions to be successful. There are just a lot of things in his offense to highlight you as a runner and as a pass-catcher."
What was it like to be part of a high school program like St. Thomas Aquinas that many ranked as the national champion in 2010?
"It was definitely successful and fulfilling from the football standpoint. It highlighted a certain part of you as a person. It definitely called for you to be a guy that is held to a certain standard every day. It was a professional, business-like atmosphere as far as football was concerned. It was either you go to the state championship game or you're a bust and nobody remembers you. The passion that everyone had to carry and play with no matter who you where, how old you were or how long you had been there; coaches included. You just had a passion to carry that legacy and it really showed. We came together as brothers and were able to do something special."
How do you feel you have developed during the offseason to help you reach your goals for this season?
"First of all, I've lost about 10 or 15 pounds. Last year I was about 212 and this year I'm just under 200 lbs. That has just helped me be in shape and given me the ability to play more plays and play at a different pace than I was last year. It's helped me to get back to the form I had in high school where I was able to get out in space and make guys miss more. I'm able to do a number of different things this year. I've been highlighted as a punt returner this year and I'm looking to get a few returns. Coach [Justin] Schwind and his staff have done a great job of getting us in shape. I think that's a testament to our conditioning program and it has helped us gear up for this season."
What do you feel are some of the strengths that you bring to the offense?
"I think I bring leadership first and foremost. I'm a guy that looks others in their eyes day in and day out just to see the mind-set of everyone on that day. It's a tough think to be a college athlete and I know that, but I want to be someone that they always look at me and ask 'How does he always bring the edge every day?'. That leadership is just routed back to my high school days where I was taught to just be passionate about everything. I'm a senior on this team and I'm well aware of that a lot of things are going to be the last for me, so I'm passionate to the younger guys. Their senior years may be a ways off, but it's definitely something that they have to take heed to and take more seriously as time goes on and for them to be able to perfect their craft.
"I can say as a running back that I feel I bring a high IQ to the position that helps our group and sprinkles down on other guys and makes them want to know the importance of the Xs and Os of the game. I just want to be a leader in every form and facet and be a great teammate. That's really what I try to be as a player."
How did you end up at South Alabama and what factored into your decision to come to Mobile?
"It was a wild recruiting process to tell you the truth. I was recruited by Arizona and was committed there for a few months. Things didn't work out there and it ended up coming down to South Alabama or Kansas. I really just wanted to go to a place where they were winning. I saw that South Alabama was on the brink of something special and it was much closer to home than Kansas. I came here and saw an opportunity to help change the culture. I think the way this group of seniors geared us up and had us take pride in our workouts this summer has really helped change the culture around here to where we expect victory."
Who do you think has had the biggest influence on your life?
"The person that I would say that's had the biggest influence on my life would be my mother. She's always been my better reasoning through a lot of things even though she's not really into the game of football in terms of recruiting and the media. She's just given me the grounded principles of being consistent in something that you want to work for. There were times where I didn't think I would play at the Division I level again, but she just told me not to worry about who was looking at me, but just to worry about what you are looking at in front of you. She just helped me to stay confident in what I was doing and kept myself at a standard to where people just realize who you are by looking at you. That really took me a long way, because I stopped caring about everything outside of me in terms of the negatives and she helped me channel my energy going forward. Those words and phone calls from her still keep me going to this day and I'm hopeful for that."
What are you wanting to do after your football career is over?
"Once I'm done with football, I think I want to work with foster kids and help put them in good homes. I had a lot of friends that grew up in foster homes. My mom also used to work for the Department of Children and Family Services, so I was friends with a lot of those kids. Just hearing their stories and being able to connect with people who are so comfortable with nomadic situations was really life changing for me, even at a young age. It just gave me a lot of structure for the lifestyle that I have today. It taught me to be thankful for the smallest of things. I want to work with those kids and get them into good homes, because I feel a good environment can build the leaders that we need today."
What do you like to do in your spare time?
"I'm not really a guy who likes to watch college football on TV unless it's watching film on one of our opponents. I'm just a guy that likes to hang out and play video games. I'm also a big movie guy. I just pretty much enjoy my time with my teammates. I have a great group of teammates. Anytime you run into one of them, you always have a good time."
What are some things the offense needs to do in order to be successful against Nicholls State and other teams?
"I think our future success on offense can be attributed to what we can do in the ground game, more so than anything else. I think we have a great group of running backs between myself, Xavier Johnson and Tyreis Thomas. It's really the best of three worlds. It's a home run waiting to happen with any of the three of us. When we can get our three horses established and establish a new line of scrimmage like coach [Richard] Owens likes to say, we'll be able to really dictate the way we want the game to go. The run game will help open things up for our other playmakers like Gerald Everett, Josh Magee and even Dallas Davis as a runner. We have a lot of options to get teams to pull forward and have our playmakers play behind them."
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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