Welcome to the Xpress podcast, a podcast that brings city and statewide perspectives to SF State news. Staff reporters Victor Harris Jr. and Bryan Chavez talk to intramural champion Adeboye Adeyemi about football and recap his experience playing sports on campus.

Introduction

Victor: Welcome back to the Chomp Podcast. My name is Victor Harris Jr. I’m a sports writer on the staff.

Bryan: And my name is Bryan, I’m a writer on the staff and we’ll be your host on this episode of the Chomp Pod.

Preview of the Show

Victor: On the first episode of Chomp, we’ll be joined by Adeboye Adeyemi, a senior business administration and management major here at SF State. Today we’ll be talking about 49ers football and the aftermath of the Trey Lance trade, his football career at Deer Valley High School, and his experience winning two intramural championships here on campus.

Interview

Victor: And we’re gonna hop right into the interview with Adeboye Adeyemi, here we go. How you doing today, man?

Adeboye: I’m doing good thanks for having me man.

Victor: Thank you for taking the time out. So, we got some news. I know you’re a 49ers fan.

Adeboye: Yeah. Yeah.

Victor: So recently the 49ers, they traded Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys for a fourth round pick. What’s your thoughts?

Adeboye: Man, I was sick. You know, when I first found out I was actually on my way to the preseason game. That happened last week against the Chargers. It was like probably like two hours before I left man I was like bro I don’t want to go no more man I’m like I want to see Trey Lance. I want to have the eye test to see what everyone’s talking about. But, unfortunately I didn’t get the chance and I just felt, I just felt bad for him honestly. Ever since Brock Purdy — you know him being just a stud coming out after Trey Lance went down, him winning eight straight and him going down, and then I feel like Trey Lance really didn’t have a chance to prove himself again. And I honestly blame the coaches like I blame the coaches because the type of player he is yeah, he’s a dual athlete. You can say mobility wise he’s very good at running the ball but I feel like he has an arm too and I feel like he wasn’t able to display that with the 49ers but I feel like he’s gonna have a better chance with the Cowboys. See I’m happy for him I’m just mad at our staff for wasting all those you know draft picks moving all those pieces around and not being able to utilize him to the fullest potential.

Victor: I’m with you on that one because me personally I feel like we just missed the opportunity to finally having that franchise guy. It was more I think of a mismanagement thing like showing no patience. When he finally got a chance to get in there I feel like they were utilizing him incorrectly. The way we were just running between the tackles. Even Kyle said before like you know running your quarterback between the tackles is how you get him hurt but he was constantly doing it every game so I’m like man what did you expect to happen he wasn’t going to last all season. You know, but like you said man when Brock Purdy came in it was a joy to watch him play you know seventh round guy, Mr.irrelevant came in and kept the team afloat, took them to the playoffs. I feel like when you invest that much into a young guy, man, you got to try to get some ROI and I feel like we just kind of get rid of a little bit too soon.

Bryan: I mean me personally you know like I’m just like a Bay Area sports fan you know so I don’t have a favorite team but like I do follow along with what happened. But for me, I like to ask you like if you were the coach, what would you have done differently?

Adeboye: In terms of like what with Trey Lance just in general?

Bryan: Yeah with like the whole QB situation. You have like Brock Purdy, Sam Darnold, you know, you let go of Trey Lance, you let go Jimmy Garoppolo like it just seemed like kind of a mess.

Adeboye: Yeah this offseason has been a mess I’ve been watching videos on what Jimmy, Jimmy Garoppolo actually spoke about it you know, being a messy situation and honestly, you could tell. Like just being from a fan’s perspective bro like, you went out to get Sam darnold So it’s like, are they really just gonna compete with Trey Lance for QB two? Because obviously they’re going with Brock Purdy. The QB one, you know, Trey Lance doesn’t even have a chance. So now they’re gonna put some competition between Sam Darnold and Trey Lance and now he’s not even gonna win that because of how they’re playing with him like Victor mentioned in the preseason. So yeah, I think the way I would have handled it was honestly not signing Sam Darnold. I don’t think we need him really bro I think, his success should have been with another team because I don’t — I feel like if Brock Purdy does what he does like he did last year then do we really need Sam Darnold? I don’t think so. But it’s good to have. I guess — he’s not a vet. I think it’s like what his fourth year in the league?

Victor: I think year five.

Adeboye: Year five, so I guess he’s a vet. But yeah I don’t think — first off we don’t start, we don’t sign Sam Darnold forsure in the offseason. I think we look for some other pieces definitely. Second, when Brock Purdy heal let him and Trey Lance go at it for QB one all throughout the offseason. Don’t have it set until week one. I think that would be a better way I would pursue that situation I had with Trey Lance because him being injured earlier in the season. Yeah I would let them go at it. One half preseason game, the other does the second half of the preseason game back and forth. Let them go out throughout the offseason because you have two great QBs within that organization. You signed a third one that you really didn’t need. He’s still still a great player. Like, you know, we see what he’s done at the Jets his rookie year and with the Panthers last season or season before that. I think that’s how I would pursue that.

Victor: Are you still optimistic about the upcoming season?

Adeboye: Yeah, definitely. Yeah, people keep saying like, our defense is trash I’m like, I don’t know what you guys are talking about. I mean, like we have like how many All-Pro for defense just in general. We got like four I believe. Yeah, one in top, top five with Nick Bosa. So defense, I’m not going to lie our preseason defense a little shaky but you know, those are like, second year, third year guys, you know, I’ve seen Clelin Ferrell, first round pick for the Raiders last year. He was doing pretty good. So I mean yeah, having him too is gonna be very valuable. So, I think in terms of our team this year I think we’re gonna have a pretty good season again. You know.

Victor: Pay Nick Bosa.

Adeboye: Hey, it’s coming. It’s coming all the way.

Victor: Sticking to the gridiron man, you’re familiar on the football field?

Adeboye: Yeah.

Victor: Good.

Adeboye: Yeah.

Victor: Deer Valley High School?

Adeboye: Yes, sir.

Victor: Team Captain?

Adeboye: Yes, sir. Yes, sir

Victor: Talk about your love for football man, where did it start for you?

Adeboye: Man. It started for me when I was young — young age. You know, my parents didn’t let me play football when I was young and I didn’t start playing football till ninth grade of high school. They said nah, if you’re gonna play football, you’re gonna play at a level where your body’s like, physically able to withstand, like the conditioning and the impacts of the blow. So yeah, I get that. But I wish I played younger. I feel like it would’ve just been fun to play with people your age, you know, just running around and helmets and pads. But my love of football definitely started around like when I was eight or nine just watching football games with my dad every Sunday and my brother, looking at the different teams playing. So yeah, ninth grade year, I started playing football, I was trash. I didn’t know lick. I didn’t know what to do. You know, they just put me there. I tried to do my best wherever they put me in each position and so I ended up being the D-lineman and O-lineman. But yeah, I was trash my freshman year. Sophomore year, I improved way better than I would ever thought. Junior year, I was actually playing JV junior year. That’s what a lot of people didn’t know. I played JV for my first part of my junior year, which was pretty humbling. Honestly, with that team, my junior I would love — I would never take back that decision that they made because I really loved playing for JV till I got moved up. It was just a great experience. And then obviously with Varsity, too, we didn’t we weren’t that good of a team. But I mean we — we had great games, you know, we try to keep it as close as possible in terms of like our rival schools and our league. So, you know, it was a really great experience for sure. For my four years of high school playing football. Building and having that bond with brothers, on the field and off the field. And those coaches — mentors for life so definitely.

Victor: I also noticed, you know, being on that gridiron man, you know, you start getting that competitive, you know, that little edge you got.

Adeboye: Yeah definitely.

Victor: You took that to the chess club?

Adeboye: Chess Club, yeah, definitely yeah, I did, I did take it to the chess club. You know, it’s not even just for football, just as just me. As ever since I was young I’ve just been competitive as hell. Between me and my brother we’re always competing, no matter what it is. So yeah, I think chess is, nonetheless I think, I’m gonna compete in anything I do, especially chess. And I love chess, too. It’s patience, you got to strategically win in everything you do. Not just your moves, moves that your opponents may do, or they may not do. So. Yeah.

Victor: We gotta get it poppin on the chess.

Adeboye: Oh yeah definitely.

Victor: I play a little bit myself. So you know what I’m saying? So we’re gonna see what’s good.

Adeboye: Yeah.

Victor: So, you know, transitioning from high school, you are here at SF State. What kind of went into that decision for you to come here? And what was kind of like your early experiences?

Adeboye: I didn’t start off as a freshman here SF State I actually transferred so I think me — being a transfer student, you have a different set of eyes about how you come into college now. Because as a freshman you start at a four year so you have a different viewpoint of the school, then you come in as a junior or sophomore even. So my perspective on state was it’s a very laid-back school and it fits the city vibe, really. Everybody’s down to earth. You know, you can talk to anybody here. You know my other friends who go to Berkeley, So-Cal schools, they always say people are like, just stuck up. People don’t really like to talk with each other and no. I don’t really like that I’m a talkative person man I’m very extroverted, so we can start a conversation. I can keep it going for however long but yeah. That’s what I really felt when I first touched down on campus. You know, I felt that type of energy just among people. Everyone was chill you know, everyone was smiling, happy, having conversations in the quad chilling on the grass and Malcolm X Plaza. So yeah, that was really eye-opening for me. Honestly.

Victor: They say you kind of a cheat code because how did you end up on two championship teams for the intramural clubs? You were on the with the PED users for basketball?

Adeboye: Yes.

Victor: And then it was Alpha Sigma Phi for flag football?

Adeboye: Yes, I believe so.

Victor: Can you talk to us about that a little bit? How’d that happen? How’d that form up?

Adeboye: So my first semester here I actually didn’t play intramural basketball and I played football. And in terms of basketball people said you should play next year you should join this semester just play next semester I said okay cool. Now with football, It was interesting. We had an interesting season because we lost to the actual soccer team of SF State. The school team, and we lost in the championship and I was like nah I can’t lose again man. I said we’re running it back. We had a great team, it was a great season, it was so fun, you know. Yeah you can say I’m a cheat code because no one is really my height and moving like me. So yeah, I was literally just snapping the ball and running, or blocking. So I guess that was a very big advantage for my team because the other blockers on the team were just small so you could really just get around them. But yeah, in terms of the championship part for both, you know, I just want to win. So in terms of football, I really wanted it bad because we lost so bad. Not bad, but we lost by two points and it really stuck with me through the next semester and I said, hey, y’all, we gotta lock in and win because I’m not trying to lose, I’m trying to get that t-shirt and it ended up happening. For basketball, you know, I didn’t think I was gonna win my basketball intramural because you know, they had stack teams to begin with, you know, I’m just joining in. My friend Ethan, he just said, you should just run with us. I said, okay, cool. It was just about six of us, seven of us on the team. The last champions, they were actually just running through people in the league, you know, they had like, the goat squad, like the Dream — Dream Team and I’m like oh yeah, we gotta, if we want to win we gotta go through them and so, it was a fun battle. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to — we didn’t get to play them in our first intramural championship they lost to a mediocre team. You know, some players didn’t show up for that game so I guess. They still should have won though. They had an all-star team so I don’t know how they lost but you know. A guy on the other team was just not missing. You know, he had probably had like, seven, eight threes man I’m like, ‘yo are they really gonna lose right now to one player’ but yeah, it happened. So yeah my first semester, I actually didn’t get to play the team I wanted to play. But last semester, my second semester on intramural basketball we actually did get to face them and we won. So it was great. It was a great feeling. You know, even though we didn’t get a t-shirt, you know, we still get bragging rights. So I was talking, talking my stuff to them after the game, before the game of the season, like what’s gonna happen. So it was really, really fun honestly. In the end, it was just really fun to play with your guys who you always run with in an open gym so, it was just a great experience all around.

Victor: So you know, in order to win a championship, y’all got to be able to bring it together and you know, practice got to make perfect, you know what I’m saying so can you walk me through, like what a practice looks like? Like, is it more structured? Is it like, more free y’all just playing pickup?

Adeboye: Honestly, yeah, we didn’t practice. I think we’ve never really practiced, I don’t think anybody in the league really had practices, we just ran with each other and open gym. And that gets very intense and sometimes as well. So what I would say the people who I’ve hooped with on that team really has a lot of IQ, and really just basketball experience. You know, we know when to move the rock when someone’s hot, ISO, set screens, role. And defense to that was a big thing, because I wouldn’t say we were the biggest team, you know, I was probably the biggest player, everyone else was probably average size, probably like 6 ‘1” 6’ foot. But I mean, we still had to play defense at the end of the day. So I think really, having just that experience and like, I think we just clicked honestly, in the first game we just clicked, we knew what our roles were, we knew what to do. In terms of our play styles. What really helped was the runs and open gym that happened at Mashouf regularly, you know, just playing with them regularly or playing against them too knowing their tendencies, knowing other people’s tendencies as well. That’s what really helped us.

Victor: I can see the excitement on your face when you talk about it.

Adeboye: Yeah.

Victor: What did being a part of those teams really do for you, as a competitor and somebody a part of state, you know, trying to, like you said, got that vibe, when you first came here, what did it really do for you?

Adeboye: It introduced me to a lot of people. Like I said, being a transfer here, you’re new, you’re basically just new to everyone. So I got to meet a lot of people through just going to the gym and hooping just that and then I got to meet a lot of people going to flag football games, and they would’ve just invite me to their friend groups and we’ll just go to the library. So I think what I really benefited from, for me was just meeting a whole different bunch of people, and just having fun, honestly and that’s what I really loved about playing intramurals.

Victor: Some people like they might not be on the more athletic side, you know, they might be willing to, you know, give it a try, but maybe a little intimidated. Like what would you say to anybody who would like to think about joining an intramural club?

Adeboye: I would say go for it. Have fun. You know, when people see me for the first time, they didn’t think I was athletic. They thought I was some slow big guy who’s just tall, not mobile until I showed them and proved them wrong. So I mean, it’s always up to you how you want to be perceived by others. So I just say go, go out, make a team, join the team, you know, have fun with it, and try to make the best out of it. Just try to try to build relationships with other people and just try to go out there, do your best.

Bryan: I probably just want to ask like, is there a specific play or memory that you have in mind? I see that smile so you definitely have one. Football, basketball, what was your most fondest memory?

Adeboye: Definitely football. Definitely football last semester it was — we went back to back last semester. So we went back to back in both sports but football was way more memorable because that season was just so fun. I would say my most memorable play was the semi-finals before the championship the week before the championship, I was in a game. I was actually playing one of my — some people I knew on the other team and we were down by I believe by like, I want to say like five bro and we it was like eight seconds left and we’re on our 20 yard line. They just came down and scored and we have to go back to win the game to score and we’re on our own 20, you know how small the rec field it’s like, so we’re basically in our endzone. I don’t know what type of play we drew up. I think we just told everybody just go deep. And I told my quarterback ,Tony at the time he’s a part of the frat, I said I’m gonna run a streak and I’m gonna just cut left at the end if you see me and you think I’m open just throw it. When he said set go I took my time and then I just full out bursted sprinted. I made that cut to the left — I didn’t see no one — I didn’t see no one near me and he just threw it. And I caught it and took it for like another 30 yards to the crib. And I guess when the play ended there was someone actually at free safety but he didn’t know who to guard because people were like crossing at the top of the route so he got to me last and they’re basically saying yeah, you just mossed brody and you didn’t even know it and it was the game winner basically for to get us to the championship. So like my favorite memory sure. Definitely.

Victor: Damn so like was the championship game for basketball that exciting?

Adeboye: Oh yeah, probably yeah. Yeah, I would say — I didn’t really have no part in terms of scoring wise but I was still there you know it was really my teammates they were going crazy. Actually, now that I think about it, it was down to the wire. My boy Dez, he actually hit the game winner. Game winner, clock running down. Bruh I remember there’s a video actually I’ll show you guys after, but there was a video probably like –think it was four or five seconds left on the clock. He came down on the inbound, came around the wing and just — I said Dez just shoot it and he just shot it. Game. But that game, that whole game, that atmosphere — everybody was watching. Everybody came out to watch that. People were like sitting at the Mashouf entrance or upstairs around the building just watching, looking down, people on the benches as well. It was intense the entire game because we knew those people were playing and we were talking so much bruh. Going back and forth bruh just going back. What’s crazy is that one of the dudes who I actually wanted to play didn’t show up for personal reasons but I understand. But I really wanted to play him so bad, and now they use that as an excuse about why they lost. They still have an all-star team. This is the same all-star team that I didn’t get to play my first semester. So playing them was crazy. It was a crazy, crazy experience. Honestly, it was fun. Everybody was laughing, smiling man, it was back and forth to basketball. This is a game you would love to see as a student here, so it was crazy. I loved it.

Victor: Definitely, man. So I mean, yall repeating y’all going back-to-back what y’all gonna do about that?

Adeboye: It’s in the works man. You know, I really want to be a ref and I’m talking with the student manager right now for intramurals to see if I could ref. You know, I just want to have fun reffing. I feel like it will be fun just to, just to try. So yeah, but if not, man I don’t know if I — I don’t know if PED — if i’m gonna run with PED man. I might branch off to make my own team or who knows, you know, but it’s gonna be a fun year. You know, we have new fresh bodies coming in as freshmen and transfers at Mashouf runnings. So it will be a fun season for sure.

Victor: Adeboye man, I appreciate you.

Adeboye: Yeah no problem. Thank you for having me, man.

Victor: Man thank you for taking the time out. We really appreciate it.

Adeboye: Yeah.

Victor: It was a blast hearing these stories. You know, hopefully we can do it again.

Adeboye: Yeah, definitely.

Victor: After y’all win a championship.

Adeboye: Of course yeah, I’ll be back here with another championship man. I don’t know what’s gonna be in, it might be dodgeball. We don’t know, man.

Bryan: They got dodgeball tournaments out here?

Victor: I might have to get on that.

Adeboye: Dodgeball intramurals man. I don’t know what team I’m gonna be on but we’re thinking about joining.

Bryan: Going crazy.

Adeboye: Yeah, going crazy.

Victor: Sign me up. It’s all good man. Thank you for joining us, man.

Adeboye: No problem and thank you for having me.

Outro

Bryan: That will conclude our first episode of the Chomp Pod this semester and we’ll be back. And make sure to follow us on Twitter at the Chomp Pod and Golden Gate Xpress at GGX News.