Thomas Afolabi
| Thomas Afolabi | |
|---|---|
| (New Orleans Corsairs, LB) | |
| Player ID #1798 | |
| New Orleans Corsairs | |
| Jersey # | 56 |
| Gender | Male |
| Species | "Viper Puff Adder / SW State" |
| Details | |
| Born On | June 14, 2001 |
| Height | 6.33 feet (1.93 m) |
| Weight | 245 lb (111 kg) |
| Throws | Right |
| Hometown | Cincinnati, OH, USA |
| College | Southwestern State |
| Career Info | |
| Draft | 2021 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd |
| Years Pro | 0 |
Thomas Afolabi is a Linebacker for the New Orleans Corsairs in the UFFL.
Biography
The third of three brothers, Thomas often jokes that he's the least talented football player in his family so he's lucky his brothers both majored in computer programming and gave up football after high school or nobody would even know his name.
Thomas got into football because he wanted to do everything his brother's did and wanted to be just as good as they were. The brothers trained together, practiced together, and wore the same number 56 until Thomas and Simon, the middle brother, were both on the varsity high school at the same time. Thomas and Simon both played middle linebacker and that season the coach switched to a 3-4 defense to take advantage of the Afolabi's talents. That year, Thomas wore number 51 and helped lead their high school to the state championship game for the first time in the school's history. They'd fall short of a state title that year, but it was the beginning of a record setting high school career for Thomas. By his senior year, he was the school's all time leading tackler and single season sack leader. He helped lead the team to two state championships and was named All-American three times. He was heavily recruited by almost every major school in the country and seriously considered leaving Cincinnati, but chose to stay close to home and chose Southwestern State.
Being so highly recruited and choosing such a middling program turned a lot of heads. Many wondered why such a highly rated recruit would choose such a small school and an investigation was launched to make sure no rules were broken. Thomas was clean, but it turned out the program was not. In the end the coach was fired and the program was banned from post season play for three years. Thomas stayed anyway. He didn't want to be far away from his family and with Simon attending SSU and their older brother, Paul, starting a family in the city, there was nowhere else Thomas wanted to be. He majored in computer programming like his brothers before him and, like his brothers before him, met and married his wife, Brylee (European Viper), in his sophomore year. Unlike his brothers, however, Thomas stayed on the football team and continued to rapidly improve.
He led the team in tackles his freshman year despite only starting in two of their 13 games, led the team in tackles and forced fumbles his sophomore year and was named first team all-conference, and followed those performances by having the fourth most tackles in the FCAA, fourth in forced fumbles, was named a first team All-American, broke the SSU record for tackles in a single season, tackles in a career, and interceptions by a linebacker, and was the only unanimous vote for conference linebacker of the year.
It was that final season that convinced Thomas to break from following in his brother's footsteps and forging his own path. He does plan to return to school and earn his degree, but for now an opportunity to join the UFFL is calling and Thomas Afolabi intends to answer.
Contract Info
| Player Manager | Baluthebare |
|---|---|
| Salary (per year) | $2000000 |
| Exp. Date | May 1st, 2023 |
Statistics
Career
| Regular Season | Defense | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | G | W | L | Tackles | TFL | PassDef | Sacks | Saf | Int | FFum | FumRec | DefTD |
| 2021 | NOC | 14 | 4 | 10 | 83 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Player Survey
How does your player's unique physicality (think species) fit well for the position that they play?
Is incredibly aggressive, hits hard, and is a sure tackler.
What is your player's biggest weakness?
Can be overly aggressive and run himself out of position.
If given the opportunity, would your player want to be formally mentored by another player? Why or why not?
He would probably prefer it, depending on the mentor and how far away from home he is. Thomas has always had an older brother watch out for him and to show him the way so he is more comfortable and better able to adjust to new surroundings when he has that kind of support.
