On the Wave: Football's Aruna Leading by Example

Note: This story originally appeared in the Oct. 7 edition of Green Wave Illustrated for the Tulane vs. Tulsa football game.

Many Division I student-athletes hardly find the time to cook their meals, let alone bake their own bread. Tulane redshirt senior Ade Aruna, however, finds comfort in the kitchen. He prefers to bake his own bread, rather than buy it from the store. For the Akure, Nigeria, native, the kitchen is the one place where he can reconnect with his roots and enjoy his country's food.

Gifted with both size and nimble athleticism, Aruna first came to the United States to attend high school and play basketball. After an initial stint in Florida, he eventually landed at La Lumiere School in LaPorte, Ind., where his basketball coach first noticed his potential as a football player.

"We had just finished one of our games and we were taking our gear off," Aruna said. "The coach looked at me and said, 'You would be a perfect fit to play football. Have you ever tried it before?' I said, 'No, I don't know how to play, but if anyone would be willing to teach me, I would love to learn it.' And that was that."

From that moment, Aruna worked hard to improve his level of play. The transition from basketball player to defensive end was not easy and Aruna still has a lot to learn about football, but he is unrelenting in his pursuit of perfection.

"It's motivation," Aruna said. "I mean I came all the way from Nigeria to get an education, which is thousands of miles away. It's not like I have something to prove to people, but I have family, I have brothers that look up to me, and I want to make sure that I make them proud."

Over the past two years, Aruna has started 23 of 24 games for the Green Wave. In that time, he has recorded 72 tackles (including 15 tackles for loss), eight sacks, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. Aruna's on-field contributions earned him a spot on the Reese's Senior Bowl 2018 Watch List. While he appreciates all the accolades, his focus has never shifted from the guys around him.

"For me, it's all about the team," remarked Aruna. "It's not about getting individual nominations and awards. Stuff like that doesn't really mean much to me. I just want to do whatever I need to in order to get my team to a bowl game this year."

To Aruna, that means helping his younger teammates develop their skills and learn the defensive alignments and responsibilities.

"If they don't understand what something is, then I correct them on how to play it," he said. "I tell them to step up because we need everybody, whether you are a freshman or a sophomore, we need everybody to be on board so that we can get to a bowl game this season."

Aruna's individual goal for this season is to be the conference sack leader. In the season opener against Grambling, Aruna recorded his second multi-sack game of his career. Rebounding from an injury received against Oklahoma that kept him out of the Army game, Aruna has the same goal in his sights.

Off the field, Aruna holds the same high standard for himself as he does on it. For the past two years, he has been a member of the American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team, as well as the Tulane 3.0 Club. Having already earned a bachelor's degree in homeland security, he is now pursuing his second degree in public health and tropical medicine. He plans to one day to use his degrees to pursue government work, but Aruna's immediate goal is to play in the NFL.

"I look at it this way," said Aruna. "What if I don't get a chance to play football at the next level? Would I at least have a good education that I can take with me anywhere? That's why I chose Tulane, and I've never regretted that decision."

On the Wave: Football's Aruna Leading by Example

Players Mentioned

Ade Aruna

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