In His Own Words: Oluwaseun Oluwatimi

Everyone's journey to play Division I football is different. Some are heralded recruits, some have multiple choices as to where they’ll go and others pick a school and hope to one day walk-on to the squad. 

I was in the walk-on category. And I also decided to major in engineering so I had my work cut out for me. I chose to challenge myself at the University of Maryland, a place where I could earn a great degree and that would allow me to compete at a high level in the Big Ten where I would go up against the best competition in the nation every game. 

This opportunity was great for me as I saw potential in myself at a young age and I wouldn’t back down from any challenge. Having this experience showed me a lot of the sacrifices I would have to make as a walk-on. For instance, I was different from some of my teammates as I had to put a considerable amount of time in for school and workouts, sometimes neglecting my social life as I had to work to not only stay on the team but in school as well.

I had many late nights and early mornings with both practice and school. Now, I look back as I’ve grown into a multiple-year starter, and I see how great it has been from getting the exposure and playing time I feel like I earned from working so hard. It’s honestly a blessing showing how far I’ve come and grown throughout the seasons since 2016. With the many people that have come before me, I now have the honor to show them how well I am doing in their shoes. 

One of the things that I’m most proud of and something I’ll never forget is when I earned my scholarship. It was a very special moment for me as I immediately expressed the joy with my parents and brother. At this point, I felt like I have achieved not only a dream but a goal that I set out for myself, especially with the many sacrifices I made to get to this point.

Football & Engineering

Majoring in Civil Engineering has been both challenging and rewarding. Knowing that I will have a future occupation making a difference in the world and the everyday lives of real people is what drives me in the classroom. 

My parents have always preached to me and my family members the importance of academics and education. It’s at the forefront of my core values. It’s something that I take pride in.

Balancing football is very tough and although most people wouldn’t usually do it, I don’t consider myself like most people - I am extraordinary. Majoring in Civil Engineering as a student-athlete has allowed me the experience to be different. I don’t have the same amount of resources and help that most players would get being a student-athlete. Not only have I been able to prove that the stereotype of just being a typical student-athlete is wrong, but I’ve also been allowed to have internships proving to myself that this is the academic and occupational field I want to have in the future. 

My grandfather, who worked as a Civil Engineer in Nigeria, has been a major source of inspiration to me. I unfortunately was never able to meet him, but I’ve listened to my father’s stories about him. I feel like I have the chance to carry on my grandfather's legacy and live my dad’s dream of me becoming an engineer.

My family is one of the biggest supporters I have in my life as they have always pushed for me to do better and work for a good future. By having the chance to play football and obtain my undergraduate degree, I am not only giving them pride by getting higher education but I am limiting their stress and worries to provide for me as I am now on scholarship. This gives them great pride as I am working hard for myself without asking for help and showing them how I am the independently determined son they raised.

I also take great pride in being a minority in the engineering field. I am grateful to be in the Black Engineers Society for many reasons. While not a lot of Black people are given the chance to receive higher education, let alone majoring in engineering, I am again not only breaking the perceived stereotypes allowing myself to set a great example for the future Black student-athletes and other people of color around me. 

This is extremely important in Civil Engineering as many people of color are not usually involved with it. In terms of social injustice, I’m allowing more acknowledgment and background to give a voice to Black people all around the country not being listened to or focused on in terms of not only engineering but health and daily lifestyles as well.

Overall, Maryland has shaped me into becoming a better man as I know how important it is to work for what I want in the future as hard work and determination can go a long way. Looking back to my first year and being a walk-on shows me the strides I've taken to prove what I can do to not only myself but my coaches and peers as well. 

There’s no doubt that I've worked hard to ensure my spot being a leader of the Maryland football team and I’ll never take that for granted. I know that because of my hard work and the opportunities that Maryland has provided me, I will have the chance to land numerous job opportunities once football is done. Going into my last year, looking back at that young walk-on kid who started taking engineering classes makes me smile because I know what I’ve accomplished and just how bright my future is. I’m forever grateful to Maryland for that.

Oluwaseun Oluwatimi