There are dozens of football players lining up at new schools as transfers this fall, but none has a story like Odurose Acheampong’s.
The Young senior is an exchange student from Ghana. He not only had never played football before, he hadn’t even watched a game till seeing the Dolphins play this season.
Acheampong is staying with the family of sophomore running back/defensive back Mason Abdul-Aleem, whose dad, Zaid, was a football captain at Duke. The elder Abdul-Aleem told Acheampong he had to play a sport, leaving the decision up to his guest.
Football was an easy choice.
‘‘As I’ve come here to get some new experiences, I wanted to actually experience the sport, as well, because I only ever played soccer,’’ Acheampong told the Sun-Times.
The Abdul-Aleems’ football background — Mason’s younger brother also plays — helped seal the deal.
‘‘Plus, of the sports that were available to play, I didn’t want to play soccer,’’ Acheampong said. ‘‘And I actually wanted to learn about American football.’’
It’s a lot of acclimating to do in a new country, at a new school and with a new sport. But Acheampong, who arrived in the United States less than a week before starting school and football practice, said there has been no stress.
‘‘Surprisingly, it’s only been fun,’’ he said. ‘‘Because I didn’t really get jet lag. . . . My coaches are really good, [and] my teammates are very friendly. So it’s been going good.’’
Acheampong is known as ‘‘Penin’’ (pronounced ‘‘Penny’’) to his coaches and teammates. It’s a common nickname for an older twin — as he is — in his home country. And, as he noted, it’s easier to say than his first name, which is pronounced ‘‘Oh-drew-see.’’
Abdul-Aleem said he has enjoyed getting to know his new teammate and housemate.
‘‘I feel like I kind of hold a responsibility to show him what the city, the school and the country is like,’’ Abdul-Aleem said. ‘‘And I want to make it a nice vision for him.’’
Acheampong is getting used to a new kind of studying. At his school in Ghana, he said, the students stay in one classroom while the teachers rotate from one to another.
His biggest surprise so far?
‘‘The size [of Chicago],’’ he said. ‘‘It’s a very big city. So at least there’s a lot to explore, a lot to experience. I’m happy for that because the bigger the city, the more experiences that are to be gained.’’
As far as football is concerned, Young coach Dan Finger likes what he has seen of Acheampong, who is 6 feet tall and 350 pounds.
‘‘He’s got a can-do attitude,’’ Finger said. ‘‘He loves the weight room. He loves the physical part of it, which big kids don’t always love. The heat hasn’t seemed to bother him much.
‘‘And his mobility is really good.’’
Acheampong hasn’t played yet while he gets in enough practices to meet IHSA eligibility standards, but Finger foresees him eventually getting reps on both sides of the line.
Acheampong’s fastest path to playing time looks to be on offense, where he could see action at guard. He also is learning how to snap.
‘‘He’s really light on his feet, and he . . . bends really well,’’ Finger said. ‘‘[That] is half the battle with a big kid — getting them to play lower and create powerful angles in their ankles, knees and hips. And he does it very naturally.’’
Not bad for a kid who never saw a football game before last month.
