Copyright syracuse.com
Syracuse, N.Y. — David Omopariola was unsure what the future held for him. When Fran Brown and defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson arrived in Syracuse, they came across players that didn’t fit their vision of a football team. Some players were asked to transfer; some were told to gain weight, and others had their positions changed. Omopariola survived the round of cuts thanks to a constant desire to learn something new and improve as a football player. It’s what earned him a scholarship, and it’s what made him stand out to Syracuse’s new regime. “I think he was constantly trying to prove to us that he belonged and he wanted to be here,” Robinson said. “I think he wasn’t sure exactly what the plan was for him. He was a good kid and he worked hard, and that’s what I liked about him.” More than a year later, the plan has become more clear. Omopariola is averaging more than 20 snaps per game for Syracuse at its JACK position, a weak-side defensive end who must also be able to drop in coverage. Despite playing half the number of snaps as starter David Reese, Omopariola ranks third on the team in pressures (12), behind defensive lineman Kevin Jobity Jr. (16) and Reese (18), according to Pro Football Focus. “He has a really big role,” Robinson said. “The numbers don’t always show that, but he’s going to play hard and possibly create some one-on-one matchups for some other people.” With Syracuse looking thin at defensive end next season, apart from Omopariola and incoming four-star recruit Kamron Wilson, Omopariola said he’s hoping to return to Syracuse next season as a starter. He arrived in Syracuse as a linebacker that was relatively new to football. The Nigerian immigrant didn’t begin playing football until his ninth-grade year at Woodlawn (Maryland), a western Baltimore County school that has made just one state championship appearance. He had a path to the FBS that included a late start, two other sports, academics and a serious time sacrifice. He paid his own way to camps to gain more exposure, working three jobs to be able to afford the travel costs to get in front of more college coaches. When he wasn’t working at Arby’s, Wendy’s and Pizza City, Omopariola would pay his friends money for gas to take him to camps throughout the Mid-Atlantic. One weekend, he had two camps in Maryland and another in Pennsylvania. He had to pay a friend to take him to one camp, he said, then pay for an Uber to another friend’s house to catch a ride to another camp. “It was a test from God,” Omopariola said. “God probably wanted to see how much I wanted it, how much I was going to do to get what I really wanted.” Omopariola’s first name, Oluwademilade, means “Jesus crowned me.” Omopariola means, “A child that finishes wealthy.” The meaning of his names helps him, he said, attack life’s goals and obstacles without doubt or worry. It’s why Omopariola was willing to pay his way through camps for two years until he finally gained some traction on the recruiting trail. He earned interest from Maryland and a scholarship offer from Temple. In 2021, Omopariola had just completed a camp in New Jersey. He doesn’t remember who hosted the camp, just that former NFL players and members of the Orange coaching staff were there. Nearly two years later, while he was taking an exam, Omopariola received a text from Michael Johnson Sr., one of those assistants with the Orange. “He just randomly texted me, ‘Would you be interested in playing for Syracuse?’ ” Omopariola said. “I told the teacher I was going to the bathroom. I got on the phone with Coach and from there we just made it happen.” Omopariola’s football journey began in 2019 as a high school freshman. All of his closest friends in middle school played the sport, so he figured he’d try it, too. He was a raw prospect who didn’t know much about the game, but he was smart, eager and coachable. Omopariola began his high school career on junior varsity under James Gamble, who spent training camp placing Omopariola everywhere on the field. “He was terrible at everything,” Gamble said. “He just was doing everything the wrong way, but he always did it at 100%. And I felt like all I have to do is teach him technique and he’s going to be great.” Gamble described Omopariola’s improvement throughout his freshman year as “drastic.” By the time he returned the next season, Omopariola was fully bought into football. “The one play he did make, he was playing quarterback,” Gamble said. “I don’t know why the coaches put him at quarterback, but they put him at quarterback a little bit and he threw a touchdown pass for like 40 or 50 yards. I was like, ‘Oh, yeah. It’s on. It’s on. He can really do anything at this point.’” Omopariola was the fourth-string quarterback and thrown into the game since the three ahead of him were injured. He also spent time at running back and tight end while Gamble tried to find a place for him. Omopariola had built a name for himself in the Baltimore area by 2020, which put him on the radar of two of his future Syracuse coaches. Syracuse assistant running backs coach Devin Redd learned of Omopariola while coaching at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, a nearby Catholic school. As soon as Redd met Omopariola, he let the raw product know he wanted him at Mt. Carmel, Redd said. “He had a decent frame, he had good get-off and he had a high motor,” Redd said. “I just believed if I had the opportunity to have him in my program, he would be exactly where we are now.” Omopariola never told his Woodlawn coaches about his Catholic school offer. He stayed out of loyalty and because of its magnet program that allowed him to take college courses. Before he moved to Baltimore County, Omopariola attended boarding school in Nigeria as part of a family that takes pride in academics. His family then moved to London briefly before returning to Nigeria and settling in Maryland. By his senior year of high school, Omopariola was the top-ranked wrestler in Maryland at 220 pounds. He made it to the state championship match but couldn’t participate because he was enrolling early at Syracuse. Omopariola didn’t play as a freshman. He then played in 12 games as a linebacker during Fran Brown’s first season, learning from fellow Baltimorean Marlowe Wax Jr. Wax took Omopariola under his wing, he said, working out and watching film in both Syracuse and Baltimore. But Robinson had a plan for Omopariola and made sure he spent just as much time with defensive end Fadil Diggs. Omopariola gained 12 pounds between his first two seasons and added an additional 16 pounds to get to 260 for the 2025 season. Omopariola worked his way into Syracuse’s rotation in camp. He said he’s now — with the help of Orange staffers Nick Williams, Dwight Freeney and Muhammad Wilkerson — focused on breaking sack records and helping strengthen Syracuse’s culture. “It’s in his blood,” Brown said. “He puts his head down and just works. Faith and hard work is a piece of who we are. It’s part of our culture and he exemplifies it.”
