ALL-CVA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Aramide Olaniyan, Woodberry Forest

When Aramide Olaniyan first arrived at Woodberry Forest School as a freshman more than four years ago, the youngster was already turning heads on the football field. On the first day of JV practice that summer, he was facing a bigger, faster, more experienced varsity squad, and coach Clint Alexander got an early glimpse of Olaniyan’s potential at the tender age of 13.

“Aramide’s a little 152-pound JV defensive end, and he beats my varsity tailback three times in a row for a sack,” Alexander said. “And I said, ‘My goodness, the kid’s a freshman, can’t you block him?’ He goes, ‘No,’ and that’s when I realized, you know what? He might be pretty special.”

Alexander was right, and that varsity tailback would be just the first of many opposing players over the next four seasons that would have to answer to their coach when Olaniyan made big play after big play against them.

For his outstanding play in leading the 8-1 Tigers’ hard-as-nails rush defense that allowed just 2.2 yards a carry, Olaniyan — who will take his services to Rick Neuheisel and UCLA in the fall — has been named The Daily Progress All-Central Virginia defensive player of the year.

“I wouldn’t have been able to do it without my teammates,” Olaniyan said of his accomplishment. “This off season, we all worked hard in the weight room, and I felt like it really paid off this season. Coach Alexander definitely pushed us hard every practice, and I’m just honored to win the award.”

The 6-2, 205-pound senior was a three-year starter, two-time All-State selection at defensive end, and, as Alexander put it, “a defensive coordinator’s dream” on a defense that allowed just over 500 yards on the ground all season. Olaniyan was a huge part of the team’s Prep League title run in 2009, registering 59 total tackles (16 for loss), a team-high eight sacks, 29 hurries, three forced fumbles, and was the first Tiger to make contact 44 times.

“That’s one thing I think about in my head is, ‘Get to the ball, get to the ball,’” Olaniyan said. “Before the play, I’m always fired up, I’m just thinking about how fast I want to get to the ball, so I’ve got my eyes on the ball, I look for the snap, and I just try to get off as fast as possible.”

Olaniyan shared his success with a few classmates on that stellar defense, including Wake Forest-bound defensive tackle Duke Mosby, and defensive backs Ed Reynolds (Stanford commitment) and Ade Oyalowo (Brown). Together, the unit only allowed 100-yards rushing in three games, only gave up 14 or more points three times, and created 20 turnovers on the season. Olaniyan was used at every position in the box at one point or another.

“Even though he gets matched up against young men like [offensive lineman Russell] Bodine from FUMA, he probably gave up about 100 pounds,” Alexander said, “but he’s so physical he can get his hands blocked out, get off the block and make plays. But the other best part about him was week-to-week, like when we faced Collegiate, we could play him as a linebacker in a two-point [stance] on the edge, and he could do a great job there, too.

”He’s devastating to an offense; he can create so many negative plays that he almost single-handedly becomes a drive-killer.”

Alexander went on to say that “A.O.” is just as special off the field, as described in his official visit to UCLA back in November.

“He’s got this dynamic personality. He went out to UCLA for a day and a half, and I called after his visit, and everybody knew him. And they were all, ‘A.O., we love A.O., we want him to come here.’ So he’s just got that kind of personality that you just love to be around him, he’s got a great laugh, huge smile, and he’s just special in so many ways.”

Olaniyan compares his game to University of Miami linebacker Sean Spence, who was named ACC defensive rookie of the year in 2008, for his speed and passion for the game.

“The biggest thing is just excitement,” Alexander said. “He plays with such an explosive high motor that you almost can’t take your eyes off of him, and he’s in the mix almost every play but he’s so enthusiastic. So when the play’s over, he’s in the air jumping up with his teammates and celebrating, but he’s really positive, he’s not a taunter or an aggravator, he’s just 100 percent emotional.”

Alexander plans to tell future Woodberry players about Olaniyan’s journey from a scrawny freshman to an elite national prospect, and encourage them that they can follow in his footsteps.

“The one thing I tell kids, because they look at him now, especially our young guys, and think wow, I could never be that way,” Alexander said. “And I say, he was a 150-pound freshman, but he put his name on the record board for his class every year. He worked and worked and worked and put the time in, and so he earned it. He’s not one of these great athletes that relied on being a great athlete, he was a great athlete that did all the little things, and it ended up with him being one of the top prospects in the country.”