Being homeless doesn’t stop Arlington Heights senior from college football scholarship

Waking up before sunrise four days a week, Fort Worth Arlington Heights senior Leslie Adindu would go to work at Union Gospel Mission, a homeless shelter five miles from the high school.

Adindu, 19, had to work at the shelter in order to stay there.

He couldn’t play.

Yes, he was homeless.

“I wouldn’t be here if the shelter didn’t work with me and my schedule for I’m thankful for that,” said Adindu, a native of Nigeria who moved to Fort Worth in the fall of 2019.

A dream of a new opportunity in America, Adindu moved to Texas with his father, but his dreams were squashed when after a dispute, his father packed up and went to New Orleans.

His mother remained in Nigeria.

Then with the help from the football coaches, he found the shelter. Since he couldn’t pay to live there, he worked. In the beginning, his shift was 3:45 to 7 a.m. Monday through Thursday.

“It wasn’t that difficult. Living in Africa isn’t easy so there wasn’t much I had to adjust to,” Adindu said.

“The shelter worked with him. They have some great people there,” AHHS head football coach Phil Young added. “It’s not the shelters you see on TV. It’s nice. It’s like a dorm.”

High School Football

Adindu grew up around soccer in Nigeria and he even tried out at Arlington Heights.

“I’m bigger than most of the people. It was different than football,” he said. “They would give out yellow and red cards, and people would get ejected so I waved at that. I wasn’t going to do that.

Then the football coaches noticed Adindu and approached him about football.

He stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 285 pounds.

“He hadn’t played, but we could see the potential,” AHHS defensive line coach Charles Perry said. “First thing you notice are his dimensions and he fit the bill.”

Adindu was open minded about trying out for football.

“In Africa, soccer is the big sport,” he said. “My only knowledge of football was movies. They made it look easy, but it’s really not how it is.”

He practiced with the junior varsity team as a junior in 2019. He took reps with the first-team defense. He even watched clips on YouTube to learn more about the game.

And he finally figured out how to put his pads on.

“All my coaches and teammates helped me and I started to figure it out,” Adindu said.

“He was really positive and we were taking baby steps with him,” defensive coordinator Curtis James added. “He tried real hard. He would mess up, but was eager to try again. I was very pleased with his effort.”

Setback

Things were looking up for Adindu after spending a few weeks with the junior varsity team. It appeared he was on track to join the varsity squad for the 2020 season, his senior year.

Then COVID-19 hit.

But Adindu managed to bulk up during quarantine.

However, another setback came to light. He was ineligible for the 2020 season because he was 19 and 2 1/2 weeks too old. According to the UIL, a player can’t turn 19 years old before September of their junior season.

Adindu hit 19 that August.

“He was still in Nigeria at the time,” AHHS head coach Phil Young said. “So he was past the deadline. But we appealed it. We were denied. It didn’t work out like we wanted to.”

Through it all, Adindu remained positive.

“He’d always say ‘that’s okay coach,’” Young said. “The real concern from there was getting him a high school diploma. He sat down as a staff and thought if he didn’t get one, our concern was that this could put him in a bad situation. And if football was the way, so be it.”

Southwest Baptist

Adindu had film from his JV days and two scrimmages in 2020.

That was enough to peak some college interest.

Young said the football coaches reached out to four or five schools. Schools where they knew the coaches and could not only use Adindu, but take care of him.

“We felt like he could play at least at the Division II level,” Young said. “We called coaches we trusted and knew really well. They all looked at his video and loved it.”

“We had limited film on him, but coaches could see that he could move and do some things, and they were willing to take a chance on him,” Perry added.

As soon as Adindu was connected with Southwest Baptist in Missouri, he knew it was the right fit.

“I was getting offers from other schools. I went on YouTube and watched D1 students and thought to myself not right now. It would take time for me to adjust,” Adindu said. “But Southwest Baptist was a very family and friendly environment and community. I really liked the school.”

He signed his national letter of intent on Feb. 3 and is set to graduate in June.

Adindu said that he hopes to study business or law.

He also hopes one day his mother can travel from Nigeria to see him play in person.

“His learning curve is no where near touched,” James said. “He’s a yes sir, no sir type of guy and loves this country. I’ve never seen him upset. He always happy and it’s been a blast being around him.”

Added Perry, “Hopefully it inspires someone else in a similar situation. You’re not limited by your surroundings. You can change things.”