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Akin Ayodele, a native of Irving, Texas, is a 6-2, 246-pound linebacker from Purdue. He is entering his fifth NFL season after four years with the Jacksonville Jaguars. A versatile linebacker who was originally drafted by Jacksonville in the third round (89th overall), he finished the 2005 season with 100 tackles and became the first player in Jaguar history to begin his career with four consecutive 100-tackle seasons (108, 131, 150 and 100 respectively). Ayodele has played in all 64 games since entering the league with 46 starts.
2005: Ayodele played in all 16 games and in the AFC Wildcard game and recorded 100 tackles and a team-high four forced fumbles. In the season opener against Seattle (9/11) he had four tackles and a forced fumble and sack on a fourth-quarter takedown of quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. At Indianapolis (9/18) he had eight tackles and recorded his 400th career stop. At the New York Jets (9/25) he finished with three tackles and one tackle for a loss before posting 12 tackles against Denver (10/2). Against Cincinnati (10/9) he made six stops with a season-high two tackles for loss and recovered a Carson Palmer fumble to seal the victory. At Pittsburgh (10/16) he had seven stops and one forced fumble, posted six tackles at St. Louis (10/30) and another five tackles against Houston (11/6). Against Baltimore (11/13) he three tackles and one quarterback pressure and another quarterback pressure and five tackles at Tennessee (11/20). At Arizona (11/27) posted seven tackles, 1.5 sacks and forced a Kurt Warner fumble on the final drive to end the game. Posted eight tackles at Cleveland (12/4) and finished second on the team with a season-high 15 tackles and one tackle for a loss against Indianapolis (12/11). Against San Francisco (12/18) again finished second on the team with seven tackles before recording one tackle at Houston (12/24). At Tennessee (1/2) he had three tackles and one forced fumble and recorded eight tackles and one tackle for a loss at New England (1/7) in the AFC Wildcard game.
2004: Ayodele started all 16 games for the Jaguars and finished the season second on the team with 131 tackles, two sacks and a blocked field goal. At Buffalo (9/12) in the season opener he recorded eight tackles and forced one fumble before recovering one fumble and posting another eight stops against (9/19). Had nine tackles at San Diego (10/10) before leading the team with two sacks and 15 tackles against Kansas City (10/17). Against Detroit (11/14) he posted 11 tackles and then recorded his first career blocked field against Houston (12/26). Against Chicago (12/12) he recorded eight tackles and one tackle for a loss before finishing season with nine tackles at Oakland (1/2).
2003: He started in all 16 games for the Jaguars at linebacker for the first time in his career and finished second on the team with a career-high 150 tackles, two interceptions and three fumble recoveries ? tying him for third most in Jaguar history with five takeaways. In the season opener at Carolina (9/7) he recorded a team-high 11 tackles, one sack, a quarterback pressure and an interception. At Baltimore (11/2) he recorded his first career touchdown after picking up a fumble and returning it 15-yards for a score. He picked up his second interception at Atlanta (12/28) off Michael Vick and returned it two yards.
2002: Played in all 16 games with three starts and finished his rookie season fourth on the team with 108 tackles and tied for second in special teams tackles with 13. He became only the fifth rookie in team history to record 100 tackles. He made his first NFL start in the second game of the season at Kansas City (9/15) and made seven stops on defense and one on special teams. Had his season best game against Cleveland (12/8) recording 10 tackles, one interception and one sack.
COLLEGE: Ayodele was a three-year starter at Purdue after transferring from Coffeyville Community College in Kansas, was named first-team All-Big Ten as a senior and second-team All-Conference as a sophomore and junior. He is tied for second on school's all-time list with 29 sacks and is ranked fourth with 54 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Finished his career with 194 tackles, five fumble recoveries, four forced fumbles and 11 pass deflections. Graduated with a double major in 2001 in sports psychology and law and society.
PERSONAL: Akinola James Ayodele attended MacArthur High in Irving, TX, where he was first-team All-district as a senior after posting 35 tackles and five sacks and catching eight passes for 242 yards as a tight end. He worked as a Dallas Cowboys ballboy while in high school. In 2003 he was named the Jaguars Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee, the NFL Extra Effort Award winner for the month of November and the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Community Champion of the Year, where he donated $2,500 to the Muscular Dystrophy Association on his behalf. Ayodele made regular visits to Wolfson Children's Hospital and local elementary and middle schools. He actively supports Foundation's Playbooks and supports the charitable efforts of his teammates. Anikola is an African word that means ?a warrior who has gone through many wars and has never been defeated." | 